7:30pm, Tuesday 13th November
This time last year (+ a couple hours to allow for the time difference) I was being stretchered into a Leer jet in La Paz Airport for my 20hr journey home.
It is four days into my time in Sydney and I have finally overcome the 11hr jet lag. My first days here have been busy, doing the following:
Saturday – Walked down the mother of all hills to do our grocery shopping.
Sunday – I stayed at home whilst my brother Max, girlfriend Alex and her friend Hannah took a trip to the blue mountains.
Monday – We all journeyed to Manly Beach where Max and I spent no more than 15 minutes walking along the sand before I realised I had physio to get to. We rushed off in an Uber for my first physio session. The physio session was very good, getting a chance to use equipment new to me in the successful effort to tire my existing muscles out. In the evening Max and I made the ferry crossing across to Circular Quay to have a nice leaving dinner with Hannah for it was her last night in Oz. The distance of walk between buses and the ferry were at my very limit, making me deliriously tired by the time we arrived back at our AirBnB in Allambie Heights.
Today – My exhaustion continued over to this morning yet I found it difficult to sleep in late. Whilst Alex and Max were out, I was making the effort to walk with a correct technique but in the wrong headspace, I wasn’t concentrating as much as I should have and fell. I fell straight down, folding my legs and feet in a way that their flexibility does not allow. It was agony, so much pain I was left yelling at the ceiling and crawling along the floor. Every movement I made with my legs or feet was punished by more pain. I called Alex and Max who rushed back as quick as they could. Max lifted me onto the bed and they both proceeded to massage the tightened muscles. This greatly reduced the pain. But the pain reminded me of something more, La Paz. The trauma rose to the surface thus adding intense emotional pain to the already overwhelming physical pain. If you ever wanted to know what nerve pain feels like, stick your hands in snow or ice for 20 minutes and then run your hands under a warm tap. Its not fun and still hurts now despite spending much of the day trying to mitigate the pain. I haven’t fallen badly for about 6 months, but from previous experiences, it will take a couple weeks to get over the pain entirely, thus slowing my recovery.
In other news, Max is attempting to buy a car for our time in Sydney. He likes the look of a pick-up truck on Gumtree yet our parents weren’t convinced it was totally a good idea. His call went a little like this:
‘Yes, its practical…. No, insurance is not expensive…. Yes, Gumtree is a trusted website…. I find it a bit insulting that you don’t think I know anything about cars…. David! You said exactly that, word for word…. Right. Good…. Ok…. Ok…. Thanks…. Bye…. Thank you, bye…. Bye bye…. Alright… Bye.’
Well… it made me chuckle.
Anyway. Thank you for reading and keeping up to date with my blogs. Night, night. Bye, Bye. Until next time. Adios!
Pictures
The Journey
Settling In
Physio In Sydney
The Fall
In My Mind I Am Free 
It’s so fantastic that you’re in Australia, Angus, hope you are already feeling a little less pain, you’ve had such a journey over the past year.
Lovely to see your smiling face at the beginning of the post, and amused by Max’s conversation with David! Look forward to seeing a picture of the vehicle…
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You’re finally in Australia! Your fall sounds agonising, but you’ve made it so far, so quickly, because you’ve kept pushing yourself. I do hope it’s less painful now. Good luck with the new wheels; the “ute” sounds great fun!
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What a rollercoaster first few days in Sydney. But at least you’ve finally made it and you are reunited with Chuffy! You will recover from your fall in a few days, just take it easy and don’t push yourself too hard. Enjoy!
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Last post was your loving mum by the way!
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Glad that you got there safely ,wow like me just think we’re you were and we’re you are know .Don’t push yourself to hard give your body time to recover .It’s not a race ,it’s a amazing experience with many great memories along the way .Enjoy the journey
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