youshouldgoanyway

Helsinki commuter trains are very wheelchair accessible

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019youshouldgoanyway

It’s always great when public transit is easy and accessible and requires no intervention from staff to get my wheelchair on a train. Helsinki’s train system falls into this category.

The train is perfect for getting from/to the airport to the Helsinki city center. There are two trains, the I train and the P train that make a loop with points at the airport and the main downtown Helsinki train station. You can take either, the only difference is the direction they move — either clockwise or counterclockwise around the loop.

There is no need for a ramp and there is ample space on board and a designated are to park your chair. People were very nice when moving their baby strollers or bikes and in general the Finnish people will be helpful whenever necessary.

The train is inexpensive and fast and I was glad to have used it during my trip. It runs frequently and the stations were level and accessible. You can check out the routes and timetables on the HSL website.

Tower of the Americas in San Antonio is Wheelchair Accessible

November 20, 2019youshouldgoanyway

Had the pleasure of heading up the tower for a very nice sunset and it was easy, and worth it.

To get there, I’d recommend accessing the grounds from Alamo St. near the Pavillion hotel. There’s a pedestrian pathway that heads right up to the Tower. If you go the Market St. route, you end up going all the way around and it feels really out of the way.

Buy your tickets outside first, then head inside and catch the elevator up. We didn’t do anything besides this. It wasn’t terribly crowded and we arrived only thirty minutes before sunset.

San Antonio Riverwalk Wheelchair Access

November 16, 2019November 16, 2019youshouldgoanyway

Don’t forego the San Antonio Riverwalk if you use a wheelchair. It’s a fun way to explore the city and enjoy your visit. There are a few minor inconveniences you can plan for if you just plan ahead.

For example, if you are worried about it being crowded, then go during the day. Night time was significantly more crowded and some of the areas were slow, but not impossible to navigate. People generally made way for me in my chair.

Also, there are few opportunities to just “cross over” to the other side, which usually involves going up to the street level in an elevator and then back down. Since there aren’t elevators that frequently along the riverwalk, I highly recommend looking at the San Antonio Riverwalk accessible routes before you go.

Other than that, be careful for the edges near the water and you’ll be just fine. There are many restaurants and shops down along the walk and the outdoor terrace seating is usually your best bet for access and some of the best margaritas you’ll ever have.

During my weekend stay in San Antonio we didn’t plan out anything and found ourselves wandering pleasantly along the riverwalk many times.

I went solo to the Galapagos Islands in my power wheelchair and you can too.

October 13, 2019January 5, 2020youshouldgoanyway

So I bought a mistake fare ticket to Ecuador for a three day trip for $250, main cabin, on Delta. The catch was I had to land back up in Canada and find my way home. Ok. Now what?

Cut to me six months later going to the Galapagos Islands by myself in my power chair. I must be getting adventurous because all I needed to know is that the airport is close to the hotel, it is safe, and there are flocks of sea lions everywhere you look. Sign me up!

This ended up being part of a two-week insane journey full of two mistake fare tickets that took me from Chicago to Quito to San Cristobal in the Galapagos to Quito, to Montreal, then back to Chicago for another trip the following week to Lima, Peru, and Machu Picchu then back to Toronto and Chicago by way of NYC. Overall I had 14 different legs of flights over 14 days. I also took an overnight train from Montreal to Chicago in the middle of that. The ding-dong who planned this trip should be shot, if that ding-dong weren’t me.

Once I got over the fact that this meant I would be lifted and transferred at least 56 times for the flights…ok I never really got over that…I was raring to go. And after all is now done, I would go again in a heartbeat.

Getting to the Galapagos Islands

Once you get to Quito, Ecuador, you’re almost there. It could have been easy but I made it difficult on myself. I spent the night in the Quito airport since I got there late. It was very modern and safe and there were food options open all night. My flight to San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos was early the next morning so I didn’t really want to waste money on a hotel, but there is a hotel very close to the airport. My chair is super comfortable to sleep in and I have a great Rumpl blanket I bring with me. The only trade-off is the damn cankles from not being able to lay down.

