Big & Little Adventures
May 23, 2011
Over the past year we’ve gotten new friends telling us about great, accessible vacations all over the world, and each one sounds wonderful. Just the other day I was talking to Marlene about some of the trips I’d most want to take when we’re a bit better off financially. These included: a safari, a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean, a trip to the Himalayas, a vacation in Amazonia and a visit to land of the midnight sun. I suddenly felt kind of exhausted. It was actually too much to take in – or even imagine. Although they were all things I’ve dreamed about doing, actually contemplating taking the steps to make these trips a reality seemed quite draining. I was reminded of how large our world is, how grand its opportunities, how finite our time and how hard it is to know how it ought to be spent.
I told myself that we don’t (and can’t) do everything at once even if we had infinite funds. I can, however, to do one thing at a time. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be grand, expensive or distant.
Perhaps this afternoon I could take a ride up the Blue Ridge Highway and go to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC which hosts daily craft demonstrations March through December. Southern Highland Craft Guild members share their talent and expertise with visitors.
Every day there’s another demonstration going on: the making of traditional Cherokee flutes, pottery, broom making, etc. About ten days ago was Fiber Weekend. Here’s a video of a similar event at the Center. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pexfo-9kd7g.
Accessible Himalayas! Visit Ladakh with Travel Another India
May 17, 2011
Shivani Gupta, Director of AcessAbility ventures into the mountainous region of Ladakh on her wheelchair with Travel Another India and writes about her experience
After 
a long seven month break from work, I was looking forward to a project to assist in the development of Leh and its surrounding areas as an inclusive travel destination. Leh, the capital of Ladakh, falls within the boundaries of Jammu & Kashmir. Areawise, it is the largest district in India, and is located at an altitude of 3500 m from sea level. It is commonly referred to as a cold desert.
All my friends warned me about altitude sickness and harsh weather conditions that I was bound to face there. I felt nervous on hearing stories of people returning back from the airport due to altitude sickness, but was still determined to go.
The project was commissioned by a social entrepreneurship ‘Travel Another India’ (TAI) in collaboration with a local NGO ‘People’s Action Group on Inclusion & Disability’ (PAGIR) are working towards developing an inclusive travel circuit in Ladakh, that is accessible to people using wheelchairs. This is the first time in India that “inclusion” at travel destinations is being worked for professionally by organizations. Clearly, they considered it a profitable commercial venture rather than mere charity.
Leh can be accessed by road via Srinagar or Manali in the summers. This route is open for about five months in a year. Alternatively there are daily flights to Leh. I flew to Leh and was there for almost a week to visit and audit all tourist attractions in and around its vicinity, from April 12 to 18, 2010. While the actual tourist season begins only in May, there were already a large number of tourists who were attracted to Leh especially after seeing the breathtaking Pangong Lake in the recent movie ‘Three Idiots’.
The Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, is one of the highest airport in the world, and is managed by the Indian Army. Though quite like the Delhi airport, there was no ambulift available at the airport. The ground transport to and fro from the aircraft is provided by small buses that are completely inaccessible. The ground handling staff pushed my wheelchair all the way from the aircraft to the airport. The airport is step free with a couple of steep ramps in places. There is no accessible toilet as expected.
The local taxis that are available are high, four-wheel drive vehicles, ranging from Innova, Scorpio to a Sumo. Smaller cars may be good for traveling within Leh city, but to travel around Leh a larger vehicle is a must. Being a tetraplegic, getting in and out of the Innova was very difficult for me, probably more difficult than negotiating with the architectural inaccessibility of all monuments! My trip would not have been possible if it were not for the impeccable hospitality extended by PAGIR locally. All credit goes to Kunzang (Secretary, PAGIR) and Kunzes (Cordinator, Himalaya on Wheels) and the driver Ehzaaz who accompanied me everywhere and assisted me at every step.
Predominantly a Buddhist region, Ladakh is also known as the land of Gompas (monasteries). Every village has its own Gompa in a secluded area away from the village, generally on a hilltop. Most Gompas have a large number of steps, but some with fewer steps include the Alchi Gompa, Shey Gompa, and the Likir Chamba where the deity of Buddha (70 feet high) can be viewed from the road itself.
I was truly excited when I saw that the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) working towards making the Alchi Gompa accessible, as it is an 11th century monastery. Besides being the oldest in Ladakh, it is soon to become a World Heritage Site. The work was on, and an engineer from ASI was on site supervising the work. Though the ramps that they were constructing were rather steep, but still it was wonderful to see that ASI’s policy of making monuments accessible is truly taking shape. Some expert advice before making the changes would help them further, and avoid undesirable flaws such as the steep ramps.
