Almost blew himself up – problems with Ajaci’s vaccination card

Date:
04.06.2017 until 05.06.2017

Day: 705 – 706

Country:
Cambodia

Location:
Phnom Penh

Latitude N:
11°34’03.4”

Longitude E:
104°55’52.1”

Total kilometers:
23,937 km

Maximum height:
10 m

Total altitude meters:
71.177 m

Sunrise:
05:35 h

Sunset:
6:21 pm

Temperature day max:
35°C

(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).

LINK TO THE ITINERARY

It actually takes us days to recover from our visit to the Killingfields and the torture center. Once we have regained our zest for life, we use the remaining days in the city to visit the informative National Museum and the impressive Royal Palace. There are only a few tourists there in the low season, which is why we feel as if we are guests of honor of the king and are allowed to walk through the fairytale-like grounds on our own.

Our huge penthouse is also a place of tranquillity. In the evening, we sit on the roof terrace, looking out over the lazily flowing Tonle Sap, the busy waterfront promenade with its bustling traffic below us, and the many people from all over the world who take advantage of the falling temperatures to go for a walk. “It’s time to move on,” says Tanja, sipping her glass of water. “Yes, I know. However, I’m far from finished recording our experiences.” “If we stay any longer, we won’t have enough time to visit the famous temples of Angkor Wat.” “That’s right, it would be a real shame if we were to miss out on the most magnificent buildings ever created by man because of the reporting. I would suggest you go to the vet tomorrow to get the necessary stamp to enter Thailand.

“Imagine what happened to me today,” Tanja blurts out as soon as she walks in the door in the evening after a long day. “I’m curious,” I ask her to tell me about her experiences. “So, when I was sitting in the rickshaw with Ajaci this morning, we both enjoyed the ride through the city. The driver had to stop again and again at the many red lights. I was in a good mood and smiled at a Cambodian who brought his equally old-fashioned motor rickshaw to a halt right next to us. It was no ordinary rickshaw, because from the look of it, the whole family lived on it. In the back, where the passengers normally sit, a chicken and a small dog were snuggled up together, a cool box, bags, boxes, lots of nondescript things and a battery were stowed away. A cable led from the battery to a canopy made of bamboo, from which a light bulb dangled. This was no doubt used to provide the residents with light at night. They had even put up curtains for a little privacy. It was a real little house on wheels. I noticed that the engine of the rickshaw was dripping onto the road.” “Did it leak petrol?” I interrupt, now a little nervous. “That’s right. Next to all the belongings was a large canister from which a hose led directly to the engine. As it was dripping heavily, I approached the man. He looked at the resulting pool on the asphalt below him, shook his head and thanked me. When he suddenly took out a cigarette and was about to light it, I waved it away in horror. The man gave me a startled look, put his lighter back in his pocket and thanked me again.” “Man, he would have blown himself and everything around him up!” I say in horror. “He would have.” “Well, you were really lucky. Are you sure it was gasoline and not water in the canister?” “Water? What makes you think it was water?” “Because many rickshaw drivers cool their engines with water. It’s the only way they can protect the engines from overheating in summer.” “There certainly wasn’t any water in the canister. Firstly, it smelled of petrol and secondly, the man himself was shocked when he realized how he was putting himself and those around him in danger.” “Well, I’m glad to have you back safe and sound. It’s crazy what can happen to you. You don’t even have to do anything risky.

And how did it go with Ajaci?” “Not well. I went to a French vet. He told me that the Thais require an official veterinary certificate stating that the rabies vaccination must not be older than one year.” “What, that can’t be true? Ajaci received a rabies vaccination before we left that is valid for three years.” “But this European vaccination doesn’t count for the Thais and it makes no sense to vaccinate Ajaci again. As I understand it, you have to wait at least three months before the Europeans allow a dog into the country if you want to re-vaccinate. Only when the blood test proves that sufficient antibodies have been produced is a dog allowed to enter Europe. It does not matter whether it already has a valid vaccination. Only the date of the stamp counts, and if we had Ajaci vaccinated again, we wouldn’t be able to fly to Germany for at least three months. Unfortunately, the Frenchman didn’t want to confirm the German vaccination.” “Why not?” “It’s illegal, he said. You need a new vaccination, he was absolutely sure.” “But that won’t help because the authorities won’t let him into Germany?” “That’s right.” “And what do we do now?” “I’m going to see another vet tomorrow. Maybe he’ll confirm that the European vaccination is valid. The Frenchman gave me an official form in which a vet has to certify this and the health of our dog. He charged US$ 25 for this.” “Even though he didn’t even examine Ajaci?” “Yes.” “A hefty price for a ten-minute consultation.” “Sure, but the information was worth its weight in gold.” “You’re right about that. Oh man, always these unplanned hurdles. What do we do if you can’t find anyone to sign the form tomorrow?” “I’m sure I can find someone. But there’s one more problem.” “Another problem? Please don’t.” “Yes, the veterinarian’s confirmation must not be more than ten days old when you enter Thailand. But as we won’t be leaving Cambodia for almost a month and there might not be an official vet on the way to the border, I’ll have to convince the vet I hope to find tomorrow to enter a different date on the document.” “This is getting worse and worse. Will a doctor do it for us?” “We live here in Cambodia,” Tanja replies with a grin. That’s right, if it works anywhere in the world, it’s here,” I agree with her, also grinning. “Well, that was the latest information for the border, but the Frenchman told me that we need an export document for Ajaci. This means that when we are at the airport in Bangkok, every dog leaving the country needs an export document, which can only be issued by a Thai vet at the airport.” “Wow, that means that Ajaci is not allowed to leave Thailand without this additional document, despite his valid international vaccination certificate?” “Exactly. If we hadn’t found out about this rule, we would have been at the airport and Ajaci would have been refused permission to leave the country.” “So our trip home and the flight tickets we had already bought would have been history for now,” I say thoughtfully. “That’s right.” “Well, it’s good that you’ve found all this out. I hope you’re successful tomorrow and find someone to sign the important documents for you. When we get to Thailand, we can take care of the export papers,” I say and think about how difficult it can sometimes be to travel with a dog. “It’s strange,” I say, stretching after a while of silence. “What’s strange?” “All this official stuff. It’s getting worse all over the world. The free world, my ass. Everything is regulated, everything is monitored, everything is timed down to the last second. Now even the Asians are starting to do it. What kind of nonsense are these rules based on, requiring a dog owner to have an international vaccination certificate with an up-to-date rabies vaccination for his dog when he travels from Cambodia to Thailand? I wonder what about all the stray dogs that simply ignore the borders drawn by humans and scurry back and forth between villages every day? None of them wear a vaccination card under their armpits. Sometimes I think the authorities want to keep themselves busy just to have a raison d’être.”…

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