Inaccessibility in 2019. 👎

March 01, 2019

So this is the post I spoke about in my last post about Kolkata - Inaccessibility in 2019.
As I said before, we went to meet my long time friend Sita from the US who had come down to Kolkata only to meet us! She was staying in a hotel near to the airport and had suggested we do the same to save on time travelling from one end of the city to another. I was more than happy to oblige. Only, we did not get the same hotel as it was fully booked. But on reaching the area, we found that the hotel we had booked was exactly opposite theirs! It was great.

(Image courtesy - Google)

So when we reached our hotel, a grand flight of stairs greeted us at first, but wait, there was hope. A little further down the parking was a small ramp to go from the road to the pavement in front of the hotel. And then another longer one to go from the pavement to the hotel. Yay!! But wait, a car was parked right in front of the small ramp to the pavement 😑😑😑
Of course I took a pic! 😬😈

Poor papa had to go even further down and then find a place from where Vin's wheelchair could go up easily. So here the hotel had made all accessible arrangements, but the general public is uneducated where accessibility is concerned.

Vineet's wheelchair was helped up the ramp to the hotel by the guard and another staff, which was very nice , and we checked in. A lift (which was not too big for 3 persons including a wheelchair ) ,took Vineet and papa up to our room on the 4th floor. It was a nice room where there was space to maneuver Vineet's wheelchair.

(Images courtesy Google)

I had called up the "Floatel" restaurant on the banks of the Hoogly river for our dinner with Sita and family,as I had heard that there was a beautiful view of the river Ganges from the deck there.

I called up their reception to ask if they had a ramp or lift for wheelchairs to go upto the deck, to which they replied in affirmative. I also asked friends who had been there, they were not so sure. I asked on Google places, there too I got some saying yes, some no , with regard to wheelchair accessibility. But after the restaurant's confirmation, we decided to go ahead.

Sita and family were already in the restaurant when we reached (late, as always 😅) . And I was not prepared to encounter what I saw. At the very entrance, there was a flight of 2 steps, which papa is used to maneuvering by now, but not once did the man at the counter right across, come forward to help. 😶😒

Anyways, moved ahead a corridor and came upfront to a small wooden ramp which led to nowhere,and then just beside it another wooden plank which finally led to the King of all ramps!!!

Never in my life have I seen a ramp as steep as the one I saw that day!! A voice inside me said, no , you can't allow Vineet's wheelchair to go on that . No. Then I thought about Sita and her family who were already seated down below, and also , a few staff came forward to help. With a very very scared heart, I watched papa bring Vineet down the ramp facing the opposite way, with the help of 3-4 staff. And stairs again at the bottom of the ramp 😬😒😶

After that there was a small lift which took Vineet and papa to another corridor who's doors led to the restaurant. Phew!!
But all the stuff that was boiling inside me vanished as soon as I saw my dear Sita's face at the door!! I was finally hugging my dear friend of more than 10 years from another country !! It was an indescribable feeling.

We settled in and I took some time to relax and realize that just beside the restaurant a door led to a small deck outside. I asked Sita if we could go and sit there but was informed that it was crammed and a few tables were booked as well . Gone were the dreams of sitting on the deck and enjoying the view of the Ganges with my dear friend and her family.......😞😖
Nevertheless, we had an awesome time talking and having the buffet dinner. After which we proceeded back to our hotels and planned to meet for lunch at a nearby mall the next day.

#CityCentreMallKolkata

(Image courtesy - Google)

The next day, after having a great chit chat at the hotel where Sita and fam were put up, we proceeded towards a well known mall -  City Centre Salt Lake, Kolkata, for lunch.
Again. Embarrassment.
There was no ramp from the road to the pavement. 😬

Ok, that's normal to expect I guess..,😒

We had to go to the 2nd floor, so we searched for the lifts. Got them.
Then again - A huge step leading to the lift section. A very narrow door , through which Vineet's and Esha's wheelchairs barely managed to scrape through.

