FLight TG 944 from Bangkok to Rome

PLEASE NOTE - if i'd had a blog in Jan 06 - i would've posted this, but instead i sent a group email. Just posting it for posterity. A posterity post.

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Buonjourno Aussies!

I am in Roma in a laundromat - as my towel and the rest are skanky from excessive swimming in Koh Phangnan. I arrived this am.

Lack of sleep in Thailand due to dodgy beds (XXXXX will vouch for this!) and partying (XXXXXX will vouch for this!) - meant that when i was waiting to board at Bangkok - i was a mess of overtired tears and fear of getting pickpocketed upon arrival in Rome - hence XXXXXX receiving a 3am phone call (love!). I am now not so worried, as whilst doing the scary walk from termini train station i saw 2 Japanese tourists lost in a map with their cameras hanging loose off their shoulders - whereas i am in lock-down!!!

Anyways, flight 944 - seated next to some weird italians initially, who refused to sit down as take off happpening - when the dude finally did, he asked if i could swap with his wife who was sitting a few rows forward. Si.

So when i swapped i met Danilo - who taught me a bit of italian and we laughed alot - until the 60-75yo man sitting in front of me needed oxygen - he was travelling alone so the italian woman seated next to him was communicating, as he was grabbing onto her arm and passing out. There was a dose of oxygen, then a half hour when i tried to sleep, then it happened again - this time the thai air staff needed a passenger who was italian-eng fluent to translate - last oxygen too strong - needs more - had pacemaker installed one month ago. Then the thai staff and italian passenger translator got on radio and called for any doctors or nurses who were on the plane - a sleeepy italian arrived from behind with a gold chain round his neck. Lazily felt the guy's pulse and just stared at him - nurses, italian started to gather and question - the sick man conveyed he had medical document in luggage - they read it but nothing really happened. Dr just kept on looking at the guy whilst feeling his wrist - so a specialist doctor was called for over the radio - and hey presto - an Australian NEUROsurgeon strides out of business class - she took charge, said he need lying down, low blood pressure, said she didn't know anything about pacemakers, but the middle row opposite me was cleared so that the man could be laid down across 4 seats. Cuffuffle cufuffle. Thai air stewards spewing open first aid kits on top of passengers laps - a drip, blood pressure meaured, mr gold chain still holding onto wrist - it was amazing to see the aus surgeon communicating with italian nurses, she found an appropriate drug to inject - and things settled down, they checked his blood pressure repeatedly - all this time the italian translator asking staff why the won't land?! Anyways, I tried to rest again, and only minutes later after uncovering my eyes, the surgeon disappeared and the nurse had just placed a cloth over the man's face.

More overtired tears. In all the drama, id swapped seats with Danilo, so was mildy saved from sitting a foot from this poor dead man for the next six hours. I thought that it was a blessing in disguise the deceased was solo - as imagine a poor relative or friend having to begin grieving on a plane in the sky. Upon arrival, medico team, amazing portable heart graph machine, polizia, italians talking loudly apparently about the lack of landing - i think it may of had to do something with the fact that at that point we were flying over pakistan/iraq. On a lighter note, I thought we were flying over paris at that point - swear i saw the Arc de Triumph and lights laid out in arrondiesmonts (spell?). But no, no, Danilo showed me map - yes, delirium, France is west of Italy - and he had heard there was a similar arch in pakistan.

Anyways, all is ok. I am in Rome, needing to sleep, can get into bed 230pm.

Love to all, happy new year.

See you soon