Most everyone these days in America has access to a Walgreens or CVS just around the corner. In India there are pharmacies on every street but you may not want to get your medicine there. This is what most of them look like...
I'm not saying I wouldn't get my medicine there b/c of the way it looks; rather, because it's open to the heat and elements and expiration dates are questionable which makes you think twice:) So as I was calling around with my American accent to find out if any pharmacy carried prenatal vitamins (I'm not pregnant, i'm just still taking them:), I found one that did. It happens to be the most famous and reputable pharmacy in Bangalore...The Cash Pharmacy, started by an English man by the name of Cash in 1908. I wish I had a current picture of the outside. First I'll show you how it used to look...really beautiful...the top picture is the first building which looks more like a house. Then for some reason they cut the top floor off and it turned into the next picture. Then after a long battle b/w the pharmacy and the land owner it was torn down.
Now it looks like a hole in the wall! We were in disbelief when we saw it--this couldn't be it--a 
famous pharmacy? Made of concrete cylinder blocks, no windows, one door, and a hand painted sign. Inside it's about the size of a pharmacy at Walmart but triple the inventory, and they still have the same medicine cabinets from 1908:) (atleast that's what it looked like). But it is enclosed and air conditioned, which keeps the meds good. I couldn't get a great shot of the inside b/c i didn't want to look obvious, but you can see the medicine stored in the cabinets below. It took me a 2 hour round trip by rickshaw to get there (traffic is really bad!) The first time I went with Brian and it was closed:) When I arrived the second time they didn't have prenatal vitamins but did have a multivitamin. I'll be stocking up when we visit the States next month:)
famous pharmacy? Made of concrete cylinder blocks, no windows, one door, and a hand painted sign. Inside it's about the size of a pharmacy at Walmart but triple the inventory, and they still have the same medicine cabinets from 1908:) (atleast that's what it looked like). But it is enclosed and air conditioned, which keeps the meds good. I couldn't get a great shot of the inside b/c i didn't want to look obvious, but you can see the medicine stored in the cabinets below. It took me a 2 hour round trip by rickshaw to get there (traffic is really bad!) The first time I went with Brian and it was closed:) When I arrived the second time they didn't have prenatal vitamins but did have a multivitamin. I'll be stocking up when we visit the States next month:) So I'm learning here that "reliable, trustworthy and good quality" do not equal "clean, new or convenient" like they do in America. And I thank God for the Cash Pharmacy that even though it's not around the corner or "Walgreen's clean", has some of the best pharmacists/chemists in Bangalore, has a/c to keep medicine good, and has some vitamins. And when I'm in TX next month I will thank the Lord for wonderful Walgreens:D
1 comments:
Colette, you're it! (see my blog for what that means) I am grateful for Walgreens, too. :)
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