Author Topic: Malawi and Busted !!!! (Read 13742 times)

Slaaiblaar · « **Reply #140 on:** October 19, 2010, 07:43:42 pm »

Clad you made it- to tell the story.

Marnus · « **Reply #141 on:** October 19, 2010, 08:03:52 pm »

Agreed! That hip looks Yamaha blue $:-\$

Gat Slag · « **Reply #142 on:** October 19, 2010, 08:55:52 pm »

Eina f*kkit!

kwagga-sakkie · « **Reply #143 on:** October 19, 2010, 09:22:09 pm »

Eishh ???I was just getting into it and start planning a trip to Malawi. This is real nice. Now you're spoiling it. This type of trip is adventure riding.Well done. Sorry about the fall. So what happened next?

superfoxi · « **Reply #144 on:** October 19, 2010, 09:34:15 pm »

What do you mean "what happened next?" I guess farting was painful from now on

Moloko · « **Reply #145 on:** October 20, 2010, 09:15:39 am »

The next day (15 July 2010) I woke up with massive pain… the worst was over I thought.

While I was unable to leave by bed, rudi was operating the Chirundu crowd including the police, doctors, farmers (who later helped to transport the bike back from Zambia to SA). Rudi went into Red cross camel man mode. The fact that the bike was already at the chirundu police station by the time I arrived there shows how quickly rudi can organise people (or get them to do/commit to things).

Anyway, back to the pain…

As scheduled, SOS emergency services picked me up from chirundu. The 3h30min drive from Chirundu to Lusaka went by in a blur as I was drugged to the max. The ambulance arrived in Lusaka at about 14h00 that afternoon. I booked in and the nurses said the orthopaedic surgeon will be with me before 16h00 – he had to confirm my medical condition before Discovery would send out an air ambulance to fetch me.

So time just kept ticking away. It felt like I was sitting in prison waiting to be released - the surgeon only arrived at about 19h00 that evening and guess what; he confirmed that I had a pelvis break. But he also ordered additional x-rays of my knee and back. The only problem - the hospital in Lusaka do not have an x-ray machine not do they have any ambulances or any transport for patients. So the nurse came up with a great idea ‘why don’t your friend take you to the university hospital on his bike. They’ve got an x-ray machine there’. Imagine how ridiculous that idea was…

So about at about 22h00 I drifted to a pethidene induced deep sleep. Obviously, there would not be any more activities that day… But, would you beleive it, at 23h00 a nurse woke me and told me they organised a taxi without seats in the back. I could not believe this!! Drugged up, half asleep and in massive pain. I now had to be loaded onto a stretcher, carried to the makeshift ambulance, transported about 5 km to the university hospital via badly damaged and potholed road, offloaded at the hospital. Pain and confusion!!!

We arrived at the university hospital. The driver, with some assistance from the hospital staff, offloaded me from the ‘ambulance’ and put me on the sidewalk in front of the hospital. Some administrative staff came outside and requested I pay an upfront fee to use their x-ray equipment. Now I’m lying there with only my hospital robe on, on a stretcher - I had nothing on me and the guy could see that. So the admin staff and taxi drivers went inside the hospital to negotiate. For the next hour I would be lying outside the hospital on the pavement in the middle of Lusaka. Crazy times.

Time passed, got the x-rays – there was no structural damage to back or knee… hurrah!!!

Back at the hospital the surgeon notified discovery insurance that the damage was to the pelvis break only. They were just about to authorise my airlift from Lusaka when another patient took up his spot beside me. He was bitten by a lion; he was their new priority so another day in Zambia loomed for me.

Diesel & Dust · « **Reply #146 on:** October 20, 2010, 11:32:09 am »

Fark me - this is Rambo type stuff

funacide · « **Reply #147 on:** October 20, 2010, 11:58:33 am »

Awesome read, please keep it coming...

