Alona beach - little gem on Panglao island and its little rural medical center.

The experience of our previous day did took Jeroen and I quite some energy and we both decided to take it easy and enjoy the resort the following day on January 4th.
But before anything, it was time for me to discover yet another hospital. After querying the reception, it turns out there is just one hospital on the island located in Panglao city. We got there Jeroen and I riding a tricycle (basically a motorbike customised with a passenger cabin where you can fit 2 persons of small size - great fun to ride!) to the infamous Rural Medical Center, located right next to the Firefighter brigade.

My little rural hospital in the background.

The hospital was packed and it took me a few seconds to locate the reception. I explain my case to which the receptionist point out to what I believed was a corridor. After correcting me, she was pointing a very old iron chair lying in the middle of all these local people waiting. Was she offering me a seat? No no… This was where I would be attended, my wounds cleaned and my dressings changed!

This is normally a process that can be a bit painful and I have so far appreciated the relative privacy of a curtain at least or of a room at best. The nurse is going to take out the old dressing (the compress is ALWAYS stuck in the wounds making it painful), clean the wound with Bettadine, apply some anti bacterial cream and put back a new dressing… all this in front of maybe 50 locals that are looking at me like an alien at first.
But because sharing is caring - and everybody else seemed to be waiting for something (an appointment? a consultation?) or someone (the local doctor? a patient?) - they all looked at me with a lot of compassion as if they wanted to share and take away a bit of the pain I was feeling.
Not a single person complained about me “jumping” the queue (were there a queue?) even if it look like they have all been waiting for a moment already. It took me only 20 minutes from the time I entered to the time I left the place.
I was moved by the experience. This is unbelievably heartwarming to see the relief in the eyes and the smile on the faces of people you don’t know after the nurse was done with me.These people are so kind and so human.

Me at the rural medical center of Pamglao

Jeroen and I left the Rural hospital and walked towards Panglao beach located a kilometre away. No much happening here for us tourist. No beach, just a large central square with a church, a school and a basketball court (basketball islands down the national sport and 1 person out of 2 wears a basketball jersey, either of a local or an NBA star).
We hoped back to the more touristy Alona beach for lunch.

The beach is beautiful, much less crowded that Boracay but still offering plenty of option for our hunger.
We sat down randomly and ordered. What a better place that a beach and a fisherman’s town to have fish, I was thinking. turned out they did not have fish!!! Nor mango that was supposed to be used for the shake I ordered. I changed to vegetarian option, it will be steak night at the Resort and I did not wanted to stuff myself before that.

The rest of the day outside eating was a succession of siestas and time reading.
We enjoyed our nice piece of beef for diner and Jeroen decided to go for couple of dive the next day. I would be waiting on another friend arriving from Zurich the 5th.

These days and since it is unfortunately not possible for me to go in the water, I dedicate myself to resting and making sure I recover quickly. How sad would it be if while spending 3 weeks in the Philippines I cannot go even once in the crystal clear water of its seas or a swimming pool.

Manila - 3 days of rest and visits of the local hospital

I got to Manila on the 27th, middle of the afternoon... My first concern was not to find out where was the best place to go for a run but to find a medical center.

Jeroen had arrange for us to stay at a Filipino couch surfing friend he met 8 years back on the great wall of China!!! Ronnie, our guest, was so kind to help me out finding an hospital that would suit my needs. I proceed to go to the Makati Medical Center straight from the airport based on his feedback.

Philippines is having a lot of stereotypes to its name and is unfortunately having a very bad reputation in the western world I come from. Also Manila is one of the most chaotic places I have been to. The traffic is insane and at first the city was scary to me.

All these ideas were chattered facing the infinite kindness of its people. OMG they are nice people, especially towards me, standing out of the crowd with my bandages. Walking in the street of the capital so many people have been asking me if I was ok or if I needed help.

The nurses in the Medical Center have been amazing to me. By the second day, they would almost all know my name and welcoming me with the warmest smile. I would go for 4 visits in a row to the same medical center.

