Tag: Emigrating

Moving overseas with Guinea Pigs

Who would have thought moving tiny little animals would be so complicated?

When I agreed to let our children have guinea pigs as pets, nowhere did it cross my mind that relocating with them would be virtually impossible!

In October 2021, we made a huge family decision to relocate to the UK. It was all hush, as we had a million things to do before it could be a reality. We had to apply for UK Spouse and dependant visas. Navigate complicated and costly visa applications. We were worried if we met all the UK’s strict criteria. On top of it all, I had to find a way to relocate Lil Rascal’s beloved #furbabies.

I phoned, messaged and emailed numerous cargo companies, vets and airlines throughout Vietnam, and everyone had the same reply. Impossible – they can’t get the documents signed off by the governing body. The airlines refused to fly them, not as cargo, neither cargo hold and certainly not on board with me, the passenger. I was physically drained hearing no! Ready to give up, finally, #Sigon Pet Veterinary Hospital assured me as soon as our visas were approved, I could contact them, and they would ensure our #cavies would be departing Vietnam with us. Relief, I finally had a good night’s sleep and focused on the Visa applications, document sourcing and collecting, and arranging a shipping company for our personal belongings.

On the 16th of February 2022, we celebrated. We had a YES! We had the visas stamped in the passports, and everything steamrolled into the next gear. I contacted #SigonPetVeterinaryHospital to start planning the #guineapigsmove, but to my surprise and disbelief, they refused to reply. I called, emailed and sent a ton of messages on Facebook messenger. I messaged them on WhatsApp and Zalo and sent text messages to any contact number I could find. Deathly silence befell me, not one reply, weeks and days until I finally had to come to terms with their unwillingness to help.

I refused to give up and continued my search to contact every vet in Hanoi until I finally had a YES. It’s possible. IVet Tay-Ho, Hanoi, was willing to try. Dr Nghia Nguyen left no stone unturned. She contacted every airline, she pleaded on my behalf, and she fought tooth and nail to find a solution. The paperwork everyone said would never be signed was simple, with no issues, but the flight out of Vietnam proved impossible.

Leaping off the rooftops, we had another YES! #Vietnamairlines were willing to let them fly on board with me. I was so excited I raced down to Vietnam airline’s sales office only to be rudely informed NO! not possible. Unwilling to listen to Dr Nguyen, I had to leave in tears, an utter wreck. How would I explain to the Lil Rascals that I hadn’t booked the tickets?

Two weeks later, Vietnam airlines agreed to fly the guinea pigs as Cargo. Dr Nguyen kindly went to the office to book our tickets. Again, they changed their minds about no Cargo flight for them, but they were willing to fly them as my excess baggage in the Cargo hold. Tickets booked, excess baggage booked and paid for, along with a few more extra wrinkles and grey hair, I could finally focus on our move arranging a rental in the UK, travel insurance, and confirming a moving date with the shipping company. I booked the cleaners to ensure we handed our apartment back in tip-top condition. The list was endless. While I was crossing off the list, Dr Nguyen completed the guinea pigs’ health checks and paperwork. Five days to go before our flight, and #Vietnamairlines did the most despicable thing and cancelled the flights. They retracted and point-blank refused to fly the animals. The move had now become my worse nightmare. How was I going to leave without our #furbabies?

I turned my attention to Thailand, being a more animal-friendly country. They seemed to be our only solution. I found #Dynamicaircargo #thailandpetmovers experts in animal export and import in Thailand. They were our saving grace. Dr Nguyen offered to get our animals to Thailand as we had run out of time and had to be in the UK and couldn’t figure out the next move. With heavy hearts, we dropped our beloved pets off at the IVet Hanoi and trusted we would be reunited. Dr Nguyen did a sterling job. She cared for them like her own until we had all our ducks in a row to move them by road in air-conditioned transport to Bangkok, ready for Dynamic Pet movers to get them on board a Lufthansa Cargo flight. Dr Nyguen stayed with them in Thailand till all the paperwork was ready and correct and verified that it was 100% good to travel to Germany.

