Trouble In Paradise – My Koh Tao Horror Story

Imagine waking up in a ball on the floor of your dormitory, with no idea how you got there. Your face is covered in blood, your hair is matted with more blood, half your front tooth is missing and you have a pretty bad pain in your head. That was me about two weeks ago, and this is my Koh Tao horror story.

We had only been on the island for 2 nights, staying in Koh Tao Dive Dorms. The room I was in had no aircon – so essentially I was sleeping in hell. I woke up in the middle of the night to turn the fan on higher and at some stage between standing up and reaching for the fan, I fainted. In the process I thumped the back of my head so hard on the sharp corner of the bunk bed opposite me that I cut it open and gave myself a concussion. This then caused me to fall forward, banging the front of my head on the floor and knocking half my tooth out. A nightmare to say the least.

I wasn’t sure the extent of the damage until the next morning (I forced myself to go back to sleep as I was informed there is no hospital on the island and the doctor does not open until 9am!). By 8.30 I was all set to go to the doctor but the reception in our hostel said it was a half hour wait for a taxi. As you can imagine I was pretty upset at this stage and this woman was not helping my emotional state. The fact that I was still covered in blood did not seem to faze her!!

Eventually I got a lift into town and made it to the clinic. Was told the wound was quite deep and I would need to get 4 3 stitches in the back of my head. They also had to shave off quite a large chunk of my hair to access the wound. Not that anyone would notice…my hair is more Lion’s mane than human hair anyway.

I was a little shell-shocked at the bill but I got on with it and hoped and prayed my insurance would pay me back…another great reason to never leave home without travel insurance!!

As for my tooth, I waited a whole week until I got it fixed, despite it looking like I had gotten in a fist fight and the fact that breathing was beginning to be painful in air-conditioned rooms!! Why wait? I am literally petrified of the dentist. Honestly it is my biggest fear sitting on that chair, strangers poking metal instruments in my mouth and then been handed a bill that would swallow up an entire pay check.

Anyway I could not handle the pain any longer and finally went to a dentist on Koh Phangan to get it fixed. Turns out that my fear of the dentist combined with a pretty bad hit to the head ensured for an eventful visit. I just about survived the hour it took to fix my tooth then I jumped out of the chair, legged it to the bathroom and projectile vomited into the toilet bowl. On target, thankfully.

Despite a few bad headaches and the odd spout of vomiting, I am most definitely on the mend. Thanks to everyone for all your kind messaged of concern – you all rock! Here’s hoping for a full recovery within the next week or two. xx

Side note: I am dead serious when I say you should never leave home without travel insurance. I actually wrote an entire post about the importance of travel insurance before travelling. If any of my Irish readers are looking for the right insurance to choose, Travel Insurance Ireland seem to have a lot more information on the matter than I do. Just be sure to shop around and buy the package that is best for you!

Janet Newenham

Hi! I’m Janet Newenham, an Irish-born digital nomad and blogger. My blog, Journalist On The Run, is a journal of my travels and career hurdles, as well as a “bucket list for life.” In my youth, reading inspired me to create and achieve goals for my future.

My long list of goals took me to places I could never have dreamed of, each one inspiring me toward the next. Along the way, I picked up a few awards like “Digital Media Travel Journalist Of The Year” in both 2017 and 2019 while simply doing what I love.

Now, well into my 30s, I’ve seen so many of the world’s alcoves that it would be wrong not to share my experiences with you. This blog is my way of taking you around the world with me, and I hope you enjoy the ride.

My goal was to visit 50 countries before I hit 30. I never imagined that at 37, I could proudly say I’ve seen 101 of the world’s beautiful countries. Of course, no matter how much you think you’ve traveled, there is still so much left to see, and I look forward to going on the run with you.