So after the dog attack ordeal, the next day after reading many horror stories online and realising the seriousness of dog bites in Goa, I asked at my reception where the best place was I could get the bites seen to so I didn’t catch rabies and die.

They pointed me in the direction of Calondim medical centre. Not a nice or clean looking place, it was very dark inside with no reception area. It seemed you just wander around until a doctor asks what’s wrong. There were people just lying on the floor in he corridor with bloody bandages.

A doctor asked me what was wrong and I told him about the bites, he took me into his room and after taking a look prescribed me some jabs and antibiotics. I had to go to a pharmacy to fetch them.

Finding a pharmacy that had the jabs in stock proved to be an ordeal. I ended up walking a mile or two to and tried around 6 different pharmacies. I finally found one and paid for the medication. It cost around £10.

I walked back to the pharmacy where he injected me in the arm, and instructed me about how to take the antibiotics. I have to take around 6 tablets a day.😩

He informed me I have to go back and have another injection 3 days later, and then again a few days after that, and then again… over the course of a month. He said I could get them anywhere in the world if I was planning on going somewhere else in India or going home.

What kind of holiday is this.

Missed an injection

After doing a lot of research online and terrifying myself I discovered that I hadn’t received an injection I was meant to have – the immuneglobin jab- that goes into the wound. This is vital in protection from rabies and should only be missed if you have had the rabies jab at home prior to the trip (I hadn’t).

I went back to the surgery the next day and showed them the article online and they gave me the jab… for free. 

Whilst having the injection I half jokingly asked the nurse if I was going to die. Her response weren’t that reassuring. She shrugged her shoulders. I can only hope she couldn’t understand what I said.

Saturday Night Market

Last night I popped to a ‘night market’ and had a look around. I could really dress it up and say there some really cool handmade Indian trinkets and culture filled stalls – but it was all tat.

I got roped into buying a couple of little notebook for £5 each. That’s more than WH Smith notebooks that! I was only having a little look and she was practically begging me to buy it. I haggled down from the £10 she wanted for it.

Haggling

You can haggle pretty much anything in India. Buying stuff from shops or markets, taxis, food, even beer (if £1 for a kingfisher is too much). I didn’t do much haggling personally, but if you’re into that kind of thing you’d love it here. I saw a few English ‘dad-like’ fellas really enjoying themselves haggling over a few rupees at the market. Dunno what dad-like means.

Card Still Not Arrived

After the ordeal with the dog bites and rabies scare I had decided now was the time to call it a day. It is just way too much of a hassle in India to keep going back to the pharmacy etc. 

My plan was to check out the hotel when my card arrived – so I could pay my bill. My card still didn’t arrive by Saturday night so I was a bit stuck.

They said I could have transferred them the money by bank transfer, but that would have taken 14 days.

After calling on some friends help (thanks Emily, thanks Doug, thanks Josh) I finally got in touch with Harsha, an Indian friend I have worked with in the past. I explained to him the situation and he offered to wire it into the hotels bank account. Instant as it is Indian to Indian bank account.

After paying the hotel bill they let me have my passport and I could finally book my flights and leave. 

India well and truly beaten me.

What next?

Travelling solo has been a real challenge in India. Thailand felt much more of a suitable place to travel solo.

I think for my next trip I will be going with someone else, or maybe go somewhere a lot safer. Maybe I won’t blog about it either. Bad things happen when I blog.

These past 10 days have been the best worst experience of my life. I’ve got to say India is a really challenging country, and there was a lot more for me to see that I didn’t get the chance to that may be would have changed my mind.

I had a good run though. Enoughs enough. Get me back to freezing England, where I have a bank card and there’s no killer dogs.

I definitely had my 3 strokes of bad luck.

1. No Indian visa day before travel

2. Loss of wallet

3. Attacked by pack of beach dogs

Feels weird even writing number 3. WTF.

Anyway, I hope these few blog posts come in handy for anyone looking to travel to India or travel solo at all. 

Here’s a link to all the India posts

Laters…

Take aways

Make sure you have immuneglobin jab as well as rabies vaccines if you have been bitten abroad (with the exception of people who sensibly have the rabies jab prior to travel)

Haggle everything (if you’re into that kinda thing)

If you lose all your bank cards and money it helps to have Indian friends😀