Would you read this post to see how 3 Cambodians and an American escaped Ecuador?

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| The Great Ecuador Exodus Pt. 1 |

I want to shamelessly admit false advertising right off the bat. This was certainly an exodus and by no means an escape, although it felt like an escape from Ecuador at the time. But I have your attention now and I promise you a good read.

We arrived here in Suriname on June 11, 2019, at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport at around 10pm, and cleared customs around midnight, not exactly the most convenient arrival time. We were already quite weary having suffered 12+ hour layovers in Bogota and Aruba after our exodus from Quito, Ecuador. We had already been denied permission to board our original Quito-Paramaribo flight only 4 days earlier. This original flight path would've had delivered us only 45-minute and 1-1/2 hour layovers in Bogota and Aruba along the way, and would've been much easier on the girls.

Sakana & Srey Yuu at El Ejido Park, Quito, Ecuador

So, I have already digressed too much at this point. I originally titled this post "Our First Impression of Suriname." I'm gonna go ahead and give you a more interesting read of how we came to Suriname, and I'll call it "The Great Ecuador Exodus." I do want to apologize beforehand. You see, I intend to share lots of fascinating true stories from my life, as well my family's. But this is my first true post that isn't an introduction, and I assure you things will take no chronological order whatsoever on this blog. I intend to simply let whatever story pops into my mind flow out of my fingertips, whether it is about daily life events here in Suriname or memories from our past. Please bear this in mind if you intend on following my blog. With that being said.....

Are you ready for the interesting bits now? Keep reading, I won't let you down.

It was only through the grace of the staff at the Quito Airport Medical Center that we boarded our flight to Suriname at all. Our Uber had arrived on time and we had made our way out of Quito and to the airport quite gracefully. You see, even though we had printed our Suriname e-Visas and rechecked everything else several times, we had no idea there would be devastating news awaiting us at the Avianca Airlines check-in counter.

Sakana eating her last Quito breakfast at Panaderia Arenas

We arrived several hours earlier than normal for an international flight because my wife and kids are Cambodian citizens, and they are now all too accustomed to devastating news in the form of visa denials and being prohibited from boarding flights. These problems generally have something to do with their Cambodian citizenship, either directly or indirectly, no matter how politically correct and convoluted the words are delivered to us in the moment.

We walked over to the Avianca Airlines counter to get our boarding passes hoping all would go smoothly. They requested our tickets and passports. We complied, handing over 3 Cambodian passports, 1 American passport, and 4 Quito-Paramaribo tickets. "Could it be this easy?" I asked myself as we intently watched the young lady carefully trying to pronounce "Cambodia","Cambodge" and "Paramaribo" to herself as she examined the Cambodian passports and tickets. It was obvious she had never seen a Cambodian passport or heard of Suriname or Cambodia.

"Suriname visas" she said as I was unfolding the three e-Visas belonging to Sreypov, Srey Yuu and Sakana. I handed them over and she matched the e-Visas one-by-one with each of three passports. "Where is your visa?" she asked me. I let her know as an American passport holder I am eligible for a 90-day tourist visa on arrival in Suriname, and she typed away until further eye contact. "Do you have return tickets to Ecuador?" she asked. "Yes, of course, one moment" I replied as I ruffled through Sreypov's bag to get our return tickets. I handed over 4 one-way tickets to Georgetown, Guyana, as I know return tickets are required to board most international flights unless the destination is your home country or you are already in possession of some type of long-term visa for the destination.

e-Visas for Suriname printed and ready to go

I now need to tell you something about our return tickets. They weren't ordinary tickets you see. This blog is titled "An Immigrants' Tale" after all, and not "Easy Fun Expat Adventures." We reluctantly left Cambodia after my residency visa was denied because we wanted to stay a united family. We aren't really in the market for round-trip tickets because we are on a budget and we are trying to find our forever home. Our arrival in Ecuador from Cambodia without return tickets hadn't presented any problems at the immigration desk, especially after I mentioned we came seeking immigration and were already in contact with an immigration lawyer. However, the lack of return tickets out of Ecuador while passing through Madrid International Airport presented all kinds of problems. Well, the whole journey out of Cambodia to Ecuador was a story in itself surely to come in following posts.