The natural beauty of Ladakh is incomparable. Being a wheelchair user, I tend to enjoy natural beauty as it is usually more accessible than man-made monuments which are comparatively inaccessible. Leh’s natural beauty is so magnificent and overpowering, that it completely humbles you and spreads a sense of peace and calm. No wonder I survived so well, without mobile connectivity and without worrying about time comfortably for those six days. Each mountain in this dry land is of a different colour. Each view is such that you would want to photograph it. Two significant tourist locations are Khardungla pass, the world’s highest motorable road, and the Pangong Lake, a 134 km long lake extending from India to China. Being nature’s gifts, both these places are fully accessible, but unfortunately the man-made restrooms in both these places are inaccessible.
As a person who enjoys travel and adventure, I would love to return to Leh in spite of a few discomforts. As an access consultant, I would have to say that there is a lot of work to be done before we can term Leh as an inclusive destination.
While accessibility is the key to the mainstreaming of people with disabilities, Ladakh is an untouched land when it comes to issues like accessibility for persons with disabilities. It is only due to organizations like ‘Travel Another India’ who are working towards creating an accessible travel circuit in Ladakh, that will bring initiate such a paradigm shift in the society with the local leadership and support of PAGIR. I wish them good luck and persevering strength in all their projects.
Tariff in US Dollars
| Luxury | Standard | |
| 3-night | 390 USD | 225 USD |
| 4-night | 570 USD | 320 USD |
Cost per person on twin sharing basis.
Prices valid upto 31 March 2012.
Travelogue by Ms. Shivani Gupta, Director, AccessAbility (mailto: shivani@accessability.co.in)
For further details on the travel package to Ladakh, please send a mail to writetous@travelanotherindia.com or call +91 99001 93873
To learn more about the itinerary, accommodations and accessibility, please visit www.travelanotherindia.com/guestshimalaya.html
Our Accessible Home
May 9, 2011
I mentioned in my January 2011 post that journeys can take many different forms. With Marlene in a wheelchair, finding the right living space has been a challenge, to say the least. People’s idea of handicapped accessible housing is varied and too often unsatisfactory.
So, with much trepidation, we decided to build our own house. A new adventure had begun. As with any new experience, at first we were more scared than excited.
Then we began to see first the foundation, then the wooden outline of our house. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so far-fetched – no castle in the sky. Each step in the journey made our house seem like a place where we will live – the roof going up, choosing exterior colors. All these steps made our ideas tangible. The first time Marlene entered the house, it was halfway done, but I could see she was really excited to be inside it. A kitchen she could use – a bathroom made for her. And pocket doors for easy movement from room to room. It made me realize how great it will be to have a house built around our needs. Will it be perfect? Probably not, but it will be beautiful to her. And that is enough for me!
Enjoying the World’s Buffet … With Care
May 2, 2011
One of the pleasures of traveling is trying new things, including new foods and flavors. Of course, you can’t expect to enjoy every new taste experience.
When Marlene and I were in Thailand some years ago, I ate a durian for the first (and, most likely, for the last) time. Despite its somewhat questionable odor, something like used gym socks, as I recall, it had a reasonably nice, custardy flavor. However, almost immediately after sampling one, my lips began to tingle, then burn and swell to a good three to four times their normal size.
While I searched in vain for sympathy, Marlene laughed hysterically. My lips remained distended for most of a day before I recovered.
I mention this because it occurs to me that there are plenty of people with real food issues, like people with celiac disease who can’t eat foods with gluten, which is primarily found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. If they do, it can cause not only stomach discomfort but serious intestinal damage.
I asked a friend with celiac disease how hard it is for him to travel. He said that a number of airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Jet Blue and British Airlines offer a specially prepared meal, labeled “GFML.” With a 24-to 96-hour advance notice, all of these airlines will provide him gluten free meals. Just in case there’s a glitch, he brings zip-lock bags with foods that don’t need refrigeration, such as dried fruits, fresh fruit, energy bars or nuts.
When dining at a new restaurant, he starts by asking the manager if the restaurant offers a gluten free menu. If traveling abroad, there are restaurant cards that can be used to notify the chef of what you can and cannot eat. The cards come in over 50 languages and can be obtained from websites like http://www.celiactravel.com and http://www.triumphdining.com. And, if you’re staying a hotel, you might want to look at travel sites for well-priced suites that come with kitchenettes.
I think his experience has lessons for us all. The biggest lesson is that you shouldn’t be afraid of asking for what you need to make your trip more enjoyable. And you certainly should never sacrifice your health for anything!
