- Home
- 80 Days
- Pole to Pole
- Full Circle
- Hemingway
- Sahara
- Himalaya
- New Europe
- 80 Days Revisited
- Brazil
- Photo Gallery
- Keyword Search
- Photo Search
- Geography
- Accommodation
- Activity
- History
- Nature
- Person
- Transport
- Advanced Search
- The Chatter Box
- Chat Room
- Competition
- Polls
- Register
- Bookshop
- Bibliography
- Links
- Instructions
Himalaya
Day 2: Peshawar
The side walls are hung with various examples of gnasher-related art work: a collage of glamorous lady film stars with big toothy grins, a framed set of photos of drills at work in diseased mouths (fortunately in black and white) and a faded chart depicting 'The Four Steps Of Dental Decay'. I avert my eyes, only to catch sight of an ancient rusty drill, standing to one side of the chair like a withered arm.
With fingers the size of small trees, Abdul Wahid stretches my mouth into a rictal grin and feels around inside, squeezing each tooth in a vice-like grip. He doesn't seem impressed by my Disneyland of caps and bridges, and suggests I give up using toothpaste and use powder and my finger instead.
His charges are reasonable: 100–300 rupees (£1–£3) for an extraction, fillings from as little as 50p and a full set of acrylic dentures from £15, though these look as though they may have been enjoyed by more than one previous owner.
Choose another day from Himalaya
PALIN'S GUIDES
- Series: Himalaya
- Chapter: Day 2: Peshawar
- Country/sea: Pakistan
- Place: Peshawar
- Book page no: 15
Bookmarks will keep your place in one or more series. But you'll need to register and/or log in.
){kind=link}