Anyhow, in the morning I went to check in and found out that I had bought an Ecuador-resident ticket from Quito to San Cristobal. They asked me for my Ecuadorian papers/passport and I was like, “Uh, what?” It turned out not to be a big deal, I just had to pay the difference. But as a bonus, because I had to go to the ticket office, I was able to find out that I could avoid my planned layover in Guayaquil by taking a later flight that stopped in Guayaquil but you didn’t have to get off the plane. In the world of wheelchair travel, this means less risk of a damaged wheelchair while unloading/loading and also not having to be lifted four or more extra times. So I changed my ticket right away and since it was complicated for the ticket agent they just gave it to me for free instead of dealing with me any longer. Score!

They also informed ignorant me that I needed an immigration “ticket” to go to the Galapagos and I also needed my baggage scanned for bugs and food. There’s a special counter in the Quito airport to take care of this and each “ticket” cost $20 — one to go and one to leave. I also was charged $100 when I arrived in San Cristobal for the park entry fee and they only took cash. So thank God there was an ATM at that little airport. How unprepared could I possibly be? Bring cash if you go! And they use the US Dollar there so I really had no excuse!

At any rate, I killed some more time in the Quito airport after getting my special ticket and then got the LATAM flight. Of course it seemed like nobody could believe I was going there by myself and so I felt like I was the first person in a chair to ever fly this airline. They asked me the same million questions about my chair that I had already answered, and the agent had multiple conferences with everyone else behind the desk while she made arrangements.

Once at the gate, they didn’t really know how to lift me but they sent a bunch of guys so it worked out ok. I had brought a portable lifting sling and that helped on the first lift, and some of the other lifts when I could actually teach them how to use it. The language barrier was not that easy but I did learn the Spanish word for “wrists” is “muñecas” so I did get the guys to reach under my arms and grab my muñecas whenever they lifted me.

On arrival at the San Cristobal airport, there was no jet bridge, so the staff there had to wheel me down the stairs of the plane backwards on the aisle chair. I just closed my eyes and let them deal with it. It was fine. Is it wrong that it gave me pleasure that they were struggling? Ugh, it could be so much easier if every place had ramps or lifts and let us stay in our own wheelchairs.

It was perfect weather when I got there — clear and sunny. This was great because I had planned to roll to my hotel about 1.1 km from the airport, which really is nothing. As I left, everyone stared at me pushing my suitcase along the road looking like I was on a mission. I somehow manage to look super confident even though I have no idea where the hell I am going.

Per usual, in places with sporadic accessibility, I got up on the sidewalk using a curb cut by the airport. Then halfway to my hotel, I got to a driveway and there was no curb cut. So I had to go all the way back to the airport, passing the same people who just stared at me. I just smiled and hopped onto the road and started back towards the town.

The nice thing about this island is that it has a very small population of about 6 or 7 thousand. Not a lot of cars either. So the road from the airport was not busy at all. It was also very wide to accommodate the bikes and cycles and other forms of transportation people use there. I never felt unsafe on the road. My suitcase rolled fine except for some bumpy spots. Of course the only time I dumped it over was literally right in front of the hotel but there was a kid there walking his dog and he jumped to help me get it upright and even rolled it into the hotel courtyard for me.

Staying in the Galapagos Islands

I stayed at the Blue Marlin Hotel. It’s a small hotel with only a couple floors and it’s just inland from the ocean and all the little restaurants and shops. While they didn’t specifically have an accessible room, the ground floor rooms were perfect for me. I had emailed them after making the reservation on Booking.com. The doors were wide and there was no threshold. The bathroom did not have an adapted shower but it was big enough for me to get around in. The front desk staff was super nice and helpful when I needed it. There was a rooster next door who must have flown in from Europe because he was off by about 7 hours. Other than that, I had no complaints.

