IT WAS to have been an idyllic tropical holiday for a retired Scottish couple, but it went horribly wrong.
Thomas and Wilma Guild arrived in Singapore on Sept 19 and spent four nights here before heading to a Bintan resort for an eight-night stay. They were to return to Singapore for five more nights before flying home.
It was their second visit to Singapore as they 'love the city so much and wanted to see more of it'.
But on their second night at the Indonesian resort island, the couple were taking an after-dinner stroll when Mrs Guild, 62, fell into a monsoon drain. They were holding hands, so she ended up pulling her 65-year-old husband in as well. He fell on her and broke her ankle.
She said: 'I was screaming and crying from the pain and Tommy was distraught because there was nothing he could do.'
There were no suitable hospitals on Bintan, so Mrs Guild spent what she said was the 'most agonising night of my life' on the island before she was taken by ferry to Singapore for treatment.
While in the ambulance, on the way from the ferry terminal to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), she had another concern - her husband. He has early-stage Alzheimer's disease, so she was worried he would have an episode while she was having treatment.
As she was being wheeled into the accident and emergency department, she was in tears as she told him: 'Stay there, don't move.'
Mrs Guild was admitted and SGH arranged for an extra single bed to be placed in her room to allow Mr Guild to remain with her. With her main concern taken care of, she was able to concentrate on getting well.
She said: 'For foreigners travelling, if they must fall ill or have an accident, I recommend that they do it here in Singapore and get their treatment at SGH.'
She was full of praise for the hospital and the treatment she received. She said she was consulted on every decision for her treatment, and the staff took a load off her shoulders by helping to look after her husband.
The cheerful woman quipped: 'After spending two weeks cooped up together and not quarrelling, I don't think we will get a divorce.'
Ms Ong Leng San, executive of the hospital's international medical service, which takes care of foreign patients, said she and her team made an extra effort to take Mr Guild out for walks around the grounds to give Mrs Guild time to rest.
The hospital sees about 20,000 foreign patients annually.
The accident has not dampened the couple's zest for travel. Mrs Guild, who is in charge of planning their holidays, said that while she is out of action, she will spend the time researching on the Internet for their next holiday spot.
'But we will definitely come back to Singapore soon, with no broken ankle,' she added.
The couple flew back to Glasgow last night.