Gat Slag · « **Reply #148 on:** October 20, 2010, 02:23:13 pm »

Kan dit nie glo nie... leeubyt van alle dinge... gripping stuff!

tour · « **Reply #149 on:** October 21, 2010, 02:58:56 pm »

yeah so while rambo was lying on the street corner waiting for x rays so that some machine can tell him what he already knows, that he needs to go home and get fixed... i was drinking beer at the lusaka backpackers with the local hotties and bussiness okes, am now connected...

also what moloko didnt tell you was that on arrival at the lusaka hospital he had to wait for someone to help for 6 hrs. damn guy with the lion bite wasn t even gonna die!!

so i had a chat with the lion's dinner snack. seems he is a pro hunter and his american client wounded the lion and the hunter went after it when the lion attacked him and bit him on the upper leg. typical amerikaners... so the hunter was okay and in good spirit. hope he got a big tip from the americano.

on a more serious note, these next few days was a bit odd, the attention that he got from the hospital was not the fastest and a few times i had to ask for more drugs. for him obviously...moloko was on the phone to discovery alot during the days there to get him back to SA. now we realised that they had to make sure that he was really in need of a strecher and had to be flown home. they had him on a private plane with doctors.but i tell you it felt like a hell of a long time to get him out of there. not knowing if today is the day or if it will be happening at all.very frustrating when these things are out of your hands.

after the dealing with discovery to get him home and feeling helpless i think they did a great job and really need some recognition. some free advise DONT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!!!

now being by his bedside waiting, all of the family at home got to here about moloko's ordeal. so now it was also time to have a chat man to man and it went like this"...

Rudi - "hey harold ek het iets om te se"
harold - "wat?"
rudi - "wel daar is nog 3 weke oor en ons is nou eers halfpad"
harold - "ja ek weet dit suck bees ballas"
rudi - "ek hoop nie jy gaan kwaad wees nie maar ek gaan maar aanhou met die trip"
harold - "ja wel ek sal jou bliksem as jy nou direk huistoe ry. wat gan jy by die huis doen? vir my kyk terwyl ek vir 6 weke in my bed le?"

what a true friend he is. he understood and said that he would also do the same and to continue the trip.as i had nothing to do with planning and our intended route as it was never a concern or worry for me as long as we ride..well now it was

Rudi - "so harold umm waarna toe nou??? ek het nnie n clue nie."
harold - "hahaha dis fokken snaaks. kry my map boek dan wys ek jou gou."

Gat Slag · « **Reply #150 on:** October 21, 2010, 04:42:13 pm »

f0k ek lees nou lekker...

Tankwa · « **Reply #151 on:** October 21, 2010, 08:18:11 pm »

Quote from: Gat Slag on October 21, 2010, 04:42:13 pm

f0k ek lees nou lekker...

+1. Lekker stuff die

Would I? · « **Reply #152 on:** October 21, 2010, 09:21:59 pm »

Glad you are still ok to write this report.

Hectic stuffff....

zetman · « **Reply #153 on:** October 21, 2010, 09:27:44 pm »

Fokkit man dis soos ñ sepie elke keer net ñ lekker angsvolle stuk en dan wag ons weer in spanning vir di vlgne episode

Oupa Foe-rie · « **Reply #154 on:** October 21, 2010, 09:29:08 pm »

Bliksem ............ nog n lekker Vasbyt toer in Afrika ........

Slaaiblaar · « **Reply #155 on:** October 21, 2010, 09:36:22 pm »

Los nou die bier uit die naweek en skryf nou die ding klaar!

tour · « **Reply #156 on:** October 21, 2010, 10:19:57 pm »

sorry vir die wag ma met 2 ouens wat skryf vat dinge ma tyd...

so n teaser... dis nou eers halfpad. nog 3 weke oor met heelwat wat kom.

JMOL · « **Reply #157 on:** October 24, 2010, 08:08:09 am »

Net as jy dink dit ales kan nie op 'n trip gebeur nie, dan kom jul met nog goeters uit!!