The best part of this place was the breakfast. Everything was so fresh — the eggs, the fruit, and the coffee. THE COFFEE WAS AMAZING. If you ever go there you have to bring home coffee. Tons of coffee. I didn’t realize how expensive it is to get Galapagos coffee back in the U.S. or I would have picked up ten pounds of it.

My Accessible-ish Tour of the Galapagos Islands

Luckily a few weeks before the trip I decided to contact Galakiwi Tours and see if they could put together a one-day tour of San Cristobal for me. I told them I used a wheelchair and would need accessible transit. They told me no problem and hooked me up with a day of driving to Puerto Chino Beach, the Tortoise breeding center, and the Darwin Interpretation Center. I also had bonus stops for lunch and my tour guide’s parents’ Tree House, which was super cool.

Before I describe some of the details, I think I should mention that this ended up being one of the best days of my life.

Having said that, when a pickup truck with a manual wheelchair showed up at my hotel the next morning, I was like, “How the F is this gonna work?”

But out popped my tour guide, Pepo, a second helper, and a driver so I figured whatever was in store at least there were three strong guys who were going to make it happen.

After they saw my big electric chair they suggested we leave it at the hotel and use their chair all day. This would mean transferring into the passenger’s seat of the truck for transit, which isn’t easy to do.

Nevertheless I said I was up for the adventure and the guys were up for lifting me, so we positioned my chair near the truck and went for it. Things got a little up close and personal right away as Pepo had to get my balls un-stuck from my wheelchair since my crotch of my pants got hooked on the footrest receiver. What a pain in the Galapagos!

Our first stop was Puerto Chino beach where I got to try out the manual wheelchair they brought. It was a snug fit for my hips but I sat on my own cushion so it was comfortable. The front of the chair had an attachment for two long, hook-type things that the person in front could use to pull the chair, sort of like he would pull a rickshaw or a wheelbarrow.

The path from the parking to the beach was actually step-free, albeit a lot of up and down. It was slightly steep but nothing my power chair couldn’t have handled. But once we got down to the beach, it was all sand, so I was super happy to be in this chair. It made going up the inclines easier than just pushing me.

I haven’t been rendered speechless on many occasions in my life, but getting to the beach and rolling out from under the tree down there to see these amazing waves crashing on this pristine beach, with no people and nothing but rocks and sea lions was something not even my pictures can capture.

Sea lions were everywhere. And just when you thought you were looking at a rock, you’d notice it was actually a sea lion! It wasn’t the best smell in the world but you really can get past it when you realize where you are and what you’re looking at.

The guys rolled me out and over to one side of the beach through the wet sand that was getting wetter as the tide came in. From there I had close-up time with some of the sea lions and we sat for a few minutes before heading back to where we started and just sat. Pepo and the guys were just as appreciative of what they were seeing as I was — and they live there!

Once we went back up to the truck, I could tell that Pepo was discussing logistics with the other guys and then he asked, “How would you feel about riding in the back of the truck?” Of course I had few reservations about this because A) There was basically no traffic on this island anyway, and B) I wanted to return home with my Galapagos in tact.

So they wrangled up some help from a food vendor (who they knew) that had parked in the lot and they got me up into the back of the truck. I didn’t have to transfer from the manual chair the rest of the day. It was great because everywhere we went they knew people they could ask for help. As I said, it’s a small island. Two of the guys sat in the back with me and made sure I didn’t roll around. The driver went slowly but not too slowly. It worked perfectly and I actually felt more safe doing that than trying to transfer and potentially getting injured with each lift.

Next we headed to the tortoise breeding center. It was not flat, and in fact very rocky and muddy. But the design of the chair worked well for the guys to get me around. We quietly went around the trail and spied on some tortoises for a bit. It was super cool too!

