Mad Dogs and Bulldog Reporters

My friend Tim Johnson who is the Beijing correspondent for Mcclatchy newspapers and also writes one of the most consistently interesting English-language blogs on China has a scary post today on the explosion in rabies cases in China. Travelers to rural areas (and big cities too, where the danger is actually worse but treatment more readily available) should be very cautious indeed and anyone planning to spend time in the countryside should definitely think about getting the vaccine shots, which give you an extra couple of days after being bitten to get treatment, without which you’re history, no ifs, ands or buts. Now I have to confess that I feel rather aggrieved that I didn’t get a mention on this post as I am the reason, at least I think I am the reason, that Tim has seen the light about the rabies issue. When he and I were wheezing our way through the high altitude town of Litang last March (my account here; you’ll have to find Tim’s no doubt much better written story yourselves), we were heading up to the large monastery and passed by a pack of  mangy, scrofulous, scabcovered dogs. As we had just spent two days in a variety of dilapidated vehicles getting to Litang and that was the only route out, the rabies mantra, “get treatment in 24 hours (if you haven’t had the vaccine) or die”  was thrumming in my brain. I edged away and tried to pull Tim with me, but as ever with this bulldog of a reporter, the story came first (are you reading this Mcclatchy editors?) and he continued to take shots of  pilgrims as they made their slow way up to the monastery, chanting and whirling prayer wheels. He waved off my entreaties about diseased dogs and rabies and, figuring if he was going to stand there anyway, I maneuvered around so he was between me and the pack, who seemed to be edging closer, eying our no doubt juicy (plump anyway) glutei maximi. It all ended happily, but I have certainly run into similar situations again since then. Which means I have got my shots, right? Well, not exactly. It’s on my to-do list, but they are supposed to be extremely painful, huge needles and so on, so I’ll wait until my next trip to the countryside. Or maybe the one after that. Ot maybe just until Tim gets the shots, which he obviously will after writing such a scary post, right Tim?