When things go wrong in China

A holiday of a lifetime can easily change into a nightmare just in a few seconds.

And if you are a visitor to China, suddenly the wonderful can turn into a mountain of worries.

A  few days ago, while taking a shortcut through to some shops, I came across a foreign couple whose lives had been turned upside down in just a few second. The woman, from Holland, had tripped and fallen on an uneven stone step - and broken her leg.

It was just good fortune that I happened to be passing the hospital as she was being wheeled from X-tray back to the emergency room. I helped out, arranged a translator, found them an easily-accessible hotel, and contacted some doctors and clinics about treatment and preparations for her evacuation.

Two lessons here: it pays to have insurance, as a medical evacuation can be very, very expensive (it was US$70,000 for a man to be taken to Hong Kong for treatment after a fall in a popular hiking trail).

Also, having a guide or someone that speaks your languge and Chinese, can help you through those dark hours.

PS in Chinese hospitals you need to pay upfront for each and every treatment, before you are treated