I had also told our Cambodian exodus story to immigration officials at the airport on arrival in Ecuador, and in combination with our immigration intentions it was enough. They let us right through and wished us good luck in Ecuador. But just because you have good luck now and then is no good reason to not buy return tickets. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough money for return tickets out of Ecuador at the time, and certainly didn't have money to waste on return tickets we wouldn't intend to use. For the Ecuador-Suriname trip we had the extra money though, and had purchased return tickets to prevent any problems departing Quito or entering Suriname.

I mentioned previously though our return tickets were no ordinary tickets. Some ticketing websites have a 24-hour free refund policy. I knew we may have to have 4 valid e-ticket numbers out of Suriname to either exit Ecuador and/or enter Suriname, so I had purchased the tickets. But I timed this purchase so we could use the return tickets to satisfy Avianca and get our boarding passes, pass through Ecuador immigration controls with enough time to cancel the return tickets just before boarding our departing flight. Doing it like this would've guaranteed a full refund. I knew I might have to book another return ticket on arrival in Suriname in case Suriname immigration officials would demand one. But I thought surely they'd have wifi there and I could simply book a new return ticket on my smartphone and wait for the e-ticket numbers to arrive by email before passing through Suriname immigration controls. I could then cancel the tickets and get the money back all over again once through the customs. Well, the hitch in Quito was there is no wifi on the side of the airport we were departing from. Not only that, I had to cancel the tickets before we departed Quito because the 24-hour refund policy would've expired mid-flight to our Colombia layover. This would've meant no chance at a refund.

Sreypov and Sakana waiting for news from Avianca

What I had to do was walk across the street to the part of the Quito airport that had wifi, cancel the return tickets and then rush back to the Avianca check-in counter hoping it hadn't gone through the computer system yet and we could check in before our return e-ticket numbers became invalid. Life never goes as planned, and now we continue from where I digressed after handing over what were likely invalid return tickets over to Avianca Airlines staff. Needless to say, yes they checked our return tickets out of Suriname and noticed they were invalid.

Avianca stated that until we had valid return tickets, we couldn't board our departing flight, despite my pleas that we intended to travel to Guyana bus anway, and return to Ecuador by land, and didn't have a real need for the return tickets. I told her we had only booked return tickets to satisfy possible airline requirements, and we would be getting a refund for them once in Suriname. Despite my pleas, we weren't granted boarding passes. I knew I would have to again cross the street to the wifi area, book new return tickets and then proceed to the check-in counter once more with valid return e-ticket numbers. We could cancel the new return tickets on the ground in Bogota during our layover, and still be within the 24-hour free refund window.

By this time my wife was beginning to ask if the problems are because she and our daughters our Cambodian. I told her it's just a small hitch and headed across the street to book new return tickets. I did that soon enough, returned in a half hour or so with new one-way Paramaribo-Guyana tickets, hoping it would satisfy Avianca Airlines' requirements to get our boarding passes. However, when attempted check in, the e-ticket numbers hadn't manifested yet even though I had already purchased the tickets online. They said we would have to wait until Expedia delivered us our e-ticket numbers before checking in. There were still some hours to spare, so we weren't too worried yet, as I usually get my e-ticket numbers within a half-hour of booking. We bought some overpriced airport food and began an impatient wait. After enough time, the e-ticket numbers arrived and we headed over to Avianca to claim our boarding passes.

