Near death experience at the Madrid Bar

Road Natzi says:

Hopefully the reveler wasnt Pants Elk, I would like to see him unconscious in a bar with his head tilted back and his mouth wide open.

I wouldnt be able to resist and without second thought, I would take a 'dump' in his trashy mouth.

Happy New Year everyone, love RN

Drivespline says:

I'm sure someone will chime in in a few moments to explain how this all looks to a dog AND how Thai's will view the rescue as a loss of face.

Dana says:

I witnessed something similiar at Club Med on Paradise Island about twenty five years ago. A gentleman at the next table at dinner had all of the classic symptoms of imminent heart attack. Medically knowledgeable people at my table took him in hand and did the right things and he lived. In his case he had not been dramatically poisoned; but slowly self poisoned over time with too much alcohol and too much western diet and too little exercise and too much stress. Sitting and looking at him you could see the train wreck coming. I never forgot the way he looked and it has helped me live a little more responsibly. A similiar drama is now playing out in Washington Square with someone I know. You have to choose to live. Give your helpers every advantage.

gazza says:

What would have happened if he'd been caught in a piss test?!

rusty wallace says:

How true is the comment about a lack of ambulances.
When in Pattaya earlier this year, I did a triple axle followed by a face plant into the sidewalk resulting in a broken ankle and bruised ego.
When no aid arrived, I went to the hospital in a taxi where I was patched up.
Next time I will know better that drinking and walking don't mix.

anon says:

Thsnks for this little different story. Also contains little snippets of new info I didn't about healtcare/emergency aid in Thailand.
Sidenote: I have thought GHB is some kind of drug used "for fun" or something, that's the case of it in Finland (and not very common, popular drug either)...Didn't know it's use in this way.

Errant says:

So the Madrid is a place where the girls have a fondness for the recovery position. Interesting. Would now have to consider it a specialty bar. Presents some intriguing possibilities, though doubtful anyone will hit that floor willingly.

I. Toreabollockov says:

David,

Your stated;

"In the case of road accidents or major disasters, volunteer rescue squads are always quick off the mark. Different groups scan police radio frequencies as they compete to be first on the scene and the rivalry is sometimes so intense that they actually come to blows."

This remnded me of the film "Gangs of New York" which had a scene where rival fire brigades fought over burning houses so that they could ransack the burning properties.

As for the date rape drugs, I overheard a witty anecdote the other day in a bar in Moscow.

Apparently, Dicer was up north Thailand trying to teach the Akha the merits of the extended metaphor. During his lecture, the Akha did listen patiently but wondered when Dicer would start singing, some errant knave slipped him a mickey finn for a laugh. Yes, he turned blue and with head lolled at 90 degrees he was surely a goner. Fortunately, Dana was there to apply cock-to-mouth whilst Common removed Dicer's trousers and applied an interesting variation of the Anal-lick manoeuvre. Dicer was revived and all was well.

Oh, how we laughed and laughed...

KoolKing says:

perform the Heimlich maneuver in Thailand and you may get an angry reaction from Thais near the scene, they will likely think you are doing some harm, they really need a national ad campaign about this very good life-saving technique.

Common Sense says:

This is not only a problem in Thailand, I was micked once at a local bar in Phoenix. I'd left my beer largely unattended as I played a game of pool. About halfway through my second beer I was barely able to stand and took a seat. Luckily American bouncers are nazi's who will throw you out for blinking to long, and quickly drug me out the bar thinking I was intoxicated. I managed to remain concious long enough to call my friends inside the bar and be taken home where I induced vomiting to get whatever was left out of my stomach before I passed out. The whole experience was like living in a dream looking through a fog.

I know this is where the chorus jumps in trying to say I was probably ass raped, but luckily it didn't happen. I just thought I would share this to inform you it's not just a problem in Thailand but in other countries also.

Never leave your drinks unattended gents.

Saeb says:

Happens,
Just hope you are well in with the locals (and I don't mean money).
However uncomfortable they will deliver you to medical care - somehow.

Even Thais don't like the 'Body Snatchers' here.
Whatever said charitable groups like to say................

ozricdan says:

you can never be too paranoid in thailand.....even if you fuck a thai chav shes almost certainly thinking how to get you back for paying her a measily 1000 bt drugs threats etc etc but i saw a thai girl in phuket in soi lion patong beach throwing up profusly everywhere and it was not a pretty sight and this i heard was because some other thai girl had slipped something in her drink because she had fucked the other girls boyfriend.

no honour amongst thieves it is true to say.

dingdongrb says:

"To their credit, Thai people are extraordinarily willing to help strangers in trouble."

WTF are you crazy??? They won’t help themselves why would they help strangers? How many times have I seen a roadside accident where there are 30 Thais hovering around the victim just watching him die? I asked my Thai wife why Thais don't help in cases like this. I have even wanted to stop personally and help since I am CPR certified and my wife refrains from it. She says that if that person dies then all the Thais witnessing will assume that I was the cause. This is why they don't want to help either. They are afraid they will be blamed if the end result is not good. By the way, I'm sure a very low percentage wouldn't know how to perform CPR let alone the Heimlich maneuver.

"Bangkok has very few ambulances."

