(Cont from Page 13).....I manage to fast track though the immigration procedure and in no time I am whisked away by taxi to the Bangkok suburbs, familiar territory to me. I deposit my kit at base taking a quick shower and it’s away to a private hospital recommended to me. Arriving around 2 pm I am admitted before 3 pm. Diagnosis, complete with an ultra sound scan, takes just three hours. I have no vascular problem but the skin infection needs urgent treatment. The staff waste no time as I am put on a drip of alternate anti-biotic and saline fluids. It all seems so simple and efficient. Just over 3 days after leaving Dien Bien Phu hospital I can convert to oral medication being discharged from Paolo Memorial Hospital in the evening of the 8th.

Postscript

Rebuilding Starts........By Sunday 11th March I am feeling strong enough to venture out from my accommodation and begin to rebuild my life. The leg continues the healing process but will take several months but the cruel legacy of my North Vietnamese Tour will deal its final hand as I make preparations to attempt to get my computer fixed. As I check in my baggage which has lain practically undisturbed since arriving back in Bangkok I cannot find my memory stick and card reader. Then I realize this was in a bag with my video camera. I search in vane but can only speculate as to the disappearance of these personal items. Feeling a little bitter I head to the IT centre in Bang Kapi. The first attempt at revival of my laptop seems successful but when it again proves unstable the engineer tests the hard disc and RAM discs. They’re fine. The Fault appears to be on the main board itself. In a word this appliance is now scrap. On Tuesday 13th I return to Bang Kapi to purchase a netbook and other components. Do I have further adventures in mind armed with this lightweight computer? I have an appointment with the doctor where I get the all-clear to return to the UK. This signals the end of not only the North Vietnamese Tour and its after effects but my otherwise eventful visit to South East Asia this winter. I will go back and lick my wounds regretful that I was unable to visit some important sites in Vietnam this tour mindful that I cannot put together a tour of this nature in the near future. However I have plenty of material I can use to record events which in turn is now history.