I can only recommend the fries here

The whole process began again. We handed over our passports, tickets to Paramaribo, return tickets to Georgetown and Suriname e-Visas thinking we had finally met all the requirements and things would go smoothly from there. At this point, the flight we were scheduled on had just officially opened their Avianca check-in counters and our fellow passengers were starting to check in as well. It was about 2 hours before departure and I think about an hour and fifteen minutes before our gate would've closed, but we were finally about to check in. For almost an hour and a half the Avianca airlines staff were passing all our documents around and making various phone calls about them, but all seemed good, just slow. By this time the other passengers had already checked in and disappeared into the international zone to wait at the gate. We were about to get a hit we hadn't prepared for or been informed of at all.

"I need your yellow fever vaccination paperwork" she said as she put our stack of paperwork and passports back on the counter. My heart practically dropped out of my chest at that moment. "We don't have any yellow fever vaccinations" I said. At no point in the e-Visa process had there been any mention of yellow fever vaccines for Suriname and we hadn't needed them to enter Ecuador from Cambodia. The staff began to explain it was a Suriname requirement for travelers who have stayed in Ecuador more than 48 hours, and there was nothing they could do, as it was an Avianca policy. We were upset neither government or airline had informed us this would be a requirement. I begged and pleaded to let us fly because we already had our e-Visas, and surely it was a technical glitch, and therefore Suriname's fault for giving us visas to fly from Ecuador knowing we didn't have yellow fever vaccines. The only thing Avianca said we could do was to get yellow fever vaccinations and wait 7 days before being allowed to fly to Suriname. This would mean missing our flight, and due to the time constraints, likely not being eligible for a refund on our tickets, a big financial hit.

Waiting and waiting at Quito International Airport

It was a $30 ride (almost one month of rent in Cambodia) just to get back to Quito, not to mention the cost of lodging and food to stay extra days. We'd lose hundreds of dollars in unused tickets and extra time spent in Ecuador that we could've used to help us get started in Suriname. We asked if there were any other options, and one employee mentioned a medical emergency could grant us permission to board our flight. Without sounding to shady, I asked where a medical emergency could be granted. I figured it was our only hope to board our flight with only an hour before our gate would close. Avianca staff mentioned there was an airport doctor downstairs, and maybe he or she could 'help'. At this point we were a full-on panic ensued, and we sprinted downstairs with all of our luggage and two kids in tow, hoping for a miracle. We arrived the airport's medical center out of breath and now in a major rush.

We greeted the doctor as he came out and told him about our predicament. We let him know our flight was leaving in about 2 hours and our gate would be closing soon, and time was pressing. Unfortunately the doctor didn't speak much English, and my Spanish was equally horrible. I do think he understood our plight and had a good heart, and I sensed he wanted to help. I began to tell him about our problem and how we need medical permission to board our flight, and need to know what our options are. He said there wasn't much he could do unless we were "allergic to the vaccine" or there was a "religious reason" prohibiting us from receiving vaccinations in general. I didn't want to risk telling him we were allergic to the yellow fever vaccine, because that would sound shady and he may ask to see paperwork proving we were allergic to the vaccine. Maybe one of us could be 'allergic', but we feared all 4 of us stating that would trigger too many alarms. I decided to go with "religious reasons", as well as the doctor sort of hinting with body language and his intonation that would be the "better choice", as he said.

Selfie while for waiting for the doctor

I have to say I was starting to see light at the end of the tunnel now. The doctor sat down to began the process. He was basically going to guide my family and I through the automated program in his computer prompting us with the best answers that would allow him to legally grant us permission to travel to Suriname without yellow fever vaccinations. I could sense he understood what we really had was a logistical, immigration and financial problem. He seemed willing to help in our time of need, and just reminded us to be patient as he would fill out the necessary forms as quickly as possible. I was really worried we weren't going to finish this paperwork with enough time to catch our flight, but the doctor was the only one willing to help us, so we tried to stay patient and not remind him too much about our looming gate closure. The process began and he started asking for standard information like name, age, passport numbers, etc.

