Stumble Bum

On our second full-day in Tonsai, I woke before the kids this morning and decided to go for my first run of the trip. I considered saving the legs because I had made plans to go climbing with Zak after breakfast but I figured what could a little warm-up run hurt, right? Besides, this was my first opportunity to do a morning run and I liked the idea if keeping the synchronicity with what Mary was doing back home. My route took me along a dirt path over steep hills through the jungle to East Railay Beach and back; beautiful morning, beautiful scenery, feeling great. I was almost back to the bungalow when I stumbled. Instinctively I tried to race my feet back under me but basically only succeeded in accelerating into the hard-pack dirt. I rolled to my feet thinking, "that wasn’t too bad" and looked down for a quick visual self-appraisal only to find that the fourth finger on my right hand took an unexpected 90 degree turn to the right at the middle knuckle. I of course showed off my new booboo to the only other person in sight, a kid who happened to be walking on the same path. Juvenile showmanship over, I quickly weighed the relative advantages of being able to clean my ear without raising my arm and the havoc a bent finger would play with my nascent, and largely hypothetical, career as a concert pianist. Reaching down, I grabbed the end of the finger, pulled it out, popped it back into place, and finished the run. I washed off the dirt and blood and treated the gashes with Neosporin. Perhaps slightly proud of my home doctoring, I simply changed the plans for the day from climbing to snorkeling. Those of you familiar with my home surgery prowess (appendectomy anyone?) may not be surprised to hear that the finger felt worse instead of better the next few days. The swelling increased, the wound kept weeping, and I started feeling worse. When the kids came in the room while I was resting and asked what smelled, suspicion rested first on the usual suspect (Zachary’s shoes) but when that possibility was eliminated I realized that the finger was infected and the smell of slow death was actually my rotting flesh. My Dad had some amoxicillin along so I start self-medicating but a quick internet search noted that this particular antibiotic was primarily prescribed for middle-ear infections and gonorrhea (I never did ask Dad why he carried them) so I decided to head to town with Zak to see a doctor the next morning. This required a combination boat and car trip to Krabi Town but the doctor quickly diagnosed the problem, prescribed the medication, and sold it to me on the spot. Total fee for doctor visit and medication (2 antibiotics, 1 anti-inflammatory, and 1 antibiotic cream): 500 baht ($15); the cost of transportation was double that but I was personally escorted and chauffeured by “An” and his wife who joined us for the farang (foreigner) paid trip to town. My injury hasn’t kept me from climbing completely but I have been subsequently limited in my ability to compete head-to-head with the group of K2-sponsored Chinese climbers who are always hogging the spectacular roof routes on the beach next to the Freedom Bar where the climbers all hang out.