Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Just before we stormed into a derelict looking building - the medical clinic - I
turned to Chris.
'Mate, no matter what happens, if I have to be operated on, I want it to happen
in Finland - just not here.'
Inside, Tatyana dragged us past a rather subdued queue, wielding me as if I was
a formidable weapon. 'Australians! I have an Australian! I am coming through!
Make way!' she screeched. We stumbled into an office to be met by an astonished
doctor and patient. The uncomfortable silence was shortlived. Tatyana bleated out
the gory details. 'This young man is from Australia and he is riding to China, but
he has frostbite! I had to bring him here!'
The doctor, who was middle-aged and of Dagestani descent, looked contemplat-
ively at me. I took note of his olive skin and deep-set eyes that were fringed by
dark bushy eyebrows. 'Just take your socks off. Just take them off and show me!'
he said.
Pinching the end of the first sock, I pulled it off slowly and then removed the
other one, oblivious to the fact that I had daintily dropped them onto the doctor's
telephone. After two weeks' wear, the smell was overpowering.
After screwing up his nose in distaste, the doctor seemed to collect himself and
focused on my toes. 'Well, Tim, what are your plans? Because I am going to have
to operate immediately, and you will have to stay here for ten days. You could get
gangrene if you leave it much longer.'
Next, I was pushed through another door and onto a cracking vinyl bench. A
nurse washed my toes with disinfectant, and from the corner of my eye I noticed a
glint of metal - the doctor was sharpening a pair of deadly looking scissors.
'What are you doing? What are you doing?' I asked.
'Oh, nothing, nothing,' the doctor replied, chuckling. Frantic, I pulled out my
pocket dictionary and began looking for words like 'painkillers', 'antibiotics', and
'numb'.
'What, are you going to read while I do this operation?' the doctor asked, with
another chuckle.
Finally, I found the word for numb. But even as I said it, it was too late. With a
snip two pieces of flesh were carved away, wrapped up in tissue paper and thrown
into the bin. There was no pain.
'Look, look!' said the doctor, with a grin.
I peered at what I thought were the bloody stumps of my toes. 'Bloody hell, this
crazy bastard has just cut my toes off!'
