Find A Vet

Our last day in Peru can be no later than October 8th and Rusty must be wormed by a veterinarian five days before we cross the border to Chile. The two dates are starting to close in on each other and to add to our complications Layne’s leg wound is healing but still very slowly so we need to stay in Arequipa as long as we can to let the surgeon keep checking on it. It’s a balancing act and I’m starting to lose my mind. 

To make life even more miserable there is some kind of military pageant going on with loud explosions across the city and the explosions are wrecking Rusty, who is reduced to a trembling ball of fur hiding behind the driver’s seat in his safe place.

So far three vets have told us they don’t do health certificates for dogs and we are hoping our fourth query will give us an appointment on Thursday afternoon. He said over the phone he will do the paperwork but we shall see. Chile is very strict and without the proper papers Rusty will be denied entry. 

Then there  is the ongoing problem of Bolivia which could be an alternative route. We had a chat with Alfredo who is from Brazil and is touring South America in a Volkswagen hatchback compact car. He sleeps in it with two cats if you can believe that, and he works online with no plans to stop traveling. His car is the black one behind the nearest van though he does say he is thinking of getting something bigger to live in and I don’t blame him. 

He is from the southern state of Minas Gerais which means “General Mines” in English which is as odd a place name as I suppose you’ll find in Brazil.  However he did waste an hour with us yesterday morning going over possible routes through Brazil when we are driving north back to the US next year and that was hugely helpful as Brazil is vast and we needed some help getting started on planning a possible route. 

His plan right now is to go the Bolivia in the hope he can get in and can keep driving once they let him in. He did say he wasn’t sure he could get in as the country is getting more topsy turvy than ever especially since former President Evo Morales is trying to stage a comeback and get his name on the election rolls for Bolivias next election. Fighting is reported in La Paz -“The Peace” ironically which is also  the highest capital city in the world, which is another strike against it in my opinion as altitude is not my friend it turns out. Alfredo said he too has heard many highways are blocked and fuel is hard to find. Yet he persists though he can easily drop back into Brazil and go south in his home country if needs be. A 35 year old adventurer whom we hope to meet again. 

And with that off he went with his WhatsApp number in Layne’s iPhone.  We got on the phone looking for a vet. Still.

There is no way we would leave Rusty behind but I would never recommend someone get a pet to travel overland. It’s a pain but get this: we’ve had seven cats in the campground this week. 

Three American vehicles appeared in a convoy and we were pleased to see them. They however had no interest in talking to us so that was that. A traveler we last saw in Panama was along with them in a 1987 Toyota van.

Nick and Gus have been back to the States a couple of times as he funds his driving by dancing professionally between his travels. His girlfriend is a professional musician and she joins him when she can but we’ve never yet met her.

Nick’s exhaust broke on the Peruvian roads so he ended up in a shop for a day in town and says his new exhaust system custom built in Arequipa is better than the original. We agreed you can get anything done in Latin America if you need it badly enough. 

Nick and Gus are getting ready to drive to Bolivia as you read this. 

The car owners from Utah aren’t very forthcoming so we don’t know much about them except they have two cats that they insist on letting loose so everyone else has to guard their pets to keep the peace. 

With their arrival I’ve not been impressed by the food in the dish washing sink, toilet paper in the bowl which will lead to clogs and the spread of camp gear into public spaces. I was hoping for better but it’s just the way it is. There are so few of us on the road you’d like to see more collegiality. 

And another couple showed up towing a trailer. A brief good evening, no smiles no introductions so I can tell you nothing more about them! We have invited them to drinks this evening.