  By now I was seriously thinking of putting in a complaint. Thankfully the lifts were big in size and could accommodate one family with a wheelchair at one go . And there were 2 lifts (only. For such a huge mall)

So we ended up roaming on the ground floor more and finally after a fast food lunch 😜, we sat for some awesome tea. I was having mixed feelings as we were leaving for home from there itself and the Kumars would be leaving the next day. I felt so sad and empty coz it was too short a visit for a good friend like Sita❣️

{As I was about to post this, I just remembered the short and steepest ramp ever at the Hotel where Sita and Fam were put up. It was a ramp just for name's sake. To lure people like Sita who have no idea what a ramp could also look like in some hotels but on their websites they mention it and thus fool a customer, especially if they are from a distant country....whats this???? 😬😖😓   Not Done}

Air India !! Please DO SOMETHING for YOURSELF!

September 01, 2018

Sorry everyone, this is going to be a rant post.

So we had booked #airindia flight tickets to the conference in Delhi as its getting difficult for Vineet to travel long distances in train especially due to #inaccessibility in the AC compartments of #IndianRailways. We have to carry Vin all the way to our berth, and the biggest worry? Will we find a good co-passenger who will not object to Vineet's folding wheelchair peeking out of the lower luggage place?

Will we get at least one co-passenger willing to exchange his lower berth for VINEET, in case we haven't managed to get any ? 

Or will we get some privacy while changing his diapers?
Yes, these are the kind of things we have to worry about when we travel by train 😒

I knew that #KaziNazrulIslamAirport at Andal, West Bengal is a relatively newly built airport and after it's inauguration 2 years back it was working in collaboration with #AirIndia as well as private airlines. However, due to very few passenger input it shut down last year and was re-inaugurated this year with only one Air India flight, that too once in a day, and to and fro only one destination - New Delhi . We couldn't have asked for more, it was a boon for us as well as many others who frequently visited the capital city New Delhi. It is performing very well with these clauses and there is a good crowd everyday as we discovered on our flight day later. I was worried only about one thing - whether they had #BoardingRamps or not. So I asked my friends on Facebook and also called up the Airport help desk. Friends were not so sure and the help desk person assured us that it would be no problem for a person on a wheelchair to board the airplane. So I rested assured and we got ready for our most awaited trip to New Delhi.

On 10th August we reached the Airport early morning as our flight was at 8:20 a.m. I was very impressed with the Airport building and wheelchair friendly paths. They had the #transferwheelchair which we use while the wheelchair which Vineet uses is scanned by X-ray by #armypersonnel . And they also had the #AircraftWheelchair which is used to transfer a person on a wheelchair from the entrance of the aircraft to his/her seat. Its narrow and can easily be used in the narrow aisle of an aircraft. The personal wheelchair of the #personwithdisability is taken away at the entrance and stowed at the back of the aircraft. It is brought back at the time of disembarking in a similar fashion. All this takes time and hence we are always the last to disembark from a flight. However during embarking we are first, so it's a balance 😁

Anyways, so coming back, we were the first to be taken when the flight landed from New Delhi, AND #THEREWASNOBOARDINGRAMP !! As we looked up the long flight of steps leading to the aircraft entrance where the flight steward and stewardess stood with their hands folded in typical Air India style Namaste, we wondered what to do next and so did the airport staff who had escorted Vineet's wheelchair from the building to the airplane. Here are the pics I clicked as temperature of my head soared.

Now the most important part. The attendants offered to lift Vineet up the stairs to the entrance to which he vehemently refused. To those who think it's not a big deal, TRY IT ONCE. Just try sitting on a wheelchair while 3 or 4 people take you up a flight of stairs. You feel you are in the air and if one man stumbles, the entire Entourage will get disbalanced and not only you, but all of them will get severely hurt.
IT  IS  DANGEROUS  NOT  ONLY  FOR  YOU  BUT  FOR  THE  ATTENDANTS  AS  WELL !!

So Vineet opted for his dad to take him up the stairs as he is comfortable in his arms. 

But my question to the #MinistryOfAviationIndia is this -
 What will Vineet do when his dad gets older and is no longer able to carry Vineet up the stairs? He will never be able to have confidence in being carried in his wheelchair by attendants, so will he stop travelling by air from the airports where boarding ramps are not available? It is my understanding that each airlines have their own set of boarding ramps according to the need of the place/airport.So in metropolitan cities they have plenty of boarding ramps all colored with the specific airline colors. Since this is a small airport so Air India cannot afford a Boarding ramp (as it is, it's running in huge losses and I sympathize with them. They have served us well all these years).

