Category Archives: Medical

Day 6 – Recuperating

After yesterday’s long drive to get to Italy, it was officially our rest day today. Unfortunately, the kids don’t understand the concept of “sleeping in” and thus, we were awake way too early again.

It was a bit chilly when we got up but breakfast is a good way to cheer everybody up. Afterwards we just went to explore our immediate surroundings: The waterfall of Acquafraggia first of all. It is a five minute walk from our campground and we can see it from here through the trees. On the way there, we found a cool place with access to the river where Number 3 put his feet in already. He was generally amazed by the rapid flowing water.

The waterfall itself was loud and there was a lot of spray so Number 3 stayed back a little, while both Flo and I got ourselves a little refreshment when we got close. 🙂 The Agent of Entropy had no choice but to go with Flo but since she didn’t complain it couldn’t have been too bad.

With our spirits high and the temperature rising to a lovely 21 degrees, we started to walk to the next village over to see if we could find a little restaurant for lunch and a shop to buy some groceries. Though the walk was basically along the main road but on a pedestrian footpath, we saw lots of animals. The lizards especially fascinated Number 3. There was also a little chicken hut where we spent about 15 minutes trying to convince Number 3 to keep on moving.

The village of Prosto di Piuro is rather small. We still found the artisan bakery/cookie shop for me to buy some fruit bread, cookies, jam and a bottle of red wine in.

To be honest, Flo and I didn’t know how travelling would be during the pandemic and if we’d feel unsafe. We are really impressed with Italy at the moment as everybody seems to be “no nonsense” about the rules. EVERYBODY wears a mask. And correctly, too! Not just covering mouths or such silly business as I often see in Frankfurt. Everybody keeps their distance if possible and they just get on with it!

Shopping was a pleasure even if I had to stretch my almost non-existing Italian. We didn’t find a restaurant in our price range that was open but we found the little supermarket to buy some groceries.

We hurried a little on the way back as it was time for lunch and everybody was hungry. That turned out to be a bit of a drag for Number 3. Even so, he refused to have a midday nap after lunch. Chilling on the campground in the afternoon was an exercise for our patience. Only when Number 3 observed the guy on the lawnmower and started role playing it did things improve again.

By dinner time the Agent of Entropy was causing havoc while Number 3 redeemed himself by being a superb sous-chef.

  • Two hobbits, very hungry
  • Finally breakfast
  • Our camp at Acquafraggia
  • Exploring
  • The waterfall of Acquafraggia
  • Hobbit for scale on a beautiful day
  • Access to the river
  • is perfect for waterplay!
  • Approaching the waterfall
  • braving the spray
  • All four and the waterfall
  • flying spray
  • tired Agent
  • sunbathing lizard
  • It let them get so close!
  • water stop for Number 3
  • Chickens on the roadside
  • Prosto di Piuro
  • Artisanal bakery
  • Almost like a grown-up XD
  • The lawnmower making an impression
  • reading time while camping
  • roleplaying lawnmowing
  • silly bunny
  • Number 3 as sous-chef
  • Up to no good
  • A pinch of salt…
  • …goes a long way
  • Almost done now 🙂

Day 0.2 – Hard to get going …

Since this is a relatively short trip for us, only two month for what will roughly be around 10,000 km, we had initially planned to make the most of our time and start on the first real day off. That would be today.

To cut right to the chase though, we will not start today. We could, if we really wanted to, but there are a few threads left hanging that we want to finish up before heading off. It proves true once more that anything takes just that bit longer when you add a child into the mix. So what are we waiting for?

Go Vote!

First of all, given the political climate at the moment, we really want to make sure to be able to vote in the European parliamentary elections. Few things count as much as casting your vote when you are as worried about some current trends as we are. Unfortunately, ballot papers for early mail-in voting are only made available 6 weeks ahead of time, which will be on Monday, 8 am, in our case.

Health

We timed it just right for Number 3 to get his final round of vaccination shots before we had to leave, but it seems he might have developed a mild reaction. Nothing to worry yet, but better to have an eye on it at home with our family doctor close by, just in case.