Gelukkig was dit nie 'n leeu of olifant wat jul in die hospitaal laat beland het nie

Uistekende RR

tour · « **Reply #158 on:** October 28, 2010, 09:30:32 pm »

Well my buddy moloko is a little better now which means that he is back at work and overloaded with catching up. it also means that he ain't got time to write now as umm well his lady is keeping him busy...

no not the red one. so we will continue the story a little different from now on, well solo...

so just before he is to fly out of lusaka we chat and i get some info on the intended route and i also take his paper map. he sort of shows me the general direction and some don't miss this and do miss that type of places. i also use his cell phone one last time and i call home. not married so my loved one is my sister, she is slightly stressed but she knows me and doesnt even try to convince me to come home. we chat for an hour and i tell her that i am on my way home but it will still take me 3 more weeks. she laughs and says to enjoy and be safe. that done so back to moloko. now we were emotional. his trip is done and i am going on my own from here without my buddy with whom i had grown tight after experiencing such cool things that can not be explained. oh and some things never revealed

wot happens in Zambia stays in zambia.

so the ambulance arrives and the proses starts. now he cannot be moved very easily just too much pain so first thing is first and here comes the drugs. he gets a cocktail of who knows what and soon he is smiling.so they strap him down and into the ambulance he goes. the door closes and they go....

tour · « **Reply #159 on:** October 28, 2010, 10:16:02 pm »

now i get back on my bike and go to the backpackers. not leaving just yet as it is late afternoon. so riding the 3kms to the backpackers i am filled with a feeling of fear, loneliness and something that you feel when a friend dies and you are alone. so i do what has to be done and i get drunk at the bar and talk kak to the young british packpackers and some of the local business okes.

so the next morning i get up and that damn feeling is still there, so i get goin quickly in a north east direction on the main highway. crazy traffic all over lusaka keeps my mind focused on the job at hand and the fear at bay. i dont know how far i am goin or where i will sleep tonite, only that i must move. as i get out of town and see the beauty around me i really miss harold. shit so far to go and no harry. we were in tune as a team and nothing could stop us but that damn road outside of ciavonga did. fear was my companion that first day. you know what if??? i fall, i breakdown, i get robbed or mugged or i die here and no one will know where i lie. shit it really is ridiculous how our mind can get to us when we are not in our comfort zone anymore. but i tell myself i know these feelings, i had been travelling on my own for years and there is a reason i do that out of my own free will. so i chill out a bit and i have comfort in the phat girl knowing she will get me home. africa twin rock solid.

there is beauty everywhere but for 3 days it is not cool, found out on my return that harold had for 3 days thought that i was there at his side all along. just shows the energy you share with some people. anyway after the first day i do some 500km i think and sleep at a lodge type of place. next day a bit better but not really and i leave zambia with a funny feeling and i enter malawi. where ever i stop for fuel or food there are always stairs and questions of why are you alone? so i think i will try get off the main roads again and find some gravel. so north i go towards livingstonia. a long stretch with a heavy heart. but nice scenery and that cheers me up a bit. malawi is so much diferent to zambia just sooo many people and i am weary of everyone, luckily this doesnt last forever.but it does for a few more days. every one told me you will love malawi it is the best and blah blah blah, well didn't feel it sorry, just so many people i wanted some space.

so north i went and the kms flew by. met this guy from serbia on a bike, one that you peddle. he started from joburg and on to where i cant remember so we had a chat and off again.he also cycled to china from serbia and another big trip somewhere else. next some forestry area beautiful scenery to keep my thoughts busy. was getting dark soon so i pulled into mzuzu. again an overpriced lodge. no camping. the second nite on my own and still feeling funny. so i checked out the map and made dinner. it rained aswell. i tried to trust my feeling and changed direction. forget livingstonia and head east towards the lake only 50 kms. maybe the great expance of water will make me feel better. so of to bed i go.