So I now turn to the Aviation Ministry with the suggestion that provide at least One Boarding Ramp at those airports where the Airline cannot afford. It is not for the airlines,. It is for people with disabilities like Vineet now, and for us, AND THEM, when we grow old and will need a wheelchair to visit our near and dear ones. Yes, Please Please understand that it's for Yourself as well. For your tomorrow. That time you may not be professionally capable of all that you can do today. So here's requesting those who are reading this to understand and come to our help. We are human beings. Which other species will help us if not you? I fail to understand how Air India is unable to provide a ramp when all other airlines have given up on the steep, massive, dangerously sharp-edged AND expensive stairs!!
Not to promote any airlines here, but this gentleman makes many points in this report -
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2013/06/16/indigo-airlines-eliminates-stairs-for-easy-airside-boarding-why-havent-other-airlines-caught-on/#208224ef2018

Thanks for going through..

Update - I shared this experience of mine upon returning from Delhi after the Conference on Facebook and tagged our Aviation Minister and our local MLA, but no response. Then I wrote an email to the Aviation Ministry, no response. 

I am not doing this for Vineet alone, it's for all who are like Vineet and also for you and me. As I mentioned in my FB post, one day we all are going to be old and some of us may need a wheelchair to visit our family in some other city or country. We may be caught in the same situation as Vineet today.  Think about it.....

Thank you 🙏

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019

Hey everyone! Wish you all A very Happy New Year!!
New Year brings with it new hopes, dreams, aspirations and a mind waiting to begin afresh, anew...
So with these feelings we have stepped into another year and we were very blessed to start it with the blessings of The Almighty.
This year I hope Vineet will put some of his time aside for his first year graduation studies.As for his musical journey, he has decided to continue his Octapad and Guitar classes, but not the Keyboard class. No amount of persuasion could change his mind, so we've left him with his decision.

           This new year started on a very very HAPPY note for us! We got to meet my long time (read over 10 years!! ) online friend , Sita Kumar and her family, all the way from California , US. We connected via " Orkut " (THE Happening social networking site before Facebook!). Yes, we connected even before Facebook via the #spinabifida group therein.

Sita has a 16 yo daughter with Spina Bifida and boy, she is one sassy girl I know now 😂. It was a different thing to know Sita, her 'Super-hubby'Vinesh, her 19yo son Suraj and of course, Isha , in person. We met in Kolkata and though we only had one day , it was enough to connect and bond like family. With Sita, time spent was like old friends, but thats another story, and this blog is about Vineet..
Of course, time is never enough with friends... 😕

We had dinner together ,and cussed the inaccessible places together 😈.

 I was quite ashamed of how inaccessible public places in Kolkata was even now in 2019 😖 I did what I always do - took pics and posted them all over the internet.(Wait for a blog on the 2 public places we went to in these 2 days and how Inaccessible they were!) Thats the least I can do to raise awareness...PLEASE PEOPLE, try and put yourself in the shoes of the disabled for one day and you will know how difficult we all have made their lives by #inaccessiblity . IT IS NOT THEIR DISABILITY WHICH MAKES THEIR LIVES DIFFICULT.
 ITS THE INACCESSIBLE PATHWAYS

As I write this, Sita is on her way back home to the US and we are wishful of meeting again!! Amen to that!
It still seems like a dream to me now...

Sita and Vinesh, you guys are heroes without the capes and we were humbled by your visit...

So much to learn from you and the kids! Much love... 💖💞💗

An Angel in Vin's life - MARIA LINNY THOMAS

It was 23rd June 2009.
 Me, Vineet and Papa were on a flight to Bangalore. To meet "Linny". Why? Coz Linny was flying down from US to India for her Annual India trip and Bangalore was a good meeting point for us for her break journey. So why were we meeting her? She was bringing down with her a spare #Quickie #wheelchair which was lying unused at home.With all its spare wheels and the heavy batteries.Yes, all the way from the US - ALL of that heavy stuff!! For whom? For Vineet, son of a friend she had barely known on a social networking site.Why? Because (Late)Teena ( Linny's daughter) had #spinabifida just like Vineet. And though Vineet and Teena were supposed to meet in this meeting, fate had it otherwise - Teena went to her heavenly abode just a month before on 18th May 2009.

I still remember 18th May 2009.