It is probably a good idea as well to take a minute or two to take a breather at home and see how the two of us are holding up. In all the hustle and bustle of everyday madness, certain things get overlooked. Now is a good time to get checked out and just relax a day or two more.

Loose ends

As any traveler would know, there is always another thing that you could do before getting off. A few audio books to decide upon, fine tuning the sleeping and blogging arragements and the like.

Finally, we might take the time to take care of some long neglected little bits. Seeing that exibition that we wanted to go to for months now, sorting some stuff in the house and so on.

So Monday seems like the day now. One cannot leave these things for too long, there will alway be reasons. Time to get moving …

Day 231 – Klicks

We had a good night’s sleep in our little “resort” in Hot (resort in Thailand means a hotel a bit out of the city center or out in the fields). Today, we even got a free breakfast – including fresh strawberries!

The first bit of the route was "scenic"

The first bit of the route was “scenic”

We had about another 100 km of more or less windy back road until we were planning on hitting the highway 1. These really turned out to be quite nice, even if my arm was still taking a bit of enjoyment out of riding. It would still get stiff and cramp after like 30 minutes of riding. On top of it all, it was once again scolding hot. Riding was still fine, but any amount of walking or stopping out of the shade were just … inadvisable.

Once we hit the highway 1, it became quite a different ride again. 600 km of flat land on a road pretty close to a motorway. Cruising speed moved up to 110 km/h, at least outside of the many stretches of roadworks forcing both directions on one of the two multi-lane strips. The kilometers just melted away.

We passed this pick-up going at least 80kmh so the dog was quite deformed

We passed this pick-up going at least 80kmh so the dog was quite deformed

After a very brief and unmemorable lunch in Tak, we were on the road again when a macabre first for the two of us occurred. As expected at a little traffic jam on a stretch of roadwork, we came past an accident. A ute came off the road and had hit a tree. As we passed it, we both got a look at our first dead person that we can remember. Lying right there on the road with the paramedic just taking pictures of him was a lifeless human form wrapped in white sheets – with one blue and mangled hand sticking out.

We got the whole thing for a very good price

We got the whole thing for a very good price

We ended that day with only 250 km to go in another resort somewhere in the no-man’s-land between towns. The benefit was a killer price for an excellent room – the down side was that we were not prepared for the fact that we could not just walk 100m and have dinner ready. I ended up riding another 20 km alone in search of food and all I came up with in the end were crisps and an eight month old one-square-meal.

 

 

Day 229 – Pain & gain

Dream team reunited =P

Dream team reunited =P

It was a normal overtaking, maybe a bit energetic, but nothing too brash. But now the next turn was coming closer fast … closer and closer, until there was no more road. Two wheels flying over the grassy shoulder down to the now overgrown drainage channel on the side of the road. Lucky that there are very few guard rails or posts on the side of Thai roads. Still going maybe 40 km/h, clutching madly at the handlebars, bouncing wildly … and then the other rider made it! He was so darn lucky to make it out of this one in one piece. We? No, we were going at a super relaxed pace, stopped and checked if he was ok. He was.

So, we were on the road again. After the second break in two weeks, seeing three different hospitals in the process, I could wait no longer. Yes, two more days probably would have been the cautious route, but I so desperately wanted to get back on the road again. I was sure getting this message hammered home as a constant low level pain throbbing in my arm. Yet, I was still happy. The pain was manageable with regular breaks. It would be always the same – good for 15 minutes or so and then slowly starting to tense up and sting, until almost stiff. Like a super slow motion cramp. I think that probably circulation in the arm muscles is not yet fully restored and the breaks “loosened up” everything enough to get the blood flowing again.

Back on the road!

Back on the road!

But these roads! We went on the Mae Hong Son loop, a legendary motorcycle trip of 600 km starting and ending in Chiang Mai. We will do all of it but the boring last 85 km back to Chiang Mai, of course not today. Today’s goal is Mae Hong Son, a little provincial town near the Myanmar border. An easy 235 km day – and we got onto the road reasonably early. The road was just marvelous. Perfect seal and turn after turn after turn. I have missed this.

