It was the first night of our holiday in Hong Kong. The plan was for me and my partner to spend 3 nights in Hong Kong before moving on to travel around China for a further 2 weeks. These plans would later have to be revised after a simple trip led to a dramatic tumble, down a quiet and unforgiving subway escalator.
When planning to visit China we knew we may have to be flexible with our travel arrangements. We like to think we are ‘experienced’ travellers and so we rejected the idea of booking the trip through a travel agency. No —we would embark on this tour of Chinese culture and heritage using our very own travel planning skills (with the help and extensive use of google — which would later become an over-reliance when desperately lost in the chaos of Chengdu)! I presume when Robert Burns penned (or feathered?) the adapted phrase ‘the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry’, he too must have had a significant bang to the head on the first night of a well-deserved break in Asia.
The first night of any holiday always feels so exhilarating. The end of the holiday — whether it be 5,10,14 nights always seems so far away. Even though you have only been out of the office for less than 24 hours you have already forgotten your computer login and basic ability to hold a pen. Your brain instead makes room for essential and exclusively holiday related skills, such as talking at a tenth of your usual conversational pace- this despite the ‘foreign’ barman being able to speak English more fluently than your teenage child. We had checked into the hotel in the early evening and had gone to try out some local cuisine…..actually this may be misleading. Although in the same continent it may be a stretch to describe Japanese food as ‘local cuisine’. Looking back it does seem a pretty questionable decision.
As it was the first night and we were tired from the flight we decided to call it a night at around 10.30pm — only after being serenaded by locals in a nearby restaurant come karaoke bar. The subway was 2 minutes away and tickets purchased we headed towards the escalator to board the train below. Now, I would love nothing more than to describe how I managed to throw myself down the escalator head first. If only to serve as a warning to all you adventure seekers planning to do the same! However, I knocked myself unconscious and have no recollection of the incident. My traumatised girlfriend (who luckily is one of those NHS nurse angels) describes how we were in conversation at the top of the escalator before I tripped and fell head first towards the steel. The unfortunate sequence of events continued as there was nobody else on the escalator to break my fall as I tumbled gracefully (I’m 6 ft 4 and not very graceful) to a halt at the bottom of the unforgiving stairs. I don’t wish to come across as feeling sorry for myself but Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. I must have chosen to fall on the only staircase in the whole of Hong Kong that did not have another person on it!
The next memory I have is coming round in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Now this isn’t a criticism of the Hong Kong health service but I am unsure how prepared they were for a 6ft 4 Brit to use their resources. The bed, obviously made to carry the average Hong Kong ‘customer’ meant my legs dragged across the floor at every twist and turn of the journey. ‘Where am I?’ ‘Why is my t-shirt covered in blood?’ ‘I can’t remember requesting a cot with our hotel booking?’. My memories continue to be sparse however I can remember feeling scared not understanding what was happening as they tested my neurology and cognition.
I’ve been told I went for brain scans — following the first scan bad news was relayed. It looked likely that I would require neurosurgery. The only positive I can imagine to being given such news is to not remember being given such bad news! Which luckily was true in my case. The only diagnosis I can remember being given is following my second scans when I was told that actually they were all clear. The effects of brain injuries ain’t all bad eh?
My next recollection is a doctor using a pair of clippers to shave off my hair around the gaping wound so they could stitch me up. ‘You may as well take it all off’ I politely suggested not wishing to look like Sven Goran Eriksson. The Doctor firmly rebuked ‘I am doctor, not hairdresser’. Absolutely fair enough and I will never again ask a professional to go off piste from their specialism.
I woke up at 6am only a couple of hours later. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone — ‘the likes I will be able to get for this from social media is going to be epic’. No, instead I used my phone as a mirror. My jaw and neck were not pretty sights and my head was significantly bandaged up.
Thinking positively I felt no significant pains and I could still vaguely re-collect the previous evening up until the accident. As it was a weekend the Doctors had gone home but the Nurses spoke to me in broken English to advise that they would be re-scanning my head for a third time in a few hours. Breakfast time came and noodles and rice were on the menu. When the Nurses were clearing away one inquisitively asked ‘you not like Hong Kong food?’. I wanted to tell her not to be offended — it’s just that a swollen jaw and significant head injury may be the reason behind my lack of interest in the food. Alas, I only had the energy to smile back. I hope she didn’t think I was being fussy.
Following further scans the Doctors who had returned to the hospital came to deliver positive news. The scans again were clear. A really touching moment then followed. When the Doctor left my bedside an Asian man in the bed directly opposite looked over in my direction. Now, even if he could speak English he couldn’t at this time as he must have been recovering from major surgery and was only able to breath with the help of tubes and expensive medical equipment. Despite this he motioned his thumb in a ‘thumbs up’ and then ‘thumbs down’ action. I gave him a thumbs up to confirm I had just been relayed positive news. He then smiled back at me. Amazing! This man was clearly in very poor health but he still had the empathy and kindness of heart to show caring for a foreign tourist. I would just hope this would be reciprocated in our NHS hospitals to any foreign tourists who may feel scared and alone many miles from home. For an accident that brings back bad memories (if scattered) this is certainly a great one that takes the edge off somewhat. In dark times there is always light.
The feel-good moment was sharply interrupted when the Nurse came back into the room to hand me the bill. Less than 12 hours ago my head was being stitched back together and already I was wondering how a 10 metre trip down an escalator could cost me more than the 6000 mile trip over here. There is nothing quite like being invoiced to bring you back to reality, which is quite a nice place to be following a major head injury.
Now — you may incorrectly assume it would be effortless going on to travel through a country of 1.4 billion people with severe concussion and a gaping wound in your head and a new harido making you look like a Sven Goran Erikkson throwback.
Well I may have to enlighten you on that assumption……
