Broken but not defeated

I am okay, I did break my leg. It happened July 6th at around 5:30pm

We had just left a wonderful national park; the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development and it took us from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm to do 80km. The road was really unpleasant; there are some pictures on the web site to view.
I was doing well but we hit some very loose sand -it was like riding on the beach, the kind of loose sand that twists your ankle.
Anyway Brent started to sway in the sand in front of me so I backed off the gas on my bike and it started to do the same, I went down at a very low speed. It was simple I just got my foot caught under the side bag and it twisted in the sand. I heard the pop as I went down. I dragged my self out from under the bike and lay on my side. Once I was in position I was okay, no real pain at that time.
From there Brent came running so I asked for the Tylenol 3 the doc gave me and took two of them. I then asked Brent to go get a strap so he could put the extra strap on my boot as it would help to support the break better.
We were still 20 km to the next village (Mabura Hill) and over 179km to Georgetown and the only major centre with a hospital.
We were in the heart of the raw and true jungle, it was almost dark and we simply could not stay where we were.
I tried to get on my bike but I almost passed out three times.
A truck came along and I flagged him down, they reluctantly agreed to take me to the next village 20km away. The assholes would not let me in the door closet to where I was and said I had to go around the truck (ps these guy were probably the worst people we have met the entire trip), so I dragged my leg around the truck and waited for Brent to help me into the truck.
Brent ran like a mad man attempting to get all the stuff me may need from the bikes. He had to stash his bike in the jungle. He drove about 20 feet in over logs etc and then up a hill, wedged the bike in the ground and ran back as the guys were already yelling that they needed to go. Then Brent got on my bike and road in the dark over these horrendous roads and through the sand and most killing himself to make the last 20 km in the dark.















I got off at the local police station and discovered there were no place to stay and no medical care, so were settling in for a camp out until the next morning when we would attempt to secure a ride.
Brent then paid the two guys that picked us up to go back and get the second bike. It was now pitch back, I was so worried about him and I knew the two guys were not going to help, hell they did not even want to wait for Brent when we were driving out the first time, I had to ask then to please wait for him and to stay off his ass, what if he wiped out!!!
Brent said when he went back into the jungle with no flash light he had no idea what was in there, an anaconda snake, or a bushmaster, jaguar, who knows there are so many deadly animals in this region and just about 1 hr before we had come across a bushmaster (the most deadly snake in this area) along with the remains of a caiman (from the alligator family) and the stench of an anaconda. Just like this:
Also check out this you tube video of a jaguar vs an anaconda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJmP_MBuD7w

Anyway it must have been very scary for him. All in all this took about 1 1/2 of an hour so I sat and waited.
Mean while another group of guys (Ravi, Mike and Rambo)had pulled up that were going to Georgetown and had told the local cop they would take us for no charge (plus one of the guys took Brent back to the bike and let us stay at his house for a week- we were welcome to stay longer but one hates to out stay a welcome, his name is Ravi, wife Debie and their kids).

Brent returned and we stored the bikes at the cops house, grabbed what we needed. Brent had to ride in the back of the truck for the next 7hrs. It took 7 hrs to do 179km! I road in the cab. Eventually we arrived in Georgetown at the hospital by 4:00am. I still had my bike gear on completely covered in mud

and my boots were soaked from doing water crossings, so by now they must have looked like white prunes. The doctors gave me a few shots of morphine and then removed all my gear, as my clothes came off it began to look like I brought the beach with me there was that much sand in my clothes. They gave me an ice pack and some more morphine now all was good.
I broke the tibia very low on the bone, it is the bone that supports the ankle joint, luck though the doc said it was slightly higher he would have to do surgery and plate it.
I have to keep the cast on for 6 weeks with no pressure and then another 6 weeks walking in the cast. The doctor said he wanted this as due to the spot if the bone does not fully heal straight I could have a lot of problems when I am older.
I the end we are kind of stuck in Guyana, we have researched all sorts of options, shipping the bikes to South America anywhere, placing the bikes on a truck and taking then back down that offal road to Manaus (the Brazilin Amazon) and then take a 5 day journey up the Amazon to Belem Brazil to wait out the rest of my sentence (haha). We have looked into going to Ron and Pam’s condo in PV Mexico (but we have to fly all the way back to Miami or Toronto)- not worth it. We looked at all options so we decided that we would go see the lower Caribbean, Lesser Antilles; St Lucia, St Vincent and the Barbados. We leave June 26th and return back to Guyana Aug 18th so we can continue our journey.

That is it for my long winded story. Look on the web site for more blogs as I am now up to date. Also keep in mind that we try to place different pictures on the blog than we do on flickr (our web site photos)

All for now Carrie

Broken but not defeated