Sadly the scenery could not quite hold up, especially with the ever increasing haze. Mae Hong Son district is infamous for the amount of haze during the late dry season due to the locals burning their fields and additional forest fires. Around Mae Hong Son, visibility got down to less than 300m at times. At least it shielded us from the sun a little bit. The day was scorching hot – 34.5°C at 9 am and going steadily up.

Giant overland vehicle...it comes with a motorcycle in the back and a tank the size of our motorcycle plus ourselves

Giant overland vehicle…it comes with a motorcycle in the back and a tank the size of our motorcycle plus ourselves

When it was time for our first break after about 60 km, we spotted a huge white truck with the unmistakable signs of overander-dom to it. When we pulled over to have a look we immediately got welcomed and invited to a cup of coffee by Maéva, Rémi and their visiting dad. The content of their tank weights more than our bike (including us) and they carry a 400cc motorcycle. Still, we are not jealous. We had a nice chat and got back on the road after exchanging contact details and good wishes.

We had lunch at Pai, the half way point of the day. Initially we though we might stay here if the arm is not up for more, but in the end we were keen on leaving again. Pai evolved from a 5 hut village to backpacker central, with not really much to go for other than the surrounding national parks. So the town itself is like a copy and past of any other backpacker hub in Southeast Asia, sans the main attraction that usually goes with these.

Evening haze over the town when we were on our way to the local market

Evening haze over the town when we were on our way to the local market

Mae Hong Son was more up our alley. We found an affordable room within walking distance of the market. Dinner was nice and cheap that way, and we got a load of fresh and sweet strawberries for under $1. We even managed to find a cozy spot to finish season 3 of the the Great British Bake-Off. The wrong baker won, though … 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Day 228 – Good-byes

He is checking out our guesthouse ...

He is checking out our guesthouse …

Our last day in Chiang Mai had come. At this point, I wasn’t keen on debating with Flo anymore if he could ride the bike or not. On Monday, the doctor had told him that his recovery will take another week. Leaving Chiang Mai on Saturday seems close enough so he got his wish.

This made today our last day in this city. Walking towards Angel’s Secret to repeat our amazing brunch experience from a couple of day’s ago, we spotted Chantal’s bike all packed up and ready to leave. So we waited around for a chance to say good-bye to her before she rides off towards Myanmar as well.

Chantal's chook chaser, fully loaded in its current setup.

Chantal’s chook chaser, fully loaded in its current setup.

In the end, we spoke for quite a while (she was waiting on another person to show up for an interview) about where we had been and where we will go, sponsorship and meeting up again in Europe. Hugs, waves and a “we’ll stay in touch” later, we were the only ones left in Chiang Mai.

Angel’s Secret was really nice again. Food can just be so yummy. *grin* We decided that food really is the best way of spending our last day here as Chiang Mai is full of good food.

Thus, after an afternoon spent writing for the blog and getting the GPS track for Laos ready, we celebrated with more food in the evening. New Delhi, the Indian restaurant we had been to before, was visited again. Their food is delicious. I actually took a photo of the sign this time…somehow I got the feeling that they have to battle against a bad reputation of Indian food. The sign basically states that almost everything is home-made and you are welcome to complain if the food is not up to your standards. But the food is sooooooo good.

Day 225 – Reunions

One of the great inspiring websites for motorcycle travelers

One of the great inspiring websites for motorcycle travelers

The days get pretty same-y after a while. We have either done the homework we had or can not do it until I am healed up a bit more. That, still, is like watching rice grow. Agonizingly slow (yes, I am aware that one week is not a long time for an injury and it could be much worse – I am just not that good with waiting). I spent a little bit of time following up another potential option for shipping the bike, thanks to Peter.

Luckily, there are two things to keep us in good spirit: Good food and good company. The first one came in the form of delicious Indian food. The naan was the best we had in a long while. Once again the Lonely Planet held true, and judging by the long list for Chiang Mai, we won’t have to settle for bad food until we leave. Ok, well, we did actually, trying to grab a cheap bite before meeting up that night … but that was our own fault. 😉

Leonie and Peter - Amsterdam to Anywhere

Leonie and Peter – Amsterdam to Anywhere

That evening, we were set to see Leonie and  Peter again – plus Chantal (Chick on a chook chaser), who was on her way to Chiang Mai that day. We have last seen her in Dili and followed her trip updates on Facebook and her blog since. Once more, it was a lovely evening. We talked to Leonie and Peter for an hour or so about this, that and everything before Chantal joined us. It is amazing every time how often we meet fellow travelers and it just ‘clicks’ and after only a handful of hours you end up talking about real heartfelt stuff that one normally only shares with good friends.

