Visiting Erik in the Hospital - Chiang Mai, Thailand

beforeyoupack (60)in #chiangmai • 5 years ago (edited)

My friend Erik has come up in my previous posts. We met in the hostel in Chiang Rai and went on some adventures together. We went hiking, drove the motorbike through the national park, went to waterfalls and went to Phu Chi Fa for sunrise.

If you have been reading my previous posts, you know that Erik is a bigger daredevil than me. He climbs on sketchy rocks and sits on super high ledges on the top of a mountain. He loves to climbs things and to explore. Here is a picture of Erik on the top of Phu Chi Fa.

We split part after a few days of adventures. I stayed in Chiang Rai and Erik was going to Chiang Mai and then Pai. We are both traveling solo.

Recently he replied to one of my Instagram stories. It was a post of me on the top of a mountain. He said something about the amazing view. When asked him how he was doing, he told me that he's in the hospital. "What?! Really?" Was my reaction. The first thing I thought of was that he fell off a rock or something as Erik loves to climb.

But Erik had a motorbike accident. Well he had a seizure while driving the motorbike in the Pai area. It's very odd as he has never had a seizure before. So naturally he fell. He doesn't remember any of it. But he landed on his back and has a small fracture.

When he told me that, I was in Sukhothai. But I had plans to go back north to Chiang Rai for a few nights before I head south-east. He's in the hospital in Chiang Mai, which is on the way to Chiang Rai. So I told him I would stop by and pay him a visit.

The next day I was on the bus to Chiang Mai and the day after that was when I visited him. I went a little before noon and spent a few hours with him in the hospital. Since he is traveling solo, he doesn't have any friends or family around. I'm the only visitor so far and he was very happy to see me.

When I saw him. He looked very good. He doesn't have any scuffs, he didn't hit his head, he didn't break anything. The only thing is that he hurt his back. He needs to have bed rest for a while so everything can heal properly. He also has to wear a harness to support his back when standing up.

When I was there, he made his first walk. He's very happy to be out the bed for once. I'm sure everything will be fine, but it will take a while to heal. When he's ready to take a plane, he's going to fly back home and continue his trip after he is healed.

It's a really unfortunate accident. I have met a lot of people on this trip who gotten into an accident with their motorbike. It's very common for tourists to slide out. But all of those people told me the accident was their own fault. But Erik's story is different. He was very unlucky to have a seizure happening while driving. He told me he was feeling a bit sick and low on energy the week before, so that might be what caused it.

I know that he is in good hands. The hospitals in Thailand are very good. The nurses and staff are so friendly and helpful. They also keep him company so he isn't lonely. If anything would've happen to me back in Belgium, they can send me to Thailand. I want that treatment <LOL>.

I'm very happy that he is okay and that everything will be fine. I feel a bit bad that I can't visit him more often. Erik is a really cool guy.