TRAVEL STORIES
Yellow Fever Vaccines and Anxiety in Paraguay
Travel complacency can derail plans
I have become complacent.
Over the last five years, I have travelled a lot. For those not familiar with my reasons, the long and the short of it is that I do visa runs to spend more time in Canada, which is where I want to settle.
Until I manage to get a more permanent visa, I have to keep travelling in and out.
In 2021, I spent time in my native South Africa, followed by Mexico. In 2022, I travelled to Turkey, the Netherlands, and Germany, and in early 2023, I headed back to Mexico for a few months.
When I’m home — and Canada is the only place I currently call home — I rent a lovely little basement apartment in Southern Ontario. This too shall be gone soon as my housemate prepares his house for sale.
Staring down another “get out of Dodge” trip and needing a break from the disappointment of trying to stay, exacerbated by losing my home when the house is sold, I made a decision; I’m going to travel for at least a year.
First stop: Brazil
I spent a glorious month eating my way through São Paulo State after which I flew down to South Brazil to spend an equally incredible month whilst plans constantly changed around me as is the Brazilian way.
After two months of food, family, and faith, I jumped on a 24-hour bus destined for Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A little digression to discuss border entries.
Apart from Covid vaccination certificates and filling in online or paper health questionnaires, crossing borders on my New Zealand passport has been relatively uneventful.
The passport is joint-listed with four others as the 6th best in the world, allowing visa-free travel to 123 countries, an additional 50 countries giving a visa on arrival, and only 25 countries requiring a visa application beforehand. The New Zealand passport comes in one place higher than both Canada and the United States, which joint-rank at 7th.
I say all of this not to brag — I earned my passport through a long process of applying for residency and an even longer wait to gain citizenship accompanied by a fair whack of monetary compensation — but to illustrate how easy it has been for me to jump on a plane, train, or bus and move pretty seamlessly through borders.
Because of this, I have become complacent.
Too much so, and to my detriment, as I recently found out!
Back to my current travel plans.
Three weeks ago, I jumped on another overnight bus to head to Asunción in Paraguay. This border crossing was a little more challenging than the first, as we had to actually get off the bus to be stamped into the country.
Despite the slight confusion over a passport being presented as opposed to the South American residency cards that most people carry, I was soon back in my seat and trundling back down the road towards my destination.
More to come next week when I detail all three of my South American border crossings so stay tuned.
Again I reiterate, I have become complacent.
Yes, I still do a cursory search as to whether I need a visa to visit my destinations, but it is often performed within a month of leaving as I have become accustomed to the fact that I won’t need one.
Imagine my surprise when a new spoke found its way into my privileged wheel.
As Miley Cyrus yells, it came in like a wrecking ball.
The purpose of my visit to Paraguay was to hang out with a Canadian friend who lives on a ranch near the city of Caacupé. A few days after my arrival, a party was held for some new French Canadian friends and a wonderful evening of fun and frivolity ensued until the conversation.
“We haven’t visited Brazil yet because we need a Yellow Fever vaccine,” one uttered in response to hearing about my travel plans.
That simple statement jammed a spoke in my well-oiled wheels. It jolted me out of la-la land and caused my insides to twist like an old-fashioned washer. Apparently, certain countries in South America are at risk for Yellow Fever outbreaks and a vaccine is needed to cross borders between these countries, one of them being Brazil.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have become complacent.
Did I think to check for any vaccines I may need after a world filled with Covid requirements?
Uh, no!
Will I check vaccine requirements for future travel plans?
Uh, yes!
Anxiety, internal chaos, and quick fixes ensued.
Over the next forty-eight hours, my world spiralled down into anxiety with plans B, C, & D being created over and over in my already burdened head.
My host asked around and found out that the Yellow Fever vaccine is only given once a month in the small city of Caacupé. I was running out of time. You are not supposed to travel within ten days of receiving the vaccine and it was exactly ten days until I departed for Brazil.
Things were not looking good!
We decided to head to the small hospital in the city to ask for ourselves, after all, speculation only goes so far.
“Necessito una vacuna de fiebre amarillo. Puedo?” I asked one gentleman at reception when I entered the hospital.
“Si,” he replied, indicating that I should wait around the corner whilst firing off the details in advanced Spanish. Not understanding a thing, I nodded and followed his hand gestures, feeling better as I read the notice on an office door that this was where the Yellow Fever vaccines were given.
I breathed deeply for the first time in twenty-four hours.
The anxiety returned just as quickly when I was informed that the hours for the vaccine were 7–11 a.m. and I would have to return the next day.
The next day left only nine days before I was due to travel.
I had no choice. The next day it would be.
Early the following morning, I was first in line and was ushered into the room to state my case.
I have been impressed by my ability to ask for what I need in Spanish on this epic South American journey of mine. Whilst it’s somewhat broken and I have to constantly ask people to speak slowly so that I can understand them, I have managed to book bus tickets online, get a SIM card, get a metro card, order food, give directions, and get through border crossings.
All-in-all, not a bad effort.
With my passport in the firm clutches of one nurse, she completed the official vaccination card whilst reading my details to another seated at a computer, and a third swabbed my arm before inserting the small needle. I smiled through the pinch as the tip entered my skin, even making a joke to all three about being a baby.
As I clutched the freshly filled-out card in my right hand whilst holding a piece of cotton wool to my shoulder with my left, I thanked all of them multiple times as they giggled at my overly grateful goodbyes.
I didn’t care. They had been kind, and I was leaving with my anxiety in the same trash can as the discarded needle.
I could travel freely again!
Despite all my efforts and worry, I wasn’t asked at the border for my Yellow Fever vaccination status.
I still don’t care!
I have it and you only need this particular vaccine once for your entire life. It will allow me to travel freely throughout South America and Africa without any concerns about being denied entry at a border or falling ill with the virus.
I will also continue to repeat to myself:
I will not be complacent, I will not be complacent!
Disclaimer: This article is about my travel experiences and my choice to be vaccinated. Please do not comment with political opinions on vaccines. Thank you.
