........the last blog post from our time on Cambodia's south coast.......
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| Calm scene on a Bangkok klong |
Rich has had trouble with his knee for years, but after a marked increase in pain and a decrease in manoeuvrability in the previous six months, he realized the time had come to do something about it. He had always put up with the issue while the discomfort wasn't too bad and it wasn't interrupting our travel lifestyle, but it was clear now that the inevitable couldn't be postponed any longer. If you follow our blog, you may have seen we have had a distinct lack of adventuring recently, and this has been due to his lack of mobility.
Knowing how atrocious the current health system is in the UK, we ruled out travelling back there for treatment, and potentially hanging around for years on the waiting list. We knew people who had had medical treatment in Malaysia, and after a lot of research, we decided to return to Penang and visit the Adventist Hospital for advice. Run by the Seventh Day Adventists, it is supposedly a non-profit institution- it did seem to be a fair bit cheaper than some of the other international hospitals we looked into.
A detailed look on their website lead us to the experienced sounding head surgeon of orthopaedics, who had studied and lived in the UK for most of his professional life. A call to the hospital saw us booked in for a consultation THE FOLLOWING DAY, would you believe! This would be unheard of in most "developed" countries. We arrived for registration, and after briskly being whizzed around for thorough x-rays and blood tests, Rich then met with the surgeon, who already had all the relevant results in front of him. What a great system! Immediately comfortable with the doctor and reassured by his diagnosis, Rich was happy to be booked in for a knee replacement in 10 days time ("I'm sorry I can't fit you in this week", the doctor said!!)
We spent most days leading up to the operation at the gym- Rich wanting to be as fit as possible to ensure a quicker recovery (Sal reluctantly exercising, but really enjoying the pool more than anything). It's probably been mentioned before on our blog, but we use an amazing gym in a posh hotel in Penang that, for a one month membership charges 178RM (the equivalent to less than £1 per day).
Staying at our usual Noble Hotel (where nothing EVER changes except the price), we were lucky enough to be able to catch up with some of our best friends who also happened to be in Penang, as well as the usual motley crew that can always be found hanging around the infamous Antarabangsa Bar in the backstreets of Georgetown.
Arriving early at the hospital the day of admission, there was a lot of waiting around and tests, before we were taken to Richard's digs. The room was clean and modern, and shared with only one other patient. The best part, though, was the staff, whose constant testing and checking was was almost too attentive. There wasn't much time for sleep during the five nights Rich spent in the hospital!
The morning Rich was taken away to surgery was a long one- for Rich undergoing what was to be a more complicated operation than the surgeon had anticipated, and for Sal waiting for hours not knowing what was going on. Rich's knee had deteriorated to a terrible state due to his advanced osteo-arthritis. The thigh and shin bones had been grinding against each other so extensively over the years without the protective cartilage in between to act as a cushion. His leg bones had rubbed together so much so that the shin bone had actually become concave- no wonder he had been in so much pain! The surgeon had a lot of reshaping and resurfacing of the bones to do, and the op took close to three hours instead of the usual one hour.
When he was finally wheeled back down the hall, Sal was reassured to see him smiling and looking in good spirits- the pain killers were working! Over the next four days, he was immediately put to work by the physiotherapist moving the leg, gently at first, in order to promote maximum flexibility as the knee healed. It was amazing how quickly everything happened- Rich was using the toilet, showering, walking and moving about, and then on the fifth day, the surgeon cleared him to come home. We were both very relieved- as nice as the hospital and staff were, it was not the best environment in which to heal. And as lovely as the Adventists might be, their vegetarian food habits leave a lot to be desired!
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| Spirits high (and the pain killer level!) immediately after the operation, Penang |
On arrival back at the guesthouse, the staff appeared to help Rich up the stairs and then produced a crutch and a zimmer frame from who knows where for him to borrow, telling us guests leave all sorts of things in their rooms! These proved helpful for a few days before Rich was able to walk alone.
Basically, we spent the next month in Penang, exercising and trying to get Rich back into shape as soon as possible. He worked really hard every day, with extra motivation from Sal. Two return hospital visits saw the surgeon and all the staff extremely impressed with his progress, and although things would never move fast enough for Rich's liking, he was well ahead of the curve on his recovery, and we were on track to returning to our "normal" travelling life.
After some time, we were in desperate need of a break from Penang, and decided on an easy change of scene, heading to Bangkok.
Six years since we had visited Thailand's capital was a long time, and of course much had changed. But checking into our old favourite guesthouse on Soi Rambuttri, an off shoot of famous back packer area Khao San Road, we found enough familiar landmarks to remind us why we loved the place, and to be glad we had made the effort to move from Malaysia.
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| All the best people were born in the Year Of The Rabbit! |
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| Random pig shrine (it is Bangkok, after all!) |
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| Pimped out Bangkok truck |
We've visited Bangkok SO many times over the years, and have made great efforts in the past to see much of the quirky parts of the city. It's actually quite an endeavour now to find something new to see or do. We always love the ferry on the Chao Phraya River, and especially enjoy the trip north to Nonthaburi to the markets there. At 16 baht (34 pence) for the roughly one hour ferry trip, it's great value, and was particularly pleasant on this visit with the temperatures in the high 30s.
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| Yannawa boat shaped temple on the Chao Phraya River |
Chatuchak Market is another favourite, and having visited so many times in the past, we by now knew the strategy- get there early, take water and have a plan. With 8,000 stalls and so many sections ranging from plants to pets to clothes, the place can be overwhelming. We knew exactly what we were looking for, and were able to get in, look around at a leisurely pace, buy a few items, and still leave before the hoards arrived and the weather heated up to unbearable proportions.
We combined walking with the use of the fantastic Bangkok bus system to explore various new and random areas of the city. One interesting find was the Nightingale Department Store, a dusty reminder of times past, located in amongst the new colourful establishments of Bangkok's "Little India". A strange shop, it stood as though in a time warp - old fashioned clothes, games and beauty products sitting in cabinets as they must have done for decades. Ladies that looked as old as the products sat behind crumbling counters, surely not selling anything for days.
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| Old fashioned department store, Bangkok |
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| Dated and dusty displays |
Evenings were spent eating as much yummy Thai fare as possible, making the most of the the wide variety of delicious food. After our first night attempting to walk along Khao San Road, and finding it an unpleasant mix of bar and massage touts and extremely loud music, we retreated to the more subdued Rambuttri strip, where we could enjoy a beer and people watch to our hearts content. Fruit shakes were consumed at least once a day- the heat was so intense, we were forever unable to quench our thirsts. Mangoes and durian were the most prevalent of all the fruits in season- we scoffed plenty of the former, and none of the latter.
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| Enjoying the Bangkok night life |
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| Huge selection of fruit shakes to choose from, Bangkok |
Rich's second month of recovery in Thailand was spent with a lot of walking the streets, and up and down the ever-present stairs in Bangkok (including three flights up to our room). When we moved location from our cheap and cheerful guesthouse in the traveller haven of Banglamphu to the slightly more upmarket hotel on the other side of Bangkok, he restarted gym work, and swimming in the rooftop pool. By the time we left, his knee was well on the way to being completely healed, and he was able to walk and exercise for long periods without too much discomfort. This was such an amazing contrast from the pain he had experienced for such a long time before he underwent the knee replacement operation. We hoped it would mean a whole new lease of life for us both, and for what we were able to achieve travelling. We were excited to start travelling again for the second half of 2024!
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| Bangkok klong scene |
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| Old style Bangkok architecture |
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| Didn't try, but sounds revolting |
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| Banglamphu Park, Bangkok |
.......next up, fun and lots of train travel in Bulgaria.........