2011 - NZ To SF - Day 78

Day 78: (30 July 2011):
- Wake up, duck foe from LP rec’ed place just across the rad. First time fish sauce didn’t make something better. Made it worse.
- Tuktuk to bus station. Lots of people swarm & ask where we go. & for us to go with them. Do they make commission or something?
- Find a truck bus going to dock at Si Phan Don.
- Pouring rain on way. Even with (Slightly ripped) tarp rain covers down, everyone got a bit wet. Maltese person living in Bangkok with Thai GF.
- Truck slow suddenly (to pick someone up?) & a scooter (w/  bad brakes?) crash into back of truck. Last second swerve didn’t work. Went to side, so at least did not flip into truck. Piece of plastic light cover hid my head. See smashed scooter & 2 lying on ground motionless. Afraid they dead or need CPR, etc. After shock & initial hesitation, join people. Woman unconcious. Man broken leg, see bone moving inside. He play with leg to examine it. Woman no helmit, being mostly ignored. I look at chest to make sure she breathing.
- Pick up & place on sacs of fertiliser in truck & woman on bench.
- Wet, pee? Blood on clothing.
- Stop to let someone off. Someone claim sac being used as pillow. Hold woman’s foot from metal edge.
- When guy beside man leave, I sit down. Man reach out hand, so I hold it. Can only comfort by squeeze hand & smile.
- He go into shock, shake. I wrap his clothes around & comfort him. Felix used one of his jackets? I dissappointed I didn’t volunteer my stuff.
- Woman wrist broken, keep touching it. Ankel may also be broken. Seems disoriented. Worried about brain injury. Felix said when he first walked over, he was afraid of seeing grey matter seeing she did not have a helmet.
- Remember feel horrified when realise we were the ambulance, probably not easy to get one there.
- Smashed scooter.
- Ferry. Nice calm ride across. Barge attatched to swivelling joint & tugboat.
- Stop at simple clinic. Unload people on stretchers. Doctor arrive on scooter to join nurses. Injection. Clinic has sign: Funded by Canada. Don Khong.
- Long stop @ police station. I wash a bit. Finally decide to sit for beer. Told to start going after order, so quickly downed the beer. Eat fruit (logan) that we thought a lady left. Turns out we met with her again and she took the logan.
- See the 2 in van on ferry. IV. Man sitting up. Woman still lying. Smile & small thumbs up.
- Unload fertiliser to other truck (flatbed). We get in & sit on mound of fertiliser bags. Pay driver the 40k fare. Woman get fruit back after all.
- Drive through pretty farmland. Down highway again, all a bit anxious. Guy and kid on scooter at some point, ride close and talk a bit. Notice lack of helmets. Stop at a small town before ferry.
- Expensive ferry. Fast flowing river. Ferry into islands. First Don Det then Don Khone. Heavy rain hit. Lots of guesthouses & white people.
- Wait out rain a bit then found a guesthouse suggested in LP. Very muddy, turns out is a common problem in Laos. Guess this is what we get for coming during wet season. Remember had discussion about it before trip.
- Cute raised rooms. Between river & street.
- Dinner & much-needed beer. Meet the 2 girls (French).
- Lots of frog sounds at night. Strange bullfrog(?) sound. Joke there are lots of women with wood frogs around.