27th October, and a ride, unfortunately, in a medivac helicopter!

I will return to the days we spent exploring Nachisan, Katsuura, and Shingu in the next post, but I need to update on our current situation first.

Well today was the day that we were going to start the Kohechi route.  However my knee is still sore, and so Neil decided that he would set off alone, and would most likely make good progress without having to wait for me all the time.  We had to have breakfast at the same time even though I was not going to check out for another 2 ½ hours, and after that Neil set off for the start of the steep climb.  By catching the 7.10 bus he could save about 1 ½ of walking, over territory we had already walked,  which would take the pressure off him to hurry and give him plenty of time to get to the hotel before dark.

It wasn’t to be though.  I spent the morning in Hongu being entertained by a car rally that had arrived from Koyasan (our destination in 4 days) and caught the bus out to Hotel Subaru.  As I suspected I couldn’t check in immediately but they let me leave my bag (it was heavy as I was carrying some of Neil’s gear to make it lighter for him), and sat outside having a picnic lunch, before heading down to the river crossing.  Which is where the path comes down off the mountain.

I was delighted that I didn’t have to cross the swing bridge.  I am not very good on them at the best of times, but I didn’t like the look, or the feel, when I ventured onto it for a few metres, and just breathed a sigh of relief that this was one obstacle that I would not have to face.  I decided that after check-in I would try and time it that I would return to get a photo of Neil crossing it.  By my calculations I had about ½ hour before setting off to do that when I heard sirens outside.  They were on the road, and though I had a fleeting thought of “I hope Neil is OK”, I carried on pottering around.

Ten minutes later the phone rang in my room – the poor girl couldn’t understand me, nor I her, and so  next thing there was a knock on the door.  She said about “my friend Neil” and so I followed her, expecting him to be waiting to be shown the room, the sort of polite thing to do here.  Arriving at the desk it was a man in uniform that I met – not Neil, giving instructions for me to “come follow, come”.  I followed him out the door, not before being stopped to take off my indoor slippers for outdoor ones, and being greeted by a possie of people gathered around an ambulance, and a medivac helicopter on the grass, and seeing Neil on a stretcher in the ambulance.

He had slipped on some stones, tripped, and fallen about 3 metes down a bank, coming to land against a tree stump.  The sight was blood all over his head, drips going into him and various cuffs for medical checks.  After some time and much discussion it was decided to take him, by helicopter, to hospital.  Between the hotel staff and the medical staff it was decided that our luggage should stay at the hotel and that I should go with them in the helicopter.  It was a first time in a helicopter for both Neil and I, but I got to see the view, he didn’t, as he was lying flat on his back.  The nurse instructed me to look into the distance, presumably so I didn’t get sick.

We spent a few hours in Nara University Hospital, in the city of Kasihara.   At the time of writing I had absolutely no idea where that might be, and had to sit waiting in the reception room for Neil to have a battery of tests.  He has three cracked ribs and compound vertebrae (C12), along with 6 stitches in his head.  We booked a room in a hotel not far from the hospital and very close to the station.  Neil is wearing a back brace and is in quite a lot of pain.  I am not sure that we have enough pain killers to get him home and so may have to go to the hospital for more later.

12 hours later I have managed, through a lengthy conversation using google translate, to get our bags transferred from where they are at Totsekawa Onsen to this hotel.  If I had gone personally to get them I would have had to stay the night and leave Neil here without any help. It would be a 4 hour bus trip, and there would be no return buses till the next day.  We have reserved another night in this hotel, and once our bags arrive will then sort out a change in flight reservation.  Neil had as comfortable a sleep as is possible under the circumstances, and we have been out to have brekky.  We are now trying to work out what we can do to amuse ourselves for the day without too much effort.

As I said – the next post will be going back to the parts I have missed out telling you about.