There’s a first time for everything, they say. First kiss. First love. First job. First firing. And first break whilst on the road.
And it’s finally happened to me - after more than 30 years of solo adventures, traipsing the globe with my backpack, I break a limb.
The bad news is I’ve broken my foot. The good news is that I’ve broken it in Bangkok. Let me explain…
Tuk tuk in Bangkok - by Sarah Mann
I didn’t plan to be in the Bangkok over the Thai New Year - known as SongKran - in mid April). I planned to be in Hanoi.
But having been offered the chance to house sit a beautiful condo, with a tabby cat, in a bourgeois part of the city (where diplomats and ex-pats reside) with a swimming pool to boot, the offer is too good to turn down.
I make the executive decision (from Vientiane in Laos) to return to Thailand, explore Bangkok for 10 days, then head off to Cambodia and Vietnam.
I’m working online, there’s nothing pressing for me in Europe or Israel (between these two places is where I live most of the year) and I’m having the time of my life.
Four days before I’m due to set off for Hanoi (via a fair few spots) I’m en route to a night market, to grab some dinner, and about to cross the big road (the light is green, in my favour) when - out of the corner of my eye - I see a motorcyclist break his red light and head straight towards me.
My reflexes are fast - I throw myself out of his way, since a full-on-collision with him is something I really need to avoid, and, in doing so, fall directly onto my left foot. The biker doesn’t stop, just screeches away, leaving me on the ground, yelling in pain.
Plantopia - by Sarah Mann
A couple of kind passers-by help me up and, seeing the agony I’m in, help me limp back down the road to my condo. Inside, the concierge take me upstairs and lie me down on a comfy bed. I can already see some swelling but swallow two aspirin, put a cold compress on it and cross my fingers that it’s just a light sprain.
This is the point I could really do with some marijuana to help with the pain - unfortunately, I’m incapable of getting to a store (I later find out that I could have had it delivered by bike! Well, it’s good to know for future reference…)
The following day, my ankle’s very swollen, and now shades of purple and green. I tell myself it’s just bruised and spend 24 hours reading, hobbling to the kitchen and elevating my left leg. But the pain doesn’t go away.
After two days, I admit defeat and take a cab to the nearest hospital. It’s a state-run Thai establishment and a teaching hospital so, in my opinion, I’m likely to get good treatment. Since I have travel insurance, the cost is not what’s bothering me…just the diagnosis.
Everyone is kind, thoughtful, considerate. The doctor who sees me has spent a year in Philadelphia so greets me with a cheery smile and asks “What brings you here today?” I tell her I’m in agony and can’t put any weight on my foot.
An x-ray is duly called for. Surprisingly, she tells me that it’s not broken, just ‘sprained’. But the excruciating sensation I have when I try and put any weight on it, let alone slip on my birkenstock sandal, leaves me with a sinking feeling in my gut.
(Disclosure: once back in Israel, a second x-ray will be taken and, again, show I have just a sprain.
Only when my friend insists that a CT scan is ordered do we receive the correct diagnosis - I’ve broken a bone called the navicular, and I’m going to be doing a lot of reading for the next 6 weeks…)
But back to the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, where a kindly porter flags down a taxi for me. Back at the condo, I sigh wearily and fight back tears as I check out return flights to Israel.
Even the slightest pressure on my foot causes me violent pain - it’s clear my trip is over. Let’s hope Emirates offers a wheelchair service back to Tel Aviv.
As I lie on my bed, looking out of the window, onto the Bangkok skyline, I’m genuinely sick to my stomach. By no stretch of my imagination did I imagine something like this happening (well, really, who ever does?) However, looking on the bright side, it could have been far worse - if this accident had happened early into my trip, I wouldn’t have had my great adventure in Asia. Moreover, breaking a foot in Laos would have been much more problematic, since infrastructure is so poor and healthcare (even in the private sector) is far below the standard of that in Thailand
In life, I figure, you have to take the rough with the smooth and whilst I have no desire whatsoever to leave South East Asia, I’m taking the view that I can live to see another day and - in due course - return to this marvellous part of the world to continue my wanderings, this time into Cambodia and Vietnam.
Bangkok skyline - by Sarah Mann
Emirates, fly me home…