Day 5- An Unexpected Eventful Day

Day 5 February 17, had been designated as a free day for personal exploration or whatever anyone wanted to do. Babu and Bibi had originally planned to spend the day at Palenque ruins using the time to see Temples 19, 20 and 21, but because those temples were off limits to the public, we decided it wasn't worth the effort. After all, we had seen these ruins many times and without access to the new discoveries, other activities were more interesting. Breakfast with the group was relaxed and on the late side during which we discussed what to do with our time. Events of the day, for the most part, did our planning for us.

The four single ladies, Bibi and Babu decided to walk to downtown Palenque with various objectives in mind. Our first task was to find a bank or a cambista to change some dollars to pesos, then as time permitted, check out the market, etc. As our different objectives directed we straggled out, the four ladies walking on ahead with Babu and Bibi bringing up the rear. With in a short distance Bibi was several paces ahead and had passed one of our ladies. As Babu came up to and passed this lady, she was hanging onto a limb of a sidewalk tree in from of a couple of shops. Babu thought this was a little strange and wondered if she was looking a some special bird in the tree, but walked on by. Within 20 to 30 paces Babu looked back to see if our companion was coming along. She was not in sight and he saw a body lying on the sidewalk. It took only a fraction of a second to recognize the clothing as that of our companion. Uttering an explicative, Babu sprinted back to the prone figure with Bibi in close pursuit. Yes, it certainly was our traveling companion lying with her head in a pool of blood! A small crowd of indigenous people had gathered around as we knelt down beside her and began checking for vital signs, raking our brains for long forgotten first aid procedures. She had a heart beat and she was breathing but she was having muscular contractions and she was unconscious. We checked to make sure she had not swallowed her tongue, remembering procedures to follow for students who suffered from epilepsy. Fortunately none of that seemed necessary! Bibi yelled "Call 911! Ambulance, Ambulance, Help! Help!" A young man on a motor bike had stopped to see what was causing the commotion. He pulled out his cell phone and made the call for the ambulance. Bibi was on her knees again, holding the patient's head off the side walk. The locals were urging to help her sit up and we resisted that, as we did not know the extent of the injuries. The ambulance arrived quickly, as it turned out the clinic was only two or three blocks away. Babu helped the two attendants roll the patient on the stretcher and she was loaded into the ambulance. The locals in the accumulated crowd motioned to us to get into the ambulance too. The ambulance made a U turn around the divider in the roadway, traveled a few blocks and swung into the entrance of the clinic. The clinic guard opened the sliding door to let the gurney enter. Bibi went in with the patient but Babu was not allowed, so he hoofed it back to the hotel, a few blocks way, to let our guides know what had happened.

Arriving back at the hotel, out of breath, Babu went directly to the dining area hoping to find either of our guides still lingering over breakfast. Axel, our driver, was the only person immediately available and he was talking on his cell phone. Axel does not speak much English, but Babu's agitated state undoubtedly made him understand that urgent response was required. He quickly called Ricardo who, fortunately, was still in his room and he immediately appeared. Babu explained what had happened and both hurried back to the clinic. Ricardo was of course allowed inside but Babu was left outside to wait patiently for word about what was transpiring. There was no waiting room or places to sit other than the curb so this turned into more than an hour of standing and waiting along with many indigenous people who were seeking medical attention. Steve arrived after a while and sent Axel to find Claudia (the patient's roommate). He urged Babu to go find a bank to change money which had been the morning's objective.

Meanwhile, in the clinic, Bibi was allowed to stay beside the patient holding her hand and reassuring her. The ritual of the paper work began with a nurse holding a clipboard, asking questions; "What is her name? How old is she??" and other questions Bibi had no answers for! We had not considered any information of this kind necessary to learn from fellow travelers! Bibi had no choice but to search the patient's purse and her security pouch for answers. She found her full name and quickly made an estimate that sufficed for an age. Now Bibi was able to see that our friend had suffered a large "Y" shaped cut on the upper right side and to the back of the head. It was still bleeding heavily. After two sedative shots to the wounded area the doctor worked quickly to find and stop the bleeding. His next question was "May I cut her hair?" Bibi answered "Yes, yes! What ever it takes to get the bleeding stopped!" He was given a safety razor to remove the hair from the wound. Then the nurse brought him a tray with threaded needles for stitching. The patient was becoming more lucid, demanding to know what was happening and insisting, that since she was allergic no sedative should be given, but the shots had already been given. The patient also demanded an explanation for why she was there. Bibi gave a simplified version of the incident and tried to reassure her that things were under control. By this time Ricardo had arrived, and in a three way conversation with the Doctor and Bibi, learned all the details of the incident. Shortly Claudia, the patient's room mate, appeared and was sent for clean clothes.

The doctor exhibited impressive skills as he stopped the bleeding and proceeded to stitch up the wound. Bibi was impressed both with his manner and skills, right down to washing up and making the patient comfortable and presentable. He was very attentive to the wishes of the patient but finally left the nurse to finish. At this point, Claudia returned and took charge of the patient as they made ready to go to the hospital for X-rays. By evening the patient had been X-rayed, medicated, released from the clinic, recovered enough to stand on her own and declare that she was okay! No overnight in the hospital for this lady!

By the time Bibi was relieved of her duties, we both felt wrung out!! We made our way to a nearby restaurant for a much needed lunch and a good cold beer.

One last interesting note. The patient was given a bill for 450 pesos equal to $31.03 !