an eventful morning on the Harry Potter bus....

Friday 3rd September



It’s only lunchtime, but today has been quite a day already. I was starting to feel poorly yesterday….migraine’ish symptoms, sickness etc, worse this morning, and also had throbbing ear, so yes, had finally succumbed to the diver’s curse of ear infection. It was only yesterday morning that I was thinking I was doing well, as was one of only a handful of us volunteers that hadn’t missed any dives due to sickness, ear infections or infected mosquito bites. Thankfully all the survey work is now completed, and from today onwards it is only fun dives (not that all of them haven’t been fun for me) so didn’t feel that I was letting anyone down by pulling out of my dives today.


So, knew I had to get to a doctor for my ear as well as get some migraleve (no, didn’t pack any) so started walking to the bus stop….got absolutely drowned in the rain within a minute… and then got offered a lift by some tourists. Great result – managed to catch an earlier bus so things were looking good. Not sure I’ve described the buses here in the Seychelles here to you. It’s 5 rupees for each journey, no matter how long or short (that’s about 30p) but I can only liken the experience to the ‘night bus’ in Harry Potter. For those non-HP readers it takes off at lightening speed, squeezes through gaps that are impossible and screeches to a halt when it gets to its destination. Here, with narrow, windy roads, with sheer drops at either side, all the buses are dented, cracked windscreens and groan going up with many steep hills and free wheel down the other side. I hope you have the picture now!


Sat myself right at the front as had asked the driver to alert me when to get out for the doctors surgery, happily looking out of the window, concentrating hard on not throwing up again, and five minutes into bus journey we crashed head on into another bus coming the opposite way. Given I had nothing in front of me I catapulted spectacularly and without dignity into the windscreen, only then to have insult added to injury and have a VERY large lady land on top of me. Having extricated myself from underneath her, it was all I could do to get out the bus before I threw up on the side of the road…..mmmm, lovely! Thankfully no injuries, other than a head that throbbed even more, sore hands from where they tried to break the impact onto the windscreen (which I am pretty sure was already cracked before I hit it) some large lady compression/impact dents and an empty stomach.


By this time of course the two drivers were in a full argument as to whose fault it was (my judgement is that it was 50/50!), and myself, the other lady, and a French family from the posh hotel were left to our own devices and nervously waited for the next bus. The large lady was by this time hysterical, which I thought was interesting as she had me as a cushion to land on, but anyway, I offered her a comforting hug, and she cried buckets over my already wet shoulder.


Eventually make it to the doctors. The receptionist wrote on a scrap piece of paper ‘name’, ’DOB’, ‘gender’ which I dutifully filled in, only to be sent upstairs to another receptionist, who had another scrap of paper which had my details on (beautifully copied out by the downstairs receptionist). She then copied my details onto her scrap of paper, and handed that scrap of paper for me to take into the doctors, who then copied it out onto his scrap of paper. As expected, ear infection confirmed, so came away with ear drops, anti-biotics, and migraine pills. 115 rupees for consultation (about £6), 145 rupees for medicines and it all took 10 minutes! I will forgive scraps of paper and job generation schemes for such rapid and cheap medical care.


Now back on Harry Potter bus (near the back this time sandwiched between more large ladies), and going to stop off at posh hotel so I can do some more emails, post this update and have a few hours R & R, being ill and having some privacy in a luxury toilet with air conditioning, nice loo paper, liquid soap (simple pleasures) rather than getting up close and personal with our not so luxurious ones at base – am I being selfish?


Am now sat in said posh hotel, having already visited their loo (I feel better already!), sat in my favourite corner on a generously cushioned round sofa, trying not to look too daft as now have my head on one side having put the first lot of ear drops in! Also feeling very sleepy now –I wonder what they will do if I curl up and have a little nap……