Good-byes are never easy. We hoped and prayed it wasn’t forever
The vet’s cat was interested in these funny-looking potatoes with fur and short legs.
Transit to Thailand

The flight was a success. The guinea pigs had an unfortunate delay and an unexpected layover in Munich. Despite these hiccups, our #furbabies arrived in Frankfurt in excellent healthy condition. No complications. Due to their late arrival, they stayed one night in Frankfurt’s luxury pet lounge, Ready for our friends to collect them the following morning after the import agents #petair.de successfully cleared them.

Final boarding at Thailand Dynamic Pet Movers
Ready for their flight from Bangkok, Thailand’s international airport
Transported in individualised compartment crate, ensuring they meet EU health and safety requirements
Their new home for four months

An important note to be aware of when importing a rabbit or guinea pig is that the UK has a strict policy on animal imports from outside an EU country. If the #guineapigs flew to the UK, direct from Vietnam/ Thailand, our #furbabies would have been quarantined for 4-months. The cost would have been astronomical for three guinea pigs, not to mention the stress of being held in their facility and hearing all the other animals around them.

We planned to avoid costly quarantine and more unnecessary stress. Our generous friends offered to care for the piggies at their home for four months. Their house is a loving and quiet home, a perfect place for them to settle, relax and enjoy stress-free life for a 4-month duration. Then we will road-travel them for their final journey into the UK and satisfy UK animal import authorities. I’m happy to report our #furbabies are safe, loved and cared for by our dear friend. They are so spoilt and enjoying life. We miss them terribly and can’t wait to be reunited again.

I’m sure you are questioning if this was necessary. May you ask me? Should we have rehomed the guinea pigs? All the questions I kept asking myself. My family can say confidently YES, it was. The guinea pigs’ health and well-being have always been a top priority. The gaps between each move gave them time to settle into their new environment. They had excellent care in each stage, ensuring they were always healthy. This move was not for the faint-hearted. It added to unnecessary extra stress and sleeps deprivation. But I could not justify giving them away. They have been part of our family for over two years. This will be their last ordeal moving from Germany to the UK. We are counting the days till we see them again

It is possible to move small pets. It takes perseverance and persistence, and trust that it will all work itself out. They made the flight and will be the 1st guinea pigs to travel to Vietnam, Thailand, Germany and the UK by road, air and ferry. More than most people.

#South Africa – Leaving our beloved Country

How did we land in Vietnam?  A place I would have never considered as my temporary home.   To be honest, it wasn’t my first choice for even a holiday destination.  How wrong and closed-minded I was!

My husband and I were on a mission. We desperately needed to emigrate and leave South Africa for the second time.  We kept kicking ourselves at how stupid we were to have returned to South Africa in the first place after we had successfully managed to make a great life for ourselves in the UK and then Spain for nine years between 2000 and 2009. 

My husband had his ten-year Spanish residence card. Next would have been a passport. Why did we give it all up?  It started when the recession hit Spain, and it became exceedingly difficult with many companies closing down, a record number of redundancies and friends forced to return to the UK.  We had just welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world, and we began to convince ourselves to give our beloved country a second chance.  The only country we would unconditionally love like a toxic love affair impossible to end.   We tried to pretend all was good and tried to forget all the wrong as we were willing it to become a country where we could feel safe, be close to our family and make a comfortable life for ourselves and our children. With heads in the clouds, we hoped  ‘Mzansi could stand together as one and fight all evil’. I mean South Africa is a beautiful country, from scenery to culture and cuisine, not to mention our great climate and the big five, the number of talented sportsmen and women to name but a few. Unfortunately, the brutality is just too ghastly to accept. We had to get it out of our system. We had to accept, we would never have the freedom and security to enjoy its full beauty without fear. We could never be free from the bars we had to hide behind each night.