No chit, they make up for it with the number of taxis they have. I don't know how many times I have seen road accident victims being hauled off in the back seat of a taxi. Fortunately for them it was metered.

Dicer says:

David says: "To their credit, Thai people are extraordinarily willing to help strangers in trouble."

dingdongrb says: " They won’t help themselves why would they help strangers?....They are afraid they will be blamed if the end result is not good."

What David refers to is called PLAYING ROLES. When I step into an all Thai shop/ restaurant/ neighbourhood and say "Excuse Me" they rush to show direction or inform you where to find something. This is called the Help Mode. They have been told and believe that they are/should be hospitable to the hapless tourist or foreigner as the Kon Thai host. If you have map in hand and a camera around your neck the better. That is, the more you fit into the foreigner stereotype the easier it is to deal with you as they can automatically switch to "Helpful Mode." In rush hour if you asked a mean looking old Chinese hag for direction she'd probably turn around and walk you a certain distance before handing you over to the noodle salesman or the like who'd in turn pass you onto someone else until you get to your destination. Even if it is not personalised and does not come as a specific response to you, in role terms (naam jai) making an impression and the notion of hospitality have been drilled into them since childhood they find it is the thing to do.

Supposing you show up in a farmer's blue shirt, act like Thais and say "donna kap" or "koh tod na kap" or even "kop kun" and then proceed to ask in Thai they could become alarmed as you're operating without the known, prescripted, stereotypical setting (you as the foreign visitor who needs help.)Your knowledge of Thai and mannerisms which indicates that you are the long time foreigner would confound them. It was so many times that I'd see someone stay frozen or sometimes jumped in with so much irrelevant stuff when promptly asked by a foreigner in clear Thai for something and you wonder what on earth was going in his/her head. They usually would not know how to handle variation: that first encounter with the knowledgeable foreigner beyond the ritual "puut thai gaeng maak" (you speak thai well) comment. So the rule is play the tourist and you get the basic help. In fact they go out of their way to do it. In this context David is right. Incidentally even the hookers would latch onto the scruffy typical tourist type rather than the suit wearing farang who impresses them with the lingo and his knowledge of their nefarious minds.

What Dingdongrb says is what they do in extreme unfamiliar situations where accountability and responsibility can also be thrown in as factors. Accidents induce shock even to the casual observer. It takes time to absorb shock. Also prescripted rules do not always apply as we are not dealing with a nicey nicey "could you show me the way to X" type of scenario. If "Help Mode" means complicated and INDIVIDUALISED response that requires THINKING they are more likely to skip. But if it is a fairly straight forward response they'll step into action.

Example: One early morning I was walking across the road from one of the Payathai hospitals when at a red light crossing this perfectly appointed office type Chinese collapsed right beside me. A meter away was the ubiquitous manhole with sewer steam wafting out of it. I just could not ignore the guy and carry on walking, but most of the pedestrians waiting for the light started crossing the road. I shouted "Hey, excuse me" to this one skinny mid 40s woman who did not need any more prompting to snap into action. I held the guys hands and she grabbed his legs, a by-stander run over to support his torso and the three of us dropped him in the ER across the road. The nurses didn't ask anyone any question. They knew exactly what to do and that was to get a stretcher and rush him in. We straightened out our clothes and walked out to our own separate ways. No Thank yous, no good byes.

When the action to be taken is simple and clear they usually snap straight into action. For sake of comparison, say if it was a UK hospital you'd probably be cross examined: Are you a relative? What happened? What is your address? Are you going to sign this document? And the guy would die there. Thais can sometimes use common sense in a crazy situation like this: navigate around cumbersome procedures to get things sorted. In the west we're led to believe that rules and procedures (formula thinking) is always paramount when it comes to routine situations whereas critical thinking is also employed by key people like the ambulance staff and doctors in the know. Maybe.

One thing for certain is that witnesses of an accident would not want to get involved unless they feel they know exactly what they are doing. Also let's not forget that in the west there are lawyers eyeing around every opportunity like vultures over a carcass. Just because Thais can lack that critical faculty and awareness about CPR does not mean they are any less helpful. What it means is they exercise restraint in a too unfamiliar or shocking situation just as people in other places would except for reasons that are not similar or alike in every way.

Landmark Larry says:

A similar thing happened to my friend in Patpong. We were sitting at the bar when I noticed his face turning extremely red. He looked as if he was about to burst and was making very odd noises. Then, just as I was about to summon assistance, I noticed that he was actually being gobbled off under the bar and was just about to shoot his load. The noises he were making were groans of pleasure. It was my very first night in Thailand and I was a bit naive, but it certainly wasn't my last visit..

i lub u too mut says:

landmark larry....

yes i got done in soi seapearl in the 19th hole bar and at the end bar by the toilets in soi tiger while singing the titanic theme song, and thats just the tip of the iceberg, shy, these girls aint.

dicer....

so that is what HELPUL MODE is, i thought it was was another annoying thai trait.
ie. you you, i take you see nice lady.. NO, you want crap plastic toy sir...NO, grand place not open today, bank holiday i show good massage...NO, you want taxi, tuk-tuk, motorcy....FUCK OFF.

end of...sorted.

Leo says:

Can some people deal with alcohol and other drugs better than others? WBR LeoP