Linny and me had spoken 2 or 3 times over phone before this. Teena was sick and in hospital and on 18th evening, I felt like calling  up Linny, and when she answered, she was crying. Teena had just left. I was dumbstruck. Linny said she'd call me later. I was heartbroken... I had been looking forward to me and Vin meeting her. A sweet , innocent soul went back to where she rightfully belonged..That night I couldn't sleep. I felt scared...for Vineet. I still do. Whenever I know of young people with #spinabifida flying back... I die a little with them...

Lets just move on...life is such.
So when we reached the hotel where Linny and her family were staying, I was met with the warmest of smiles and hugs from her inspite of her heartbreak. Only then did our husbands heave a sigh of relief! 😂Two men who were loving enough to listen to their wives - one bringing a heavy wheelchair all the way from the US and the other equally believing in this good soul. We talked, we shared, Vineet got a brand new wheelchair (though he was a bit scared of the battery driven wheels, he was only 10 then) and today that wheelchair is still his Favorite!! 😃 9 years back, a #Quickie wheelchair in India was a dream. I'm very happy that today, kids in India have a great variety of wheelchairs to look forward to, but back in those days, it was a dream to have a kids' wheelchair here. Here's the pic we clicked 😍

We became like family. We were there only for 2 days and then we returned. Since then, Linny has been Vineet's guardian angel. She made sure Vineet had his year's stock of pull-ups and adult diapers when they were unavailable here in India.Along with that stock was always gifts for him and Vineet's sister and sometimes me too! If she wasn't coming down, she would send it via someone to India who would then mail that huge box to us! ( I still don't know how she did it! 🙃 ) Only an Angel  😇can have so much love for someone who was never known to her! She has been there for us whenever we need help. She has our back. Whenever I need any suggestions regarding Vineet, she's always there with her genuine advice. And a few years back, when there was a baby with #spinabifida in our neighborhood who needed immediate medical care and monetary help too, Linny was the one who raised money for the baby's tumor and brain surgeries. I could go and on about Linny. (I miss her now that I'm writing about her, I wish we could talk , though we keep in touch by messaging, but we are both busy with our worlds and the opposite time zones are the main factor). 

But she's always there for me and Vineet. Like a Guardian Angel. 😇

I had started drafting this post a long time back, but I didn't know how I could write a post about her in the most befitting manner. After all , she's a very very special person in Vineet's journey and I know she doesn't do things in the limelight. She lets God see her right hand, not her left hand (Matthew 6:3)

I will end this post here by wishing my very dear friend Linny "A very very Happy Birthday" (its her birthday today 😊 ) and I wish you all the happiness in the world for being the wonderful person that you are !! We are blessed to have you in our lives 💞 💖💗💕💝

#IFSBHCON2018

The 28th International Conference on Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus #IFSBHCON2018
was organized by #InternationalFederationforSpinaBifidaandHydrocephalus #IFSBH in collaboration with the local body, Spina Bifida Foundation India #SBF.
It was held for the first time in Asia in New Delhi, India, from 10th August to 12th August 2018. It was a resounding success and Vineet and us were privileged to be a part of this important Conference.
There were representatives from Belgium, Switzerland, US, Canada, Norway, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Malaysia, Spain, Tazikistan, Vietnam among others(25 in all I'm told) and of course from various states of India.(Sorry if there is something wrong in the list, but this is what I've gathered) 😬 The venue Le Meridian in New Delhi was as impressive as the participants. Parents of children with SB, adults with SB and high profile Doctors and Surgeons held parallel as well as plenary sessions relating to the numerous topics that Spina bifida brings with itself.

10th August 2018, Friday
When we checked into #LeMeridian #NewDelhi at Connaught Place around noon, we were captivated by the beauty of the place. Lunch was being served and after lunch,we proceeded to the Conference Room just beside it. Here I would like to mention that the Conference Rooms in Le Meridian,   New Delhi were in the basement at minus one floor and to reach that, you had to use the Service Elevator for wheelchairs. It wasn't much of a problem except that during those 3 days , we sometimes encountered the pantry car or the laundry car.
So, going back to my post,
A session was going on which was in collaboration with WHO and Neural Tube Birth Defects and the President of the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Dr Margo Whiteford had already started the introductions. I saw some familiar faces (from Facebook and Whatsapp)and we met for the first time in person. It was like as though we had known each other since long. We introduced each other to others as well and settled down for the sessions which carried on till evening. I won't go into the details of the sessions here as the post will become very long. However, for those who might be interested, HERE 's the link to the programme brochure as put up on the Facebook Page of the IFSBH.
In the evening we had the very 1st National Committee Meeting of the Spina Bifida Foundation of India and as many as 13 State Chapters of the Foundation were formed to reach out to all states of India in creating awareness and preventing spina bifida which is still unknown about in our country. And if I might brag a bit, I've been nominated to convene the state chapter of West Bengal. A new begining... I'll try my best!

