Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dorian Bay from a bunk...

Friday 11 December, Dorian Bay

I had a pretty uncomfortable night following my fall. I found it difficult to turn onto my side and could feel that something was pretty wrong. In the morning, Doc Lia came to check me out. It was hard to perform an exact examination on the boat, in such cramped circumstances and without x-ray facilities.

With her help I tried to get out of the bunk, but it was a non-starter. The pain was pretty bad in my leg anytime I tried to move my right leg from side to side. At that stage, the Doc had diagnosed a potential fracture – to be proved correct seven days later in Ushuaia – but she couldn’t be sure. I was confined to the bunk, hoping I might be out of it in a few days if there was no fracture.

And so I missed the last couple of days of our trip around the peninsula. This included Dorian Bay and the Melchior Islands. I guess I was lucky to the extent that I got injured towards the very end of the trip – imagine how frustrated I would have been if it had happened at the start??!

As it was I stayed put in my bunk, reading and watching some films as crew members came and went to give me news of the landings. Thanks to Frida, I got hold of these photos. The ship does look beautiful from the shore, and I am imagining myself back in my bunk as my fellow passengers checked this out!

By then, all thoughts – not least mine – were turning towards the crossing back on the Drake. How would it play out for me, when would I be able to get up? How would I handle basic toilet stuff? Would I be seasick? Questions which were soon to be answered...


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