Day 13 - Walkout 1

We get up at about 06:30 to pack and prepare for a departure some time prior to 8 when the porters are meant to arrive. A couple will come with me, Zac and Gus to the mine with our bags whilst the rest will begin the journey back to Sugapa. Obviously they don't turn up until nearer 9 - the only reason that this is a slight issue is that we have given the mine an ETA which we will now not make. 

Anyhow, after saying our goodbyes to everyone we head off down to the mine. Our porters try their best to come up with reasons as to why they should stop at certain points but through a mixture of good humour, feigned misunderstanding and plain old ignoring them we manage to keep them going for a while. We had been told that they did not want to be seen by security so had agreed that when we got near to the mine boundary that they could head back. At about this point, we come across some keep out signs which we wisely decided to mock.

 

Shortly after this the way becomes flooded and we have to climb up and over some cliffs and then hike up a hundred metres or so of a slag pile to get up to security. 

However it turned out that this was not in fact security, just a couple of containers and no one was about. Unfortunately the mobile phone signal that we had been lead to believe was here wasn't and so we could not contact anyone. 

Mines are dangerous places and the one thing sure to cause a serious problem would be for us to go wandering about. Since we had time we decided to wait to see if anyone turned up and we could get them to contact security for us. Zac went back at this point as there was no need for him to stay and he had a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the group. 

We waited for about and hour and then someone turned up in a huge dump truck. We could not work out what he was doing at this extreme end of the mine but it just seemed to be a 3 point turn.



A tiny red jacketed Gus talking to the truck driver

We managed to explain that we needed to contact security and Gus got into his vehicle to try to speak to someone over the radio. However it appeared that security was not available and he could only speak to despatch who said that they would send out security for us. 

We sat and waited in the containers and a bit later some lorries and land cruisers turned up. It turned out that they were here to take the containers away so we watched them do that and discussed our situation with the head of the group. He appeared to be aware of the person whose name had been given to contact once we got to the mine. He said that there wasn't good enough reception where we were but he would contact them when he could and we should stay where we were. About two hours went by but no one turned up and it was now about 3pm - as usual it was cold and raining hard. Some other chap turned up in a huge dumper truck with the aim apparently of doing a 3 point turn and again he agreed to contact security for us and again nothing happened and nor did it when a third truck came a while later. 

By 5pm we were getting very cold and also getting worried that night would fall soon and we were keen not to spend it in a leaky and rubbish strewn hut. We ' health an safety'd' as much as possible, wearing our tough boots, climbing helmets and bright jackets and set off from shelter at the edge of the mine to have a look round and try to trigger some form of response. Just below us was a big open space next to a haul road (this is the road along which all the huge dumper trucks travel taking the waste and ore away from the pit). We stood on a mound next to the road to be at the same height as the drivers and over the next hour or so stopped over 10 trucks to ask them to call security causing massive traffic jams as the trucks pulled over to talk to us. They each did this and all told us that security would come and that we should stay where we were. After a bit it appeared that some of the drivers knew about us and before we could say anything told us in a friendly way that security were coming and just to stay there. 

Still no one from security arrived and it was now getting very cold and dark. One of the trucks came into the area to dump its load and I got into the cab to speak to security. Again, it was only possible to speak to Despatch and they said that security was on its way. I asked them to confirm when they would arrive and they said that they would call and radio back. 

In the meantime another truck had arrived and this time the driver spoke reasonable English. Gus was getting along well with him and he told us that this was the shift change for security and so not much would happen for some time. Rather than be stuck outside for some time he decided to drive us down to the operations centre and told my driver of his plan. 

Unfortunately, my driver could not communicate this to me so I got rather concerned when we started driving - although it was also very interesting to be driven in a high tech truck whose wheels were almost half my height again. We finally managed to communicate through some quite bizarre hand gestures and my concern was then what Gus had arranged about the bags which were still in the ramshackle hut.  I wanted to speak to him via the radio but for some reason this wasn't possible - I was not sure why as my genius with sign language seemed to have run out by then. 

Anyway we drove quite a way through the mine and then at some lights my driver stopped and indicated that I should get out. I had no idea where we were or what the plan was and nor could I see the other truck with Gus, and hopefully the plan, in it. Anyway, I wandered towards the buildings and went into the first on the left as I could see movement there. Unfortunately they spoke no English and could not work out why a foreigner had just walked into their building in the middle of a mine. I tried to explain saying I had had an accident and needed to speak to security. Remember that Health and Safety is the key issue on a mine and as soon as I mentioned accident they jumped up started running round and all talking to me in Indonesian at the same time. I managed to calm them down eventually and just then the driver from Gus' truck came in and took me to his office in the far corner of the square  - leaving the first group wondering (probably to this day) who on earth was that crazy foreigner? Was there an accident? Why did he not know whether there was one or not?