Here's the link to a few pictures I posted on Facebook (which is why the quality is not so good) - https://photos.app.goo.gl/tj5EDSBzy8uaSRej7

11th August 2018, Saturday

The next day our sessions were scheduled to start at 8 in the morning, but everyone had had a tiring day before, due to travels and such. So we finally started a bit late and I was eagerly waiting forward to hear from a host of very impressive speakers and #IraSinghal was one of them. I sat through each of the sessions coz I was very interested in each of them and the topics were as varied as the speakers. I was even asked to monitor one of the sessions and I gladly obliged to my utmost pleasure. 

     Towards the evening arrived #RaveenaTandon , a famous Bollywood star, and also the brand ambassador for #spinabifidafoundation . She is very supportive of all the events that the Foundation hosts and has a very golden heart. She even obliged all the kids with a group foto.

         After she had left , we had a group foto and look how diverse we are. I feel empowered to be a part of this big and beautiful family.

         That evening we had the Conference Dinner and I had taken permission from our Founder Dr Santosh Karmarkar, for Vineet to play the Octapad for the guests. And boy did he play! Vineet had accompanied us to the Conference only because we told him he would be playing for the guests. He played and enthralled everyone and they all became his fans! That evening , everyone came to know about Vineet the musician and I couldn't be more proud! 😊 Here's the video -

And here's another video to show you all how much we enjoyed that night with the DJ and danced away our blues and worries..😃😍
https://www.facebook.com/jacqueline.r.victor/videos/10217441007921877/?l=9166364116643071576

I for my part had gotten very very emotional that night..but that another story..

12th August 2018, Sunday

Today was going to be the last day of our wonderful Conference and it was a bit heartbreaking, coz we were just getting to know each other and so were the kids. Today there was a tribute to Mr #JavedAbidi , the pioneer of Disability rights and advocacy in India and he had Spina Bifida. May his beautiful soul rest in peace 🙏. Also there were 2 videos of a child and an adult with Spina bifida in India. Then at the very end I gave my speech for which a topic had been given to me beforehand - "What I want to tell my Doctor - A Parent's perspective"

Here it is - https://www.facebook.com/jacqueline.r.victor/videos/10217373013222052/?l=4828727102902456145

It was finally time to thank and say goodbye to each other and even then, we couldn't finish. So much to say and share and so less time! Here's hoping that the next National Conference will be longer and we will spend some more quality time with our new family in India.😊

So Thankyou once again for joining Vineet's journey here, looking forward to more happy times with my boy!

(And please do let me know in the comments if I've made any mistakes or do write to let me know what are your thoughts, I would love to go through them!)

Another milestone ! Vineet passed his Class 12 Board exams!

So now in the month of February, 15th February to be precise, Vineet's Secondary School Board exams were scheduled. He had a total of 7 subjects to appear for and he needed to pass in 4 of them apart from English Language and Literature which were compulsory.

Like before ( during his Class 10 Board exams), he was provided with a writer from a lower class. We waited for his results patiently for about one and a half months and on     May, the results were declared. Vineet had managed to pass! It was a great feat as this result was all his own hard work. Vineet is an intelligent boy, but has problems coordinating his learnt studies into answers for an exam. Orally he has no problems, but it's tough for him to construct and write an answer for exams in the way it is wanted/required. Nevertheless, we as his parents and Vineet too was happy that he had passed. Just passed.

Now came the important decision to be made- whether he would continue with college or not. Vin had already decided that he would not pursue studies anymore and concentrate on his music classes. So I enrolled him for his keyboard and guitar classes nearby.

Some well-wishers suggested long distance education for Vin as it would enable him to have a college degree as well as his health would not be affected by regular college. So we are thinking of going ahead with this .