He was processing Sakana first, our 5 year old daughter. Things got weird pretty quickly though, as his computer program started to give very "limited possibilities" as he said, for us to get permission to travel without proof of vaccination. Eventually he concluded religious reasons weren't going to be an option for Sakana, and she would "need to be allergic to neomycin and polymyxin" if we wanted her Certificado Medico Immunologico. We followed along with the prompts, and responded "Yes, Sakana is allergic to neomycin and polymyxin" as he smiled in return. Click, click and print. One down, three to go, I thought to myself as Srey Yuu, our 9 year old daughter sat down for her processing. We again arrived at a point in the computer where he stopped, sighed and shook his head. Srey Yuu is going to "have to be asthma" as he worded it in English. A few more minutes went by and it was Sreypov's turn, and she sat down to go next. By this point we only had 15 minutes before our gate would close, and we were noticeably concerned.

Sreypov went through the standard questions as fast as the doctor could ask and type. He constantly reassured us and kept reminding us to not worry and stay calm. We once again arrived at the point where stopped, sighed and took his glasses off to tell us our options. Sreypov would "have to be allergic to the tosferina vaccine," he said. We again agreed, "Yes, Sreypov has a tosferina vaccine allergy," not knowing exactly what tosferina was at the time. I now believe it is pertussis, or the whooping cough vaccine, which contains similar ingredients to the yellow fever vaccine. I only know this now after having translated the Spanish forms. After Srepov finished, she started racing luggage out to the escalator to get everything ready for a quick push back to the check-in counter. I sat down for my paperwork and questioning, realizing we only had 35 minutes before our flight left, and had likely, by now, already missed our chance to board.

Just as we were about to start, the doctor called the Avianca check-in counter and told them we were with him, and we would be coming soon. This gave us some relief, but I couldn't see how in the world we were going to be allowed to board our flight when we would likely be arriving at the check-in counter 10 minutes after the gate had closed. I sat tight and learned I would "have to be allergic to avian species in general," the doctor said. I agreed and he began to finish drawing up the documents. By the time he had printed, signed and stamped all 4 forms, we had only 15 minutes before departure. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart, payed $60 in total for the forms and we began the family sprint back to the escalator and to the Avianca Airlines check-in counter.

4 Highly Suspicious Yellow Fever Vaccine Exemptions

We arrived to a quiet check-in counter with one lonely employee, a woman whom I had come to know pretty well by this point, after several hours at the counter dealing with her previously. She was sympathetic to our cause, but there was no way we were going to board the plane this late. She informed us the gate had already closed, and we couldn't check in. We expected this, but it still came as a major letdown. The girls, Pov and I were all very tired and stressed out from a half day of running all over the airport subsisting on only one order of Johnny Rockets' fries shared between 4 people. She told me to hang tight, that it might take a half hour or more, but she had to make some calls about our situation. I very impatiently waited as she talked on her radio and cell phone to several other employees trying to remedy our situation. In the end she came back to say that we had indeed missed our flight, but also that it had been delayed by 4 hours as well. She couldn't let us check in because the bags were already loaded and we would arrive in Bogota already 3 hours too late for our connecting flight to Aruba.

In the end this meant ultimately that we weren't responsible for missing our flight. Avianca Airlines would have to solve the problem, and we wouldn't be footing the bill. This was really good news, but she said we may have to wait several hours before she could arrange us new flights that would get us to Paramaribo. After all, we now had our vaccination exemption forms and everything else needed to be granted permission to board our flights. She asked me to sit on the luggage conveyor belt while she would began working on our dilemma. In the end it took almost 4 hours to discover our plight, and the whole wait was absolutely nerve-racking. The Avianca Airlines employee assumed good posture and began to deliver what she thought was horrible news for us. Little did she know, the news she was about to give us was something I have only dreamed about in all my years of flying.

Avianca Airlines delivers instant VIP status

There are all kinds of interesting things that happened on "The Great Ecuador Exodus." Remember this is only Part 1. In Part 2 I will explain exactly how we got to Suriname and how Avianca Airlines gave us the surprise of our life. Thank you for taking time to read this. I hope you stay tuned for Part 2 of "The Great Ecuador Exodus."

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