“Roses in the hospital” – Richey James Edwards.
Backpacking Nowhere: Another Injury, Staying At Home Again
People usually ask me what the best advice ever is, from my backpacking stints. I usually replied with “don’t trust anyone you meet. People lie to you. People can be nasty”. But now, having visited 200 countries and over 1,200 settlements, my main advice is…
“Never ever travel. Always stay at home”.
Backpacking Nowhere: Another Injury, Staying At Home Again
If you do that, you will live a much happier, healthier and safer life than me. Even in the last two months, as a veteran, ongoing backpacker, I’ve been in three hospitals, four chemists, had my phone and all photos stolen (again) and broken my shoulder bone, a rib-bone and dislocated my shoulder/arm muscles/tendons. I’ve never met an unluckier person than me with constant problems, none of which are similar. It’s always one bad event after another with me.
My latest X-Ray – Backpacking Nowhere: Another Injury, Staying At Home Again
I really tried to share my honest story on here and in my books down the years. But sadly, I was forced to edit some details, delete some posts, change some names and lie about what actually happened in my life. It pains me that I had to fake the truth. This post is 90% true but it’s those small lies that need sifted out.
Backpacking Nowhere: Another Injury, Staying At Home Again
However, on my cuurent blog website, Northern Irishman in Poland (you can follow me there too), this week I shared my latest hospital story in Poland!
Here I share just some of the injuries and hospital or health problems I had down the years – this is only some of them.
1980s –
1984 – spent a week in hospital for an eye operation.
1985 – fell over a wall and bumped my head. Went to hospital.
Happier childhood days did exist but I was also at least twice in hospital
1990s –
1997 – three weeks in a mental health ward with nutheads.
1999 – crashed my car into a wall and survived without any broken bones.
2000s –
2004 – broke my arm. out for 8 weeks.
2007 – broke my leg. out for 3 months.
2009 – major willy operation. off work for 4 days. groin pain for 8 weeks.
Broken leg in 2007
2010s –
2014 – cracked a tooth while eating.
2016 – attempted suicide on tram tracks.
2016 – punched on the head three times. After x-ray, I was cleared.
2019 – illegal event on my travels which for legal reasons, I cannot mention.
Suicide bid. That day on the tram tracks at Gdańsk, Poland.
2020s –
2020 – hit by a train on the head. Knocked unconscious, deprived of food and water for over 24 hours. 3 days in hospital, almost 4, but I survived.
2021 – illegal event on my travels which for legal reasons, I cannot mention.
2021 – fell and destroyed my face. Bloody, painful, ugly but nothing broken except a chipped tooth.
2021 – punched and robbed while asleep on a bus. Bruising only.
2022 – broken shoulder bone, rib bone and bruising/dislocation of left arm and shoulder.
2022 – Another hospital visit
Other incidents
1988 – watch stolen from a rented house.
2005 – lost my phone in a bar in London.
2011 – laptop stolen in burglary caused by ridiculous negligence from my flatmates. Lost all my photos.
2012 – lost my camera in a bar in Tokyo.
2012 – harddrive broke. Lost all my photos.
2013 – laptop broke. Lost all my photos.
2014 – laptop broke. Lost all my photos.
2015 – laptop broke. Lost all my photos.
2019 – lost my phone and all photos.
2019 – phone broke. Lost all my photos.
2020 – lost my phone and all photos.
2021 – phone stolen and all photos lost.
2022 – phone stolen and all photos lost.
I’ll be staying at home in my flat in Warszawa and NOT backpacking anywhere for 4-8 weeks, doctor permitting. I wish you all better success than me.