Anyway, we headed over to some operations office where Gus was sitting by a warm heater and having been given a bottle of water. It was by now about 19:30 or so. By now we have lost our faith in the likelihood of security responding responding and so Gus goes to use the Internet to email his friend. 

As usual I only needed to mention that I was English before we were all speaking the international language of football. It really is quite remarkable how English football and the players is much derided at home but so much respected and admired abroad. This fraternising seems to go a bit far when Gus' driver invites me for a drive in his truck - I was too tired to try and work out what was going on here but I could not think of much good that could come of it.  The chaps were very kind to us and we had a range of interesting conversations - a common theme being how cool our gear was and wouldn't it be great to swap our boots with theirs - luckily there was a complete mismatch in size so we could easily and jokingly turn this kind offer down without creating any tension. 

Anyhow, by now we had some expats at the mine contacting security as well as the 15-20 people that we had already contacted today and so started to feel a little more optimistic - at least we were no longer concerned about having to sleep outside tonight! However, we waited and waited and had further calls with security and our contact who said that he had contacted everyone who needed to be contacted and then somewhere near 10pm (a mere 12 hours after we arrived on the mine!) someone from security, with a rather self important attitude, finally rolled up.     

The first step was to have me checked out by the medical team to both look after me and make sure that I wasn't faking the need for help from the mine. The building was a small clinic (with the main hospital 20 miles down the mountain) which happened to be all of 20mtrs away. I was a bit worried about this as without a specialist or an MRI machine I was not sure how they were going to be able to assess the internal damage to my knees. However I needn't have worried as the cut to my left knee had continued to deteriorate with the whole area swollen and a lot of discharge. After a quick look the paramedic called the hospital who asked that I be taken down immediately to the main hospital - they had plenty of experience of serious complications following delays in treating cuts infected in the rainforest / mountains near the mine. First it needed cleaning which obviously meant that I nearly fainted to the amusement / bemusement of the rest of the room and then arrangements were made to have me transported and admitted to the main hospital. Meanwhile Gus had gone off with the security chap to pick up our bags which were still in the hut where we had first come into the mine. On his return he was rather concerned at a conversation where he felt that he had been asked whether he would give his jacket or his shoes to the guy before we could get our bags back. We discussed our strategies for this and my preferred one was me giving him my boots and then being 'forced' to walk around the mine in just my socks (the place was really wet and muddy) and arrive at the hospital in a suitably bedraggled state - the health and safety issues as well as ensuing PR damage would create an unbelievable hooha at management level. 

Finally, all the admin had been completed and various attempted skivers sent packing with some pills and then we set off to the hospital. This was a 15 minute drive followed by a 10 minute cable car ride and then a 20 minute drive - and this still only covered about one third of the mine! Both Gus and I have worked in mining so it was fascinating to see the place as we drove through it. On the journey the paramedics were admiring my jacket and shoes and wondering whether I had any spares! This was done in such and open, easy and friendly way that I felt no menace and so very able to say no and that I needed then for the rest of my trip. The security chap drove down to the cable car with us as (he had all our bags) and I was concerned as to how events were to unfold - in fact he seemed perfectly fine when he unloaded the bags for us. Whether this was because it was now in front of the medics or his earlier discussion had been along the lines of other friendly and very hopeful ones is not clear. 

We got onto the cable car with about 75 miners who were all staring at the oddly dressed foreigners when I heard a 'Hi, Sebastian' and turned to see one of the chaps from the Operations Centre working his way through the crowd to pride of place next to us. We had a bit of a chat and others who spoke a bit of English came over to talk as well. Everyone in the cable car would follow each attempt and then the whole place would erupt into laughter when some poor chap's English would falter. It was quite surreal being in a place where you really were not meant to be but at the same time being treated as some sort of hero or idol by most of the people that you came across. 

We finally got to the hospital at about midnight and I was seen immediately by the expat doctor there. He was reassuring in that whilst the infection was becoming serious, we had caught it in time and that there should be any long term damage or further contagion. He did want me to stay overnight just to be sure but expected that I should be able to be discharged in the morning - Gus was also able to stay overnight. 

I had been warned that I would need to pay the medical bill in cash and was told that it would be $500 to $700 or so which I knew I could cover. There was a bus down to Timika at 09:30 and they said that they would put us on that once I had been cleared by the doctor.  We finally got to bed at a bit after 2am thinking a long day was coming to an end but that things were finally resolved. Obviously, such affairs are never that simple.