Well, I wrote about my hopes for the collision of good people in Koh Phanang, Thailand that I’ve been doing for a number of years.
Well kids I can tell you, it was an adventure that I didn’t expect, ask for or would want again.
Here are a few hundred words that say how it went.
So 24 hours travel, 3 flights, 2 mini bus and a ferry ride – Edinburgh, Doha, Bankok, Samui, Phanang. Knackered, carrying my arthritis that with benefit of hindsight, I should not have trusted to get me around the Seaflower site – a wonderful place full of wonderful people, place and possibilities.
So evening one, very tired, getting help with mobility, on the way to my bed, I fell on a step, – they were in bungalow 18, huge steps, even with help I fell, cracked my knee across the top step and crawled into the bungalow – with friends help. Not a drop of drink was taken – this was to be the first ‘no drink’ night for 5 weeks ahead.
In the morning I was in agony, couldn’t stand or walk, so with help from a friend, tried to rest the leg, oiled it, painkillers and stayed in doors- this lasted for 3 days before I asked the manager to give me lift to the clinic, a walk in medical facility – who looked at it and decided I needed an x ray so they called an ambulance and a right hairy 30 minute trip to another town, x-rays but not breaks, just everything that could tear was torn, sent me back in the ambulance, some tablets and cab back to my bungalow. Cost around £700.00, credit card.
Given it was a one off I thought I’d just pay up and consider insurance, if at all, later on.
To the point, I laid indoors for 4 more days, flat on my back, food orders and delivered, and I believe I caught pneumonia form the air conditioning.
I must say thanks to Janis, Jim, Olaf, Frank, Manelle, Pascalle, Lise and the guys behind the bar for all their help.
So day 6 I got a lift to the clinic and asked them to give me something for my cough and wheezing chest.
Here is where it all went right, wrong and upside down.
Lise took me to the clinic, left me there and said to phone her to get back to Seaflower.
I was there in shorts and tee shirt, had my passport and credit cards with a pack of my medicines in wee rucsac – I assumed I’d be going straight back after a short visit – but no, they said I’d need a chest x-ray. I was off again in my 30 minute ambulance experience and this time it would grow legs. So I’m in Koh Phanang Hospital and linked to the clinic, but only deals with medical needs – accidents, injuries and so on..
What if it’s more serious? Well they said I’d have to go to their parent ‘Big hospital’ on Koh Samui, another island all together.
I have to say the language was a barrier here, I noticed I was the only person on my own in the hospital, other patients had friends, partners breaking down, getting what was needed, – water, clothes, monies etc.
This was where the hospital got heavy about money. They demanded I paid for services so far, or phone my insurance Roget firm assurances – this was nonsense as I had no control over this and my phone was useless, so I was asked to sign papers but I didn’t agree as it was all in Thai, so I had no idea what I was agreeing to.
One side of the bed, 3 nurses, the other side 3 finance people.
I eventually agreed to a part payment, a ‘deposit’.
Then they put the next stage into gear.
As they did so, I still had no way to tell my accommodation or my daughter back home what was going on.
Shorts t-shirt and tablets. Time for a boat ride and big things lost in translation.
The staff laid me back and took me in an ambulance to the harbour to get an ambulance launch to the Bankok Hospital in Koh Samui- any other time it might have been fun. At 9.00 pm it wasn’t fun, just cold, wet and dark.
Off we went – part two to come!