Chantal arrived and filled us in on her latest exploits. So we hung around, nursing the one

Chantal - Chick on the chook chaser

Chantal – Chick on the chook chaser

drink we all had budget for until we got finally booted out near midnight again. Best of all, we did not even have to say goodbye, since we are all staying another day in town!

Day 224 – All in one day

Tuk-Tuk to the hospital

Tuk-Tuk to the hospital

We had organized breakfast last night already, with chocolate croissants waiting for us in the morning. Thus, we were ready to go to the hospital before 8am. Flo called both possible hospitals beforehand, ruled out the one where the people on the phone didn’t speak English and decided that we would take a tuk-tuk taxi to the McCormick hospital.

Arriving there, we were flabbergasted by the difference: This was a proper hospital. Gigantic compared to anything facility we had been to lately. However, size and professionalism of a hospital come with another western achievement…bureaucracy. Thus, the first thing to do was register as a patient. Which turned out to be not that straight-forward without a Thai insurance. Despite having our Insurance Certificate with us and despite having our insurance give the hospital a guarantee of payment via email, it was not enough. A THAI insurance needs to give this guarantee, not an international one. So we ended up paying for the treatment upfront and will claim back the expenses.

Finally, a modern hospital

Finally, a modern hospital

With all the bureaucracy b******t out of the way, Flo had a first examination. The doctor spoke English quite well, wrote an accident report and proceeded to test Flo’s arm. The elbow was much better already but the rotation of the arm resulted in screaming and Flo giving it a 9 out of 10 on a pain scala. Just to be absolutely sure, the doctor ordered another x-ray, this time of the forearm. The x-ray was digital this time, of a much better quality and ready in no time. Still, nothing is broken. The doctor suggested about another week for recovery and recommended physical therapy to help the process. So I hung around the hospital some more while Flo had physical therapy. I have to say, he was not quite convinced afterwards which bugged me a bit as I know how effective it can be. I haven’t worked in a physio therapy office for four years without picking up one or two things. At least, the therapist was able to give a slightly better diagnosis: The elbow is sprained while the muscle between the two forearm bones is strained.

The truly amazing Peter and Leonie from Amsterdam to ... Anywhere

The truly amazing Peter and Leonie from Amsterdam to … Anywhere

Afterwards, we had lunch and relaxed for a while before having some cake and coffee in the late afternoon. Then, we met up with Leonie and Peter of Amsterdam to Anywhere. They had contacted us a while back but we hadn’t managed to actually meet yet. So we had this lovely evening with food from a local market and then a drink at the Rider’s corner. Flo tells me that the Rider’s Corner in Chiang Mai is one of THE places to meet overlanders, so that was fitting. We clicked pretty straight away so that great conversation ensued. All of us are going to be in town for a while longer so we made tomorrow evening another date. 🙂

 

 

 

Day 221 – Limbo

Slowly, the shock wore off and we realized that while we were lucky that nothing is broken, we still had an accident. For me, it was realizing where all my bruises were while for Flo…well, all we had really was an x-ray image. Our medically-inclined friends all agreed that the injury could still be bad even if nothing is broken and that we should have another (English-speaking) doctor have a look.

For this to happen, we would probably have to go to Thailand. None of the medical facilities in Laos was up there in the diagnostic’s department. Also, we had been on our way out and the Thai border is only about 190km away. Another day’s ride on the bike. If only Flo could ride.

So we decided to contact our insurance. We had done so yesterday already to claim back our transport expanses to even get to Luang Namtha. Now, the question was if they would pay for us to go to Bangkok. Seemed like a good choice as Bangkok is known for its western hospital and health care and also because we could fly us and the bike out in case something is seriously wrong.

