#Wolfpack

The day began so well! I met Nicole outside the pub and we headed off on our hike. Our first landmark was a waterfall, a photograph of the same one hangs in my hostel but in reality the water is much browner and the river is polluted with heaps of rubbish. It’s always so sad to see in Asia just how much rubbish pollution there is everywhere.

We walked through the forest often having to squat right down in order to duck under low lying branches and plants. At one stage we reached a hole in the path, the space only big enough for one foot at a time. We held on to rocks and branches as we bouldered across it fearing falling.

The path was short and we soon emerged in the park where we had begun. Hmmm... we looked at the map and guessed our way to the

next destination. After meandering down a few trails we eventually came across a small village that had a strawberry shop. We ducked in to grab some fresh strawberries and ended up buying ice lollies, ice cream and strawberries and yogurt. We had a lot of hiking to do! Important to keep your strength up!

Afterwards, we continued on our way and headed towards a golf course where we would have to turn off. A road lay opposite and looked like it could potentially lead to the path. We Um’d and ah’d before deciding that worst case it we could just turn back again. Ahead of us the graveled road lay, it’s beaten body covered in pit holes and uneven gravel. I was about to get to know this road very well.

We walked up the hill.

A piercing scream echoed in the wilderness. “Dogs!” Nicole looked at me with fear burning in her eyes, like an owl, my head twisted in the direction of the noises, six black figures of vicious dogs galloped towards us, barking in unison.

“Ahh!” My scream mimicked Nicole’s.
Visions of my legs being ripped open by the powerful teeth of these canines ran through my mind as my feet ran back down the gravel hill. I looked back. They were still pursuing chase. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, my strides widening, I knew I was unsteady but I couldn’t stop. Then, slam! My body hit the ground, I rolled and slid, the only protection was from my bag, then I was still.
I looked back and the dogs had stopped too, they had reached their border. If only I had known that at the time, I probably wouldn’t have run so bloody fast!

I scanned my body for injury, the adrenaline was an instant pain relief protecting me from the sting of my new wounds. Blood poured from my knees and elbow, my shin had been skinned like a lamb, I’m not ashamed to admit that my first thought was:
“Oh no! My beautiful new tan!” The first proper tan I have ever had and it was robbed from me!
After surveying the damage we fell into fits of post traumatic laughter. Nicole took photos of me and offered to go back up to take some of the dogs. She had my blood on her hand and we decided the near death experience made us blood sisters and therefore friends for life!

Equally annoying was that the only unaffected area was my henna’d hand! If I wanted skin scraped off of me, I would have liked to have gotten rid of the monstrosity that sat dormant on my hand. The loud black pattern of tackiness and hideous blue heart remained unscathed while my beautiful legs stood torn, bleeding and bruised.
“I need to get cleaned up!” I told Nicole.

We headed for help, I was afraid of infection and really wanted to wash my legs to avoid further damage. We wandered past a home stay and found the owner. The woman who answered the door was kind and began to wash and dry some of my wounds when the other owner of the house returned bearing with him two small girls. They came over intrigued to find out who this strange, white, bleeding girl was and why she was sitting in their garden.

The man suggested I go to hospital and offered to drive me. His two daughters hopped in the car too, I thought they wanted to come to the hospital for the excitement but it turned out they just had Saturday school. I thought it would be funny to take a selfie of the situation but realised pretty quickly that I must have lost my phone while I was rolling down the hill.

“Dammit!” I cursed, hoping the little girls didn’t have enough English to know what I was saying. We learned that my kind saviour was called Yusri, he dropped the girls off and they said their goodbyes by holding our hand to their heads. I was hoping I didn’t get any blood in their hair!

On the way Yusri offered to help me and we decided that he could probably do just as good a job as cleaning me up as the hospital. Thanks to my trusty first aid kit (that I never take anywhere...should start packing it!) I had all the necessary tools for project mend me.
I offered to let him use the surgical mask but he said as I wasn’t in labour, it wasn’t needed. He used the Asian toilet shower or as I like to call it, ‘the vagina shower’ to hose me down and clean my cuts. It stung like hell but they already started to look better, then he smothered them in antiseptic cream so I now had bleeding gashes with yellow pus oozing out and dribbling down my legs.
I text pictures to my family looking forward to their replies of worry and sympathy. Katy replied with some genuine concern. My brother sent a gif of a small child being chased by puppies! Sigh!

Yusri then drove us back to the dogs’ lair to retrieve my phone. After dropping it in Hong Kong and smashing the screen, dropping it in the toilet in Thailand and now finally dropping it as I rolled away from toothy pups, I was wondering if the phone would bring me better luck being buried in the rubble next to my blood but there it sat; neglected and abused, wondering what horror awaits it in Vietnam. I popped it back in my bag and we headed back out to find food.

Nicole and I had reached post traumatic event hunger and we both piled our plates high with Indian food! It was so good despite constantly forgetting I couldn’t rest my elbow on the table and jerking it off every time.

Finally he drove us back to town where I now sit, my blood drying and scabbing, and thinking if one more local tells me that you shouldn’t run from dogs, I might actually snap!