After this we got me back up into the truck and headed for a lunch break. There are a few restaurants along the main road between the town and the beach and the one we stopped at was incredible. It was all open-air, covered, and had a view in the distance of the ocean. And damn was the food fresh. I am pretty sure the chicken had been alive just hours earlier (why couldn’t it have been that rooster from the hotel?) and the papaya juice we had was incredible.

Lastly I got my first taste of Galapagos coffee which they grew right there in the back yard of the restaurant. No cream, no sugar, and perfectly smooth with no burn. Incredible. After exploring the grounds a little and sampling some mandarin oranges from one of the trees, we got back up into the van and headed to the Tree House.

The Tree House is a spot that Pepo’s parents own and it’s unassuming from the road but once you get down by the tree you realize how crazy cool it is. The tree was so wide and there’s actually a 2-bed tree house with a bathroom and electricity and running water up there! There was a walking bridge to get to it from the elevated road but you could also climb up if you wanted to. I mean, ok I wanted to, but let’s be real. No way in hell.

Additionally they had a little shop there with refreshments and I got to try some pretty amazing avocado ice cream. Who knew? It was delicious. We watched our driver, Marco, don a harness and climb up the tree which was actually pretty impressive, and then we got back to the truck to head to the Interpretation Center.

I’m not a huge fan of being in a place and then going indoors to read about the place I’m in, but there is some great overview info here about the islands and I’m glad we stopped for a few minutes to read it. Once we got back outside there was a maze of flat paths around the Center that go to various points of interest. We stopped at the Darwin statue that overlooks the bay he first arrived at. Then we headed down this super steep hill to another beach. I mean it was super steep. Like the guy in front kept skidding down on the sand grains on the path. But it was super duper fun at the same time!

When we got to the beach, the sun was on its way down so the gold glistened off the ocean and the sea lions sunbathed while people went swimming and relaxed along the sand. The guys dug me into a comfortable spot and we hung out there for about a half an hour just enjoying it all.

I’m still not sure how they managed to get me up that hill, at the end of a day of pushing and pulling my butt around, but they did! All things are possible with a special wheelchair and two strong guys.

Heading home I got a perfect view from the back of the trick as we drove through the town and people milled about on their ways home. I got to see where Pepo lived and of course got the attention of everyone who looked at us.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the guys went and got my wheelchair from my room and transferred me back to it before we said our goodbyes. I couldn’t thank them enough for this adventure!

The next day I had some time to explore the town and there were some curb cuts in the touristy area along the main port area — not everywhere, but enough to make me happy. I could see a lot of new little hotels being built so hopefully there will be accessible rooms at these. In this area there were several restaurants at ground level with outdoor seating and definitely enough to sustain you for a few days of adventure.

So if you want to go to the Galapagos islands, you can totally do it. If you are up for an out-of-your-chair adventure, then take the tour with these guys. There are also options to go out on a boat, but I didn’t do that…this time. Overall I would say that if you are comfortable transferring and being lifted, then you’ll be fine on this trip. It’s definitely worth it!

Dubai: Why you should go anyway

June 30, 2019January 5, 2020youshouldgoanyway

Dubai is one of those places you just have to see to believe. Everything is big, overdone, and generally insane. The funny thing is that while I was there it didn’t feel very crowded, leading me to believe that all these super tall buildings were probably empty! Nevertheless, it’s someplace you should definitely see once.

Dubai Airport & Accessible Transportation

I arrived at the Dubai airport just after midnight. By that time the trains were no longer running and didn’t start up until early in the morning. As a result, I decided to hang out for a few hours until they started up. Call me a masochist, but after 20 hours of traveling, what is a few more?

As a result, I was treated to one of the coolest train rides ever. I missed the first train so the second one was empty except for me, in the very front of the car. So I got to stare out the front of the train at all the amazing lights and buildings on the track. It felt like a roller coaster.

I got a Dubai Metro Gold Pass for the trains and it was well worth the more expensive price for the entire trip. You can get into the special car at the front (or back) of the train and they are much less crowded.