That’s a big thing to ask of your health insurance which is why they scheduled a phone call with one of their own doctors in the Denmark to evaluate the situation. Basically, in health insurance terms, what we asked for was an “evacuation”. The phone call went well. The doctor agreed that it would be best if another doctor would have a look but his approach to the situation included flying Flo out to Chiang Mai for a diagnosis rather than transport both of us AND the bike to Thailand. Not really happy with this suggestion we settled on waiting two more days to see if the arm got substantially better. During this time, we would ask around about our transport option and come back to him with a price for our preferred way out.

That’s how we ended the day: Flo talked to the lovely owner of our guest house who spoke English so well if he could get information about transport options for us.

Day 219 – Grinding to a halt

One could take up a boat ride to remote villages but we are on a bike ...

One could take up a boat ride to remote villages but we are on a bike …

Three weeks in Laos felt like a decent amount of time. So from beautiful Nong Khiew, we had two more days to go: To Luang Namtha today and then on to the border town of Houei Xai tomorrow.

From here on, the road seemed to be new. Perfect tarmac in a stunning setting. We made very good progress while cruising along, enjoying the ride rather than pushing it. 230km for today was nowhere near yesterday’s push so we really took it easy.

Nice turns!

Nice turns!

Arriving in Oudom Xai at 11.30am, it seemed a little early for lunch so we continued on, starting on the last 100km for today. Not too bad to arrive early and have some time to catch up on blogging. Nothing really changed: The tarmac was perfect, we cruised through the corners. One of the corners was in shade with the surface seeming wet there. When we rode it though, it turned out to be something entirely different than water. Something slippery as hell. In milliseconds, the tyres slipped, the bike dropped from the tyres onto the pannier but continued riding the corner until it fully tilted onto the broadside of the pannier which resulted in a spin and then dropped us on the ground where we and the bike stopped.

... looks like road, rides like an ice rink

… looks like road, rides like an ice rink

Quickly checking that I was okay, I turned to Flo who said he needed a minute to sort through the different pains. To be safe, I turned off the engine. Not knowing what to do next with Flo still on the ground, I took a photo of the scene. Because pumped with adrenaline, you don’t exactly have the best ideas about what to do. It was then that a horn sounded: A truck announcing its presence from around the corner so nobody would overtake. We sounded the bike’s horn because it was lying in the middle of the road. Luckily, the truck driver understood and slowed down to a crawl being able to stop and help us get the bike up and to the side of the road without any further issues.

Got the stuff off to get it out of the way

Got the stuff off to get it out of the way

Well, the bike had no further issues. Nothing was broken, just the plastic from the front indicator fell off. It is still in one piece so can be glued back on. The pannier has new scratches but not many considering our slide and the military haversacks we use as front panniers were completely unscathed.

However, Flo’s right arm was not okay. He could tell pretty early on and you can see it on the picture that I took after the accident. Pumped with adrenaline, he thought it would be okay in an hour or so while I thought it might be broken. I fell onto my hip and didn’t feel much pain yet because of the adrenaline so if Flo was in pain…it must be something.

So I started to stop cars. Surprisingly few would actually stop with me waving like a madwoman in a corner of the road. The second car that stopped was from a NGO or something like it. At least, the people inside spoke English. They offered to drive us to a nearby hospital but we didn’t feel like leaving the bike here was a good idea. We settled on them driving off, asking a truck in town to come pick us up. Slightly relieved, we sat down, calculating that it might take up to 1 1/2 hours for this to happen. In the end, it didn’t take nearly as long.

Setting a point of interest in the GPS so we would be able to find the bike again

Setting a point of interest in the GPS so we would be able to find the bike again

An ambulance showed up. Obviously called for us. The driver then realized that he couldn’t also transport the bike. With a heavy heart, we shoved our luggage into the ambulance, parked the bike out of the way as best as we could and left for the hospital.

