SEA MAIL TAKES 3 TO 4 WEEKS!!!!! Can you believe that!!?? I couldn't!! Claire and I went into the post office yesterday to post our 14kg of clothing we'd had made in Hoi An - intending to send it sea mail, only to find out it wouldn't be there by Christmas!!! I was amazed!! We had to spend a fortune on sending it airmail!! I was outraged!! I mean - what exactly do they do with it for 4 months!!?? Surely it can't take that long!!?? Ridiculous! 

Actually, we had quite a stressful morning yesterday - our hot water wasn't working for the third time, and we'd already complained about it, so we both had cold showers. I don't mind cold showers, but when we were paying as much as we were for the room, we expected hot water. So we made a bit of a fuss and in the end someone came and fixed it. Don’t know why he didn’t fix it the first time we complained!! Anyway - we still felt we should get a discount - so when we were checking out we asked, and this horrid ("rough" - in Claire’s words) Australian woman who was staying at the hotel decided to start shouting abuse at us because she thought we were being penny pinching!! It had nothing to do with her. Can't think why she butted in - anyway we ignored her and got our discount - but she continued to shout insults at us - can't understand her thought process - very baffling.

So anyway - that made us late and we only just made the post office in time to wrap the parcel, do all the paperwork, then have lunch and get on the bus to Hanoi - which, incidentally, Rough Australian was on! Great! 

So we embarked on our 17hr bus journey to Hanoi.....................

At a toilet break at 2am (I couldn't sleep - very uncomfy and hot) I decided to get out and go to the loo. As I was making my way to the toilet I slipped on the wet floor and landed on my wrist. Instantly I knew something was wrong - my hand was on crooked!! A kind man helped me up and took me into the restaurant to put some ice on it. I'd felt something snap as I went down - so I thought it was either dislocated or broken. I then went into a mini-shock - I think it was just the thought of my bones breaking - makes me feel a bit dizzy now just writing about it - anyway, the kind man went to get Claire who was asleep on the bus. She came, by which point I was green and feeling feint. The adrenaline had also made my sugar levels drop amazingly quickly - quite inconvenient being diabetic, at times - what a useless reaction to shock. So Claire gave me some sugar and then we asked to go to a hospital - here's the funny bit..... The nearest big hospital with A and E was 7 hrs away in Hanoi!!! So I sat on the bus for 7 hours in quite considerable pain (eating my max strength ibuprofen like sweets) until 7am this morning.

So - actually this is quite long now, sorry - we got to the hospital, waited lots, I saw different doctors, had x-rays, got transferred to a French hospital (didn't speak much English - GCSE French would have been handy!)  and it turns out that I've broken my arm above the wrist - a displaced fracture, (see photo of my xray!! they thought i was mad taking that photo!) which either need pins (surgery - no thank you) or to be manipulated. At 10am I was given a general anaesthetic which knocked me out for about 45 mins whilst the Orthopaedic surgeon pushed my bone back where it should be. I now have an enormous plaster cast which has to stay on for 8 weeks!!! Claire helpfully pointed out that I will get a very amusing tan! 

Actually, Claire's been great – I would have been really miserable without her - especially since no one really talked to me at the hospital because they couldn't speak English.

I have now mastered blood tests, injections, (blah... other necessary diabetic requirements... etc) shampooing, conditioning, hair drying and almost dressing single handedly!! I still need Claire to cut up my food though! Feel rather stupid!

Claire and I ordered a jug of cosmopolitan over dinner to commiserate ourselves - we've had to make a few changes to our trip. I can't do any real exercise, which means I'll be coming home fat. The whole thing is very inconvenient and painful! I am quite well though – just a bit disappointed about it all – no white water rafting or tubing in Laos – both of which I was looking forward to.

Will be buying shoes with more grip. (And perhaps a polkadot sling!)