Day 130 – Luang Prabang, Laos – 6:15 PM

The majority of the time I heed my own advice. However, as I travel around the globe, I have entirely disregarded the “Don’t Pet Wild Dogs” rule. Having said that, I will give the dog an once-over before I move in closer. If they look mangy, dirty or just finished a street fight, I will avoid them at all cost. But, if they appear clean, without hesitation I will pet their head, scratch their stomach and give them the attention all dogs desperately search for.

Yesterday morning, I woke around 8 AM and walked to a nearby restaurant from my accommodation, Tephavong Guesthouse. My four days in Luang Prabang and Laos were coming to a close and I looked forward to crossing from Laos into Northern Thailand and continuing my round-the-world journey. I ordered two fried-eggs, a baguette and a cup of tea to soothe my clogged sinuses. I managed to locate pseudoephedrine from a nearby pharmacy when I arrived last Wednesday. I sat waiting for my meal, hoping the pseudoephedrine coursing through my veins would achieve its intended goal and clear up my head cold. Breakfast arrived and I loaded the baguette with the eggs and quickly digested both. I finished my meal, swallowed a last bit of tea and paid the bill. I put my hat on and walked from the patio to the nearby sidewalk.

I turned left and proceeded to cover the ten-minute walk back to Tephavong Guesthouse. My plan for the day was to rent a motorbike and explore the towns and villages outside of Luang Prabang. I mapped out a rough itinerary the previous night before bed and was ready to feel that wind in my face yet again. I walked past shop owners opening their storefronts, young children heading off to school, and small tour groups on their way to nearby temples and shrines. I turned right onto Inthasome Road and would be back at Tephavong Guesthouse in a matter of minutes. Up ahead I saw two dogs walking towards me. One was a Labrador retriever. We looked at each other for a couple of seconds as the distance between us decreased. He looks clean; I’ll give him a quick pet. I reached my hand out and the second dog lunged at my leg. I quickly stepped back and realized I made a huge mistake as I felt immediate pain below my knee. A bystander yelled at the canines and they retreated. I took a quick look at my leg and saw a scratch and no blood. Whew, I dodged a bullet! My momentary good fortune was short lived as I looked back at my leg moments later and saw blood beginning to gather in three separate areas. The scratch turned out to be puncture wounds and the dog’s teeth broke skin. I immediately regretted my decision and knew my schedule for the day just changed.

I returned to Tephavong Guesthouse and immediately washed the small wound with soap and water. I next poured a generous amount of hand sanitizer on the area and rubbed that in for two to three minutes. The cut was neither large nor deep and I debated whether to head to the hospital or not. I made a quick phone call to a friend back in the states and she urged me to go to the local hospital and see what they recommended. Being in the medical profession, I heeded her advice and decided to forego my motorbike excursion and make my way to the hospital. I asked the manager at Tephavong Guesthouse where the closest doctor’s office or hospital was and he did not comprehend what I was asking. I then walked to the local pharmacy where I purchased the pseudoephedrine. I had established a good rapport with the woman behind the counter and ran my situation by her. She pulled out some antibacterial cream and instructed me to rub it on the wound. I asked her if I should go to the hospital; she hesitated and then nodded. The decision was made; I was going to the hospital.

As I walked back to my accommodation, I passed the tourist bureau. I walked inside and asked where the closest hospital was located. She retrieved a map and pointed out the Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital, only two miles away. I returned to the street and hailed a tuk tuk. I managed to convey that I needed to go to the hospital and pointed to its location on my phone. I jumped in the bed of his vehicle and away we went. As we drove, I remembered trips to hospitals back home. For non-emergencies, it is possible to sit in the waiting room for hours waiting to be seen. I thought it may be different in Laos but told myself to be prepared to wait…a very long time. We pulled up outside the emergency room entrance and I paid the driver his fee. I walked inside and immediately saw another westerner. I had never seen nor met this individual before but an immediate calm set over me knowing that another English-speaking individual was there. I looked for a sign in desk and did not see one. I poked my head around corners and inside rooms looking for a receptionist. No luck.

I turned back around and the westerner pointed into a large room just inside the entrance; he told me to walk in. I graciously thanked him and strolled inside. Hospital beds, some with patients, lined one wall. A long desk sat against the other with nurses and doctors moving to and fro attending to medical issues. An English-speaking female approached and asked me the reason for my visit. I explained to her the situation and she took a quick glance at my leg. She pointed out the wound to a nearby doctor who began writing on a notepad. They conversed in Loa and she eventually translated the conversation to me. She informed me the doctor recommended starting me on the rabies vaccine. I asked her if it was a single-shot vaccine. She shook her head and said it was a three-shot series. The follow-up shots were scheduled for March 14 and March 18. I informed her that I was traveling to Thailand in the coming days. She said that was no problem and provided me a card to track my three shots. She instructed me to bring the card into a hospital in Thailand and they would know what to do.

I left that busy room and proceeded down the hall to a cashier window. I handed over the fee for the first shot, $14.80 USD. I thought about the price of the rabies vaccine in the states, upwards of $200 USD. I saved quite a bit of money by foregoing the vaccine before my departure and receiving it in Laos. I returned to the busy room and handed over the receipt indicating my payment.

A technician retrieved a needle from a back room. I noticed he was not wearing rubber gloves. The cleanliness of hospitals in these countries makes me nervous and I wanted to ensure the needle remained clean prior to being inserted into my arm. I walked over to him as he filled the syringe with the chemical. He completed the task and instructed me to sit in a nearby seat. I pulled up the sleeve on my t-shirt and in went the needle. He pushed down on the plunger and shot one was completed.

The English-speaking female filled in the appropriate section on my tracking card. She smiled and said I was free to go. Before departing, I wrote down her name and telephone number in case the hospital in Thailand has any questions regarding this situation. She also confirmed numerous times that all I needed to do was walk into a hospital in Thailand, display the card and a nurse or doctor would know what to do. With my nerves calmed, I gathered all paperwork I completed at the hospital and returned to my tuk tuk driver who waited outside the entrance for the duration of my visit. I jumped in the back and we departed. All told I was inside the hospital for maybe an hour.

As we motored back to the city center, I started to re-examine my tentative journey from Laos into Thailand. My plan was to cross the border by land and spend my first week or so in Northern Thailand. But, Northern Thailand can be quite remote and I was worried the clinics up there may not have the vaccine I needed in three days. I quickly changed my plans and decided to fly from Luang Prabang, Laos to Bangkok, Thailand. The hospitals in Bangkok are the final destination for anyone in this region who is suffering from a medical emergency. I am 100 % confident I will find the antidote there. After stepping from the tuk tuk, I walked to a nearby travel agency and purchased a one-way ticket to Bangkok for tomorrow morning.

Hopefully, my final two shots go as planned and I am issued a clean bill of health come March 18. From now on, I will steer clear of wild dogs, no matter how clean they appear or how desperate they look at me for a pat on the head. After four healthy, crisis-free months of traveling, the past two weeks have been filled with illnesses, vaccines, dog bites and bouts of food poisoning. It is time for me to get healthy once again and prepare for Thailand and India in the coming months.