The train was very easy to use, in fact, next to Singapore’s metro system, the train system in Dubai was one of the best and newest in the world. No gaps, no need for help. All the stations are practically new and accessible. I highly recommend using this as a primary mode of transit on the trip.

I was reading about Dubai’s recent focus on People of Determination (their term for people with disabilities which is charming). One part of this is a focus on accessible taxis there and rides were free when I was there for disabled riders. I didn’t need it because I stuck to places that were along the transit routes. I imagine they’d be helpful if you wanted to go further into the outer areas. I was able to get all the way to the coast using public transit on the trains and the tram. I also rolled a lot.

There is a hop-on-hop off bus or two, and I did use this to tour around one day. It was totally accessible and goes to many places you might not get to if you only took the train.

The only drawback to getting around was the curb cut situation. I found myself darting into the street many times when curbs were either not cut at all or had little steps I could get stuck on. It was doable however and not impossible. People were helpful if it looked like I needed it. This is something I would think the Dubai government could fix in a heartbeat if they wanted to. I hope they do!

Dubai Accessible Places to Stay (or not stay)

This was a frustrating aspect of this trip. It wasn’t always easy to get information on accessibility. I did end up staying at the Gevora Hotel which was very nice and not terribly expensive. Despite the amazing staff, I would not recommend staying there as the accessible room was awful. I was originally put in a regular room and the bathroom door was too small, but the view was amazing. They moved me way down to the accessible room but the view was horrible. The windows were not clean at all, despite the fact that the building’s window washing equipment was out on the terrace right outside my window.

View from my first non-accessible, but great view hotel room.

In addition the bathroom flooded whenever I took a shower. I’ve never had the experience where the water actually escaped the bathroom and ran out into the main part of the room. It’s clear that a lot of this construction was rushed and no detail was put into the accessible room, unfortunately.

It did have a nice location right near one of the metro stops and I highly recommend finding lodging near a stop. If you like to be by the water, however, you’ll have quite a trek to get to any of the tourist spots if you rely on the tram or train as the metro is mostly inland.

Accessible things to do in Dubai

If it’s hot out (so always) you can have fun at the malls for sure. Any of the big malls are worth the trip. Huge doesn’t even begin to describe them. The Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Malls are so big they have multiple food courts. I got lost in both of them and it was fantastic!

One section of the mall as an example. There are so many wings of the malls that each wing is bigger than a regular mall back in the US.

One day I spent at the Dubai Mall and also went to the top of Burj Khalifa. The building is so big you don’t even feel like it’s real. The staff was very helpful in getting me in the proper line and I had no problems at all. At the top it was a little crowded but again the staff was helpful in moving people out of my way if necessary. From there I saw the sunset and the fountain show. If you time it right you can see both, so I definitely recommend going before sunset so you’re there in time.

I wasn’t in Dubai long enough to do a lot, but I also took the metro and tram over to the Dubai Marina which had lots of cool tall buildings, but not much else. There were beaches and resorts along there as well and I ended up having brunch at the Westin (the only place I saw bacon on the entire trip, lol). I tried to take the tram to the Palm Jumeirah but I didn’t have cash on me and they didn’t take a card. I wasn’t going to roll all the way out there.

Instead I ended up taking the hop-on, hop off bus from the Marina area around the Palm and back to the mall.

The one thing I didn’t get to that I wanted to do was go to the Miracle Garden but I was so tired and my battery was running low so I couldn’t. Check it out though because it looked cool!

Dubai Summary

The experience of Dubai was incredible. It’s unlike any place on Earth, in a very man-made way. It’s Vegas times ten without the casinos (they even bleeped out the word “poker” on the movie I watched in my hotel). If I were to go back, I’d head straight to Abu Dhabi instead of spending much time in Dubai because I didn’t have a chance. But don’t get me wrong, if you haven’t been there, Dubai should be on your list!