In my relatively rare taxi rides, I have found our taxi drivers chatty, in a good way: an unusual attribute for our service providers. This might be just a coincidence or perhaps they are primed by potential return in tips by this exhalational exercise of vocal cords.
Today's was a master of them all. His oration that spanned a ride from Tripureshwor to Maharajgunj would have convinced a novice that this bloke was the most knowledgeable person in the area of kidney stones. Let me summarize:
Our conversation started with me pointing out dust in the air that was made more apparent by the bright car lights at night. You know, he began, the dust can make kidney stones. It makes 10% stones. If you live in Kathmandu enough, with all this dust, you are bound to have kidney stones. The smoke, chewing tobacco, all of them get deposited slowly and make kidney stones. Tomato is the most notorious one, it makes 50% stones. Another one is palung (spinach) that makes 20% stones. I learned all of this from a book that a bideshi (foreigner) gave.
Was it in English? I ask.
Yes, he says, it was both in English and Nepali.
You need to drink 5 liters of water after each meal not to have kidney stones. Stone is a huge, huge problem he perseveres.
Have you had a kidney stone? I ask.
Yes, he says, himself and his wife. His wife got operated 2 days back for a kidney stone. It was this big, he shows me with his fingers. I used this same taxi to bring her back home from Dhulikhel Hospital yesterday, he declares. Then he veers off to a lengthy praise of Dhulikhel hospital; how they did operation with a total cost of Rs. 23,404 when at private hospitals they were estimating Rs. 150,000........
Today's was a master of them all. His oration that spanned a ride from Tripureshwor to Maharajgunj would have convinced a novice that this bloke was the most knowledgeable person in the area of kidney stones. Let me summarize:
Our conversation started with me pointing out dust in the air that was made more apparent by the bright car lights at night. You know, he began, the dust can make kidney stones. It makes 10% stones. If you live in Kathmandu enough, with all this dust, you are bound to have kidney stones. The smoke, chewing tobacco, all of them get deposited slowly and make kidney stones. Tomato is the most notorious one, it makes 50% stones. Another one is palung (spinach) that makes 20% stones. I learned all of this from a book that a bideshi (foreigner) gave.
Was it in English? I ask.
Yes, he says, it was both in English and Nepali.
You need to drink 5 liters of water after each meal not to have kidney stones. Stone is a huge, huge problem he perseveres.
Have you had a kidney stone? I ask.
Yes, he says, himself and his wife. His wife got operated 2 days back for a kidney stone. It was this big, he shows me with his fingers. I used this same taxi to bring her back home from Dhulikhel Hospital yesterday, he declares. Then he veers off to a lengthy praise of Dhulikhel hospital; how they did operation with a total cost of Rs. 23,404 when at private hospitals they were estimating Rs. 150,000........
Really good one Guru, I think I should learn about etiology of renal stone too, seems like that bideshi ko book did tell him about one good take home point... drink water
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ReplyDeletehaha.. did u corrected him any where?? or told that u are a doctor, before getting out of that taxi??
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