Wow! So lucky! Thank you for your comments and I apologize for the late response as I didn't receive any notification. Yes, I was lucky to see the King at a close range....and Manyara is a beautiful place indeed....loved it and plan to go again...
A sad return to Canada My heart broke reading your account of the accident even though I already knew about it. Tough, sad and ouch. I'm glad you received a good medical opinion and you headed back to Canada for surgery. Years ago my brother in law was in Africa and fell less than two feet off of a cot he was sleeping on and broke his collar bone. Being a dentist that caused many issues for him. These freaky accidents can be the worst. Wow! You are famous. I'll have to get a signature. Loved your photo from your room. Great view. Sending you a hug and speedy healing. MJ
Such a pity! So sad that you had to interrupt such an exciting trip because of an accident. I hope you get well soon. And yes, it's ironic that it happened when taking pictures and not when paragliding!
Shit happens That is not only a Canadian saying but also a legal term in Oz,Tab. Commiserations...broke your tibia and fibula in a Maasai village...makes a great story...but what a bummer! I so nearly had similar when I fell over a metre in the dark in the High Pamir in Tajikistan a year ago...transfixed I only got a jarred knee. A friend got her foot caught in cobblestones in France and fell awkwardly while protecting the baby she was holding and broke her femur. Her weeks and months of hell that followed including inadequate pain relief and surgery in a provincial French hospital and being strip searched in a wheelchair in Dubai...twice...makes me feel you have ended up as one of the luckier ones! Now you have time on your hands you can craft blogs to be proud of. So get to work Tab...and remember you have survived to tell other stories!
Shit happens Dave, when I keep hearing stories about other unfortunates, I totally agree with you that perhaps I was one of the luckier ones. To be honest, I got good medical advice in Africa, I had my folks with me, an excellent tour guide was on my side always and I breezed through the Amsterdam airport in a wheel chair with compassion from all the airport staff and authorities, not to mention the care and compassion I received in-flight in KLM business class. And you are a tough inspiration asking me to get down with blogs....well kind of I am accepting your directive as I have started my new book now that I have some time in hand.
It's a Shame! It's a shame you broke your leg on this great trip. That's the thing I worry about most as I get older -- getting very sick or having an accident like falling or breaking a bone. At least you got some terrific photos before it happened.
It's a Shame! Sorry for the late response, didn't receive the notification earlier. Getting back to your comment, it is indeed a shame what happened there! I still couldn't believe it myself....what a non-sense way to cut short my trip. And as we are getting older, it does not help much in the healing process. But hope to hit the road again once my new bionic transformation is complete!!!
Oh no! I'm sorry you broke your leg and had to terminate your safari early. I'm glad that you were able to get emergency medical help and a safe return home. Now take care of yourself while your bones knit. I broke my ankle walking down my stairs...the most dangerous place in a home. It was six weeks before going to China. The bones knitted but the soft tissue continued to be painful for about six months. The only advantage was the black boot got me great service on the airlines! I look forward to your next blog...whenever you can write again.
Oh No! Thanks for your comments Bob. Sorry for the late response as we all know the brief glitch in the notification process. I have always admired your tenacity reading your blogs and trekking through the Scandinavian countries. Now when I learn that you broke your ankles once and still managed to travel to China, it give me solid hope that I would be back again once the body gets used to all the hardware installed.
At least you have a good story..... Breaking your leg sucks, but at least you have a good story to tell when people ask how you broke it. I broke my kneecap tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. I couldn't walk, was in a great deal of pain, and had a really crummy story to go with it. I do not recommend breaking your kneecap.
At least you have a good story..... Oh no, you broke your knee cap too...the more I read all the comments, many had such unfortunate accidents. That sure gives me hope that I would be back on the road again once the body gets used to the new hardware. But my story is not that exciting Karen...my son asked me to tell people that a lion pounced on me, I fought it hard and I broke the leg, otherwise my story is boring....hahaha!
Get well soon! One of your panoramas says 'A short break before entering Ngorongoro'. And then, you get a big break when you've entered Ngorongoro!
Oh Tab - what a way to end your African adventure. And it was all going so well too! I hope that your leg doesn't give you too much pain and that it will soon mend. Keep smiling in the meantime!
P.S. I have many fond memories of the Ngorongoro crater, the Masai and of Calgary too - without broken legs in all cases.
Get well soon! Mike, sorry for the late reply, we all know about the notification problem we had...thanks God it is now over.
It amazes me how the readers can identify a punning, for the lack of better words, in my writing. Never thought about the 'short break' and 'large break' analogy in the blog. Simply 'wonderful' for such a great insight! And I am thankful for the great readers like you! And yes, I am sitting at -28 degree C in Calgary with my broken leg, and I certainly hope that your memory of Calgary is a bit warmer than that!!!
For the love of photography... So sorry to hear about your unfortunate incident. Not only did the actual event sound painful, but the flight home with a broken foot wouldn't have been much fun... although I'm pretty impressed the shot still worked out ok :) Best wishes with your recovery.
For the love of photography... Ren and Andrew, thank you for your comment and sorry for the late reply due to the notification glitch...glad it is now over. Yes, the event was such a freak accident that I still cannot believe how that happened. In any event, done is done, but interestingly one of the first advise I have received from one of my colleague that I should be careful in the future before taking any panorama shot. She is probably right...I was taking a panoramic click on the other day balancing on my crutches and yes, I could probably avoid the accident if I restrained myself from taking panorama shots in Ngorongoro...but an old dog never learns a new trick, so I will continue with my panoramic shots, as appropriate, albeit with extra caution. BTW, one person offered me to buy the infamous photo, needless to say, I politely declined. I need something to walk down the memory lane...
Lanky... and beautiful MJ, I didn't know you love giraffes. Well, you and I are on the same boat, with my added infatuation for the zebras...they are adorable too...
Wonderful word pictures Return to the lands you love brings memories and new adventures! It is their land and they have the right of way. Vast beauty in all this dry land... it is alluring. Carry on.
Wonderful word pictures MJ, true, Africa amazes me and I love its rugged beauty, red dust, smells from the wild bushes, not to mention the common folks who I am daily in touch with social media as we have developed friendship. MJ, my capacity is limited, but if I could make a difference even a little bit with whatever the way I can, makes me sleep better in night. This social bonding with my yarn for unkempt but vast beautiful Nature of the continent makes me travel there over and over again. I will be back!
My father grew up amid the green hills of Assam in India. When I was a little boy, I went with him to see the vastness of nature, holding his hand. He is the one who instilled the love for nature in me; everything I love in nature today, I owe to him.
I have lived in Canada for many years now, but my love for nature and the outdoors is everlasting. Travelling and photography are my passions. Although I visit tourist areas, I rarely spend time there unless there are historic interests. I often travel off the beaten paths of jungles, mountains and rural areas. While travelling to such places... full info
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Russ Pearce
Wow! So lucky!
We didn't manage to see a lion at Lake Manyara, but what an amazing place it was.