We got up early to ensure we could get our choice of bike, no. 18 with the loud bell. We needed to go back to 3 tailors for dresses, a cape & a shirt; to pick up our train tickets for Danang to Hue; & find a hairdresser to get a wash, cut & dry for both of us.
C excitedly jumped onto the little cushioned seat at the back of the bike & said "I'm so happy that I am going to be riding with you & just us today because I have been wanting to do this for ages" How nice!
So we started off down the road, paused to take some photos of a buffalo ploughing through mud, then again to watch some women working in the rice paddies. We were nearly at our first destination when it happened, C's foot got caught in the wheel as it continued its rotation. Ouch!!!!
We were mid-way across the a 4-way crossing, not great. A kind lady from a nearby tailor ran into the road to lift C from the bike & carry her to the side of the road. As luck would have it, this accident befell us right outside a pharmacy so the pharmacist was right on it, wielding cream & bandages.
Some men stopped their motorcycle & retrieved some blocks of ice from a cafe across the street to put on C's foot which by now was looking quite gag-worthy & very, very sore. There was a huge bruise, swelling & lots of skin removed. C was screaming, the pain seemed immense.
Another lady gave C some water which she drank. I hadn't realised she was doing this as I was helping bandage her foot & only time will tell if this local water will make her sick or not.
We got the bandage sorted, some sealed water in hand & C calmed down. The pharmacist kindly allowed me to store the bike at her shop for later retrieval as we got a taxi back to the hotel for some convalescence. I told C some stories in the taxi & we agreed that some time in bed watching TV with a little treat would make her feel better. She told me the chips from the mini-bar wouldn't be good as they had pictures of 2 little chillies on the label. Hmm, interesting that she already knew this! We agreed a chocolate from the turn down service would fit the bill.
We arrived at the hotel where fortunately they quickly produced a wheel chair & had accessibility ramps because C is not a baby anymore & difficult for me to carry more than a few steps. Into the room, into bed with her bunny & meerkcat who she thought might cheer her up & bit, TV on, chocolate in mouth, panadol consumed & hopefully all will be well with the world again soon.
Top 5
1. Travel does not always go to plan but maybe C just needed some down time
2. The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me
3. The Vietnamese, like the Chinese, love a drama. I was talked over as 3 women were ganging up on the pharmacist to tell us to go to hospital The pharmacist, presumably the only trained medical professional amongst us, disagreed. I listened to her.
4. Kids are amazingly resilient. C is already starting to cheer up a little
5. Love the fact that I had all of the additional medical supplies to hand in my very well stocked medical kit, ready & waiting for just such an occasion. A shame that C had to get hurt to use it.
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