Besides that, our stay in Manila was very restful to us, especially to me. I would mostly stay in the residence where Ronnie lived. It had a bar/restaurant and 2 swimming pools but our favorite spot was definitely the roof deck located at the 42nd floor. The view from there is amazing. From Ronnie's flat on the 34th floor it was not too bad either.

This used to be a power plant, this is now a mall. 

On our last night, we had a great couch surfing party at his place! It was nice and fun to hang out with locals. Definitely one to remember.

Picture of a Polaroid taken during the couch surfing party :)

After my last visit in the hospital in the early morning of the 30th, it was time to go to the airport again. Jeroen had plan for us to spend New Year Eve on Boracay, a very small island in the center of the country.

Bye Bye Manila - This is Makati from the roof deck of Ronnie's residence.

Last day in Thailand!

December 25th and December 26th

I finally got out of the hospital.

My only concern besides recovery is making it on time in Bangkok to grab my flight for the Philippines... this flight is schedule on the 27th at 9:35am.

I decided to take the last ferry of the day in Ko Pha Ngan... a night ferry leaving at 10pm. This was a bit of a crazy experience... No seats, just 2 rows of really bad mattresses. The trip to Surat Thani would take 7 hours more or less. It was for me a very scary experience because of the very little number of passengers, the risk of infections (I was out of the hospital just for 2 hours and the boat looked like it was straight out of the Pirates of the Caribbean after a battle...) and the fact that this was probably the worst looking boat I had ever seen.

The night ferry. Is there AirCo? Off course not! 

The night ferry from the inside... 2 rows of minimalist beds. A few fans to cool the air.

It was the price to pay in order to spend a few hours in Bangkok and catch up with my cousin there.

In Surat Thani, I had no real other choice of transportation than the bus. It turned out to be a 12 hours ride... I eventually made it to Bangkok at 7pm.

It was already time for me to go back to a medical center in order to have my wounds cleaned...

Easier said than done. In total it took me a few hours to find an hospital and have what would become a daily activity for the next 10 days done...

By 10pm I was finally on my way to spend time with Quentin my cousin from France!!!

It was so good after being stock in an hospital to see a familiar face and catch up.

We spoke all night long, discussing about our lives outside France.

The following morning, it was time for both of us to grab our flights. Quentin would go to Cambodia, I would go to Manilla in the Philippines where Jeroen (my ex roomate in the Netherlands) would join me for a 3 weeks tour of the country!

***** WARNING *****

Graphic content coming!!!

If you do not like to see wounds, do not look at what follows... This is a picture I took in the hospital in Bangkok where I got the first wounds cleaning and dressing out of the island.

It was not so painful and looks worst than it actually is.

Ko Pha Ngan - 3 days in the hospital...

You most probably know that I was admitted to an hospital on the 23rd of December in this beautiful island. I am staying at the First Western Hospital. As mentioned I am fine and making a quick recovery. The truth is that if that would have happened in Europe I would have probably make it out of the hospital the same day. Unfortunately, due to the local reality (tropical weather and risk of infections...) they don't take much risks and almost systematically keep wounded patient for 24/48 hours depending on the severity of the injury.

My wounds are located on my left lower leg, both my forearms and the palm of both hands. For the hospital.

I spent a total of 3 days and 2 nights there. Around 60 hours...
Everyday have looked like one another. Lying in bed waiting for the morning wound cleaning.
Lying in bed waiting for food served 3 times a day at fixed hours: breakfast at 7am, lunch at 11:30 diner at 6pm.

Nothing to complain about there, the food was amazing and the choice very very large. they had the best shake and smoothies ever.
I made a few friends there but mostly spent my time with Marju from Finland occupying the bed in front of mine.

Marju - my hospital buddy and I. Window view.

It was an interesting experience altogether and was very nice to receive the visits of Joshua!

Unfortunately I set my travelling back for 3 days and I had to stay on the island instead of joining my cousin in Bangkok and running the 10,5km on Xmas day.

Health and recovery was more important and I am happy with the recovery so far.

I would leave on the 25th at 7pm (merry Xmas to me!!!!) just in time for what turned out to be the longest commute... ever!!!

This is how they make you feel at home for Xmas. The owner being Santa and distributing sweets :)

The best internet connexion I had so far. Thank god for Netflix.