The “hospital” was not exactly that. Yes, they had doctors and nurses but almost no equipment. They touched and bent Flo’s arm while he was obviously in pain before letting us know that we had to get to Luang Namtha’s hospital. By this point, Luang Namtha was 70km away. A world away without the bike. No one here really spoke English and while I discussed with the ambulance driver and a doctor that I will NOT hand over the keys to the bike so a local can drive it here, one of the nurses wanted to give Flo an injection of something we didn’t know. Overwhelmed by the situation, we decided that we will all stick together and nothing except for a cooling cream will be done until we are in the bigger hospital.

Strapping down on greedy doc's truck

Strapping down on greedy doc’s truck

Once everyone understood that we were adamant of finding a pick-up truck to pick up Rocinante and then drop the three of us at Luang Namtha’s hospital, plans were made. The doctor himself offered his pick-up for the ride…for the steep price of 1.000.000 kip. That’s a fortune in local currency. About NZ$200 for a car ride of 70km. Well, we were desperate and under time pressure (and in pain) so the doctor got himself a deal. Repacking our luggage from the ambulance into the pick-up, we went back for Rocinante. It wasn’t easy to get her up, another local passing on a scooter was volunteered to help as well and then everything had to be tied down. Flo didn’t look too well but he had to help to make sure the bike was secure.

Leaving at 3pm, it took 1 1/2 hours to reach Luang Namtha. Our drivers were in high spirits (no wonder for that price) and even agreed to stop at a hostel first so that we could securely park the bike and store our luggage before hitting the hospital. Luang Namtha is bigger and more touristy so the hostel owner spoke English which made us hopeful for the hospital.

Worse for wear

Worse for wear

The hospital still was a provincial hospital in Northern Laos though. Mimicking an accident on a motorcycle and pointing at the arm, we were brought into an examination room were more people bent Flo’s arm. We asked for an x-ray and the hospital actually had one. Flo was wheel-chaired off to radiology while I paid what google translate said was “service/examination fee”.

A short wait later, we got the x-ray and nothing is broken. Much relief for both of us. Flo was still in pain though so we got Ibuprofen as pain killers and a sling for his arm to keep it still.

Nothing more could be done today so we had food and then collapsed for 12 hours of sleep.

Day 212 – Hospital interlude

Arriving at the emergency room

Arriving at the emergency room

So Flo was sick. He didn’t feel like getting out of bed at all so I bought breakfast and a plain baguette for Flo. He started to feel a bit better during the morning but when I came back from lunch (Flo didn’t want to eat), his fever spiked again.

So what do you do? Pretty much all of the nasty tropical diseases start like the flu and you have no chance of telling early on which one it is. To not be “the guy who didn’t go to the doctor after being infected with malaria”, Flo was okay with going to the hospital to have his blood checked. This is the only way to tell if you’re infected when all your symptoms look like the common flu.

Flo had to lie down for measuring his temperature and heart rate

Flo had to lie down for measuring his temperature and heart rate

Getting to the hospital was a bit of a mission. We hired a tuk-tuk driver who asked for a steep price as it is quite a bit out of the way. I can’t ride the bike and there was no way that Flo might be able to. Finally, after a detour to three ATMs (two of them broken) to have some cash on us, we arrived in the emergency room of Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital. My god, do we take good health care for granted. And this is good health care for Laos…at least a hospital is available.

The staff told Flo to lie down, took some measurements such as temperature and heart rate and told us to wait for an English-speaking doctor. It only took about 30-40min for him to arrive. During the wait, I noticed a couple of things though. First, it is worrying if there are mosquitoes flying around in a hospital. That is a nice way to spread infection right here. Second, the infectious waste bin was not properly closed. Third, even our hotel was cleaner than that room.

Urgh. I only snapped this one picture without looking

Urgh. I only snapped this one picture without looking

The English-speaking doctor asked about symptoms and how long we’ve been in Laos (aka malaria-risk-region) and then asked for a blood test. The nurse who took it was nice but didn’t understand us. However, it all looked okay (as in clean) and ethanol was used.

Another 30min or so later, we got the results: No malaria, no dengue, no bacterial infection. Must be something viral so most likely the flu.

Flo was exhausted after this three hour excursion, had some food and went into bed. I played some more desktop dungeon before calling it a day as well.

All good to go "home"

All good to go “home”