In September 2018, my husband accepted a position in Vietnam.  It was unexpected as we never imagined a job opportunity in Asia, and we were excited to explore a world we had not encountered before. An excellent way to share it with our children.  We finally realised we were living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. We were unable to settle down in one particular country or place, we seemed to be moving every 3 to 4 years. Looking for a new opportunity and new challenges. So why not embrace our lifestyle and explore a new part of the world.  The experiences our children have world schooling, learning to respect different cultures, their ways of life and belief systems they come across as they interact with people of all ages

Everything steamrolled quickly. We had to give in our notice at work,  sell our home contents, cars and source the countless documents required to be authorised, apostle stamped and then translated. My husband needed to be in Vietnam in October, which didn’t give us enough time.  We decided that he should leave ahead of us while we remained behind to finish all tasks, and the children could complete their academic school year. 

I need to give myself a big pat on my back. I did it all on my own.  Ok, it wasn’t my first rodeo. We had relocated from Johannesburg to the UK, then the UK to Spain, Spain to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Mosselbay, Mosselbay to Cape Town and now Cape Town to Hanoi.  The only difference this time was the added pressure to sell the entire contents of our home, assist my daughter with her first year-end exams, organise a joint pool birthday/farewell party, and plan our final road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg with our worldly belongings piled high in the car.

The day arrived 1 more day till we left our home in Cape Town. My wonderful mom flew in to join us on our road trip.   One last night sleep in an empty home, with two beds and a washing machine waiting for collection on departure day. We enjoyed a final walk on Fish Hoek beach and finished our day off with a fabulous dinner in Kalk Bay.

With the sun shining bright we were ready. Last items dropped off at salvation army, car packed to the brim every inch of space taken up by worldly belongings. We waited for the final buyers to collect beds, washing machine and head out of Cape Town on our 1450km road trip.

Just enough space for everyone to sit

Our first stop a hidden gem off the N1 Matjiesfontein! It is only a two and a half hours drive from Cape Town. The perfect pitstop and an excellent excuse to explore the restored little Victorian street.  We stopped for a bite and stepped back in time.

Tummies filled and legs stretched we continued onto Beaufort West another 230km drive for a well deserved night sleep. We book the Greys House through AirB&B, the accommodation was spacious, clean and exceedingly comfortable, with indoor pool and garden to keep the children entertained.

After a restful sleep, we were ready for the next leg of the journey, approximately 500km drive to Kimberly, to visit the worlds largest diamond mine and the deepest man-made pit in history. We decided to stay two days as we wanted to explore the town and its history.

We chose to stay at Jungnickel Gastehuis in Kimberly. The guesthouse service and English breakfast were excellent.  Thankfully they had a pool and shaded outdoor space for my mom and I to relax and keep an eye on the children as they cool off after a busy morning in the Karoo heat.

Our final leg and feeling very cramped in the car we couldn’t wait to see our family in Johannesburg.  I needed a holiday and spend quality time with my mom, dad inlaws before flying to Hanoi.

Final dinner

D-Day, 20th December 2018, we were ready to start our new adventure but oh how I dislike saying goodbye! There were no dry eyes at the airport. Filled with mixed feelings of excitement, sadness and guilt as we left our loved ones behind.  We had to look forward and board the Cathay Pacific flight, looking towards the unknown future, but eager to reunite with my husband.  It was the longest separation we had ever had to endure, but thankful it was coming to an end.

Tired of waiting in the long queue to check-in
Jhb to Hong Kong, short layover and connection to Hanoi

As challenging and as stressful as our move was, we managed it! We all settle into our new home and the children have adapted well to their new lifestyle. 

If you are lucky enough to be given a chance to move to a new country, don’t look back, don’t live in the past, but be prepared, as every country has its pros and cons, and the 1st move is never easy.  The reward for trying will be making a new life, exploring a new country and enjoying the adventure along the way.   I can admit our 1st move was the hardest and took about two years to settle down, but with each move after that, it has become notably easier.