So that's the latest happening in Vin's life . Thank you all for being such an important part of Vineet's journey.🙏

HAPPY NEW YEAR !! (SORRY, I KNOW I'M LATE ...)

Hey everyone! Wishing you all a Very Happy New Year! I know its a bit late in the day,😛🤦 but this being my first post for the new year, I had to wish first ...
So I think I left the story about Vin's broken leg incomplete. I shall continue now.
After about a month,  on 25th November 2017 (Saturday), we went for his X-ray to check if things were okay,  and we were pleasantly surprised when the technician told us that Vin's leg was perfectly healed!  He suggested we call him in a day or two to remove the cast. But papa said he'll do it himself! So next day in the evening,  papa removed  his cast. The main reason for hurrying was that Vin was going to perform in his School's Annual Function on the following Tuesday. It would be his last performance in school , and he as well as his Band friends didn't want him to be left out. Vin even went for the final rehearsal a day before with his legs in the cast! What else can he do for music! 

So after removing the cast, there was a problem. His knee wouldn't bend. The doctor said it would move only after physiotherapy for 3-4 days. But Vineet being Vineet, he still went for his rehearsals after 2 days with a knee bent at 30 degrees,and not 90 degrees🤦, with a tool at his feet. I hope I get the pic/video of that rehearsal when this post is ready😅

Concert was fabulous and Vin had a great time playing with his band, though I was worried about the leg. So as soon as his song got over, I brought him back home to his leg settings.After a week or so with regular physiotherapy, the knees were finally bending as before. Praise God! 🙏

Here's the link to the video -

https://youtu.be/g4XsWfzGV54

Accident ! Vin got a fracture in his left leg...

Today being the third day without fever, I can safely blog about this untoward incident. So to go back a little,  on 10th October,  there was a small cyclone crossing over us and it led to flooding in our area which is one of the lowest in our town. No matter what the civic authorities do,  we are the first to get flooded invariably. It has become our way of life. So as usual we removed all that had to be removed from the lower parts of our cabinet, etc and went off upstairs to the first floor where Vin's grandma stays.  There we waited for the water to recede from the house so we could start cleaning.  By evening when the house was all set,  Vin said he wanted to go back down.
There at the last 2 steps,  was a little bit of water and even though I was right in front of them, I couldn't stop Vineet in his dad's arms from slipping and falling with a loud thud. For a moment I didn't know what to do. Then other members rushed and helped Vineet and his dad. We checked them both for injuries, especially his dad coz we thought he might have broken something. But thankfully he was okay by the grace of God😇🙏 Vineet also looked okay. But he was shaken!
Then before we were off to bed in the night,  Vin got a light fever with chills. I brushed it lightly and went off to bed. The fever went away early morning but came back later in the day. I gave him paracetamol. The fever went off and came back just as its effect wore off after 6 hours. So naturally we took him to a doctor who prescribed medicine for flu and cold which was in the air. He also suggested we do an x-ray of his chest as he was coughing badly. Next day as we changed him to take him for x-ray, we noticed a big bulge just above his knee on the left leg. Something was definitely wrong there...  The x-ray confirmed our fears- there was a fracture in the femur bone just above the knees . And the fever wouldn't leave. Next we consulted an Orthopedic who prescribed some more calcium medicines along with a knee corset for Vin. 7 days passed and the fever wouldn't go. Then came the Urine culture report and it showed e. Coli infection. So now there was a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) as well. So we consulted another Doctor who prescribed Antibiotic Injections (twice daily for 5 days!!) and also casts for the legs. She rightly observed that since Vineet had zero sensation in his legs,  the corset could move and he would not be able to sense the pain and hence the healing would take longer.
    So to make the story short,  his fever went off after 3 injections and I still wonder if it was a very big coincidence that the fever came the night he fell and also the UTI occurred the same time? And the mild chest infection too...

Update (24th October 2017)

So today he finally got his casts on. The last time I saw casts in the family was when Vin's grandma had a fall a few years back. Please pray for Vin's speedy recovery.. Thankyou!
(Poor thing, he's going to spend his 18th birthday in casts...)

A short 'afternote' about our Europe Trip with Vineet

Phew!! Feeling quite accomplished now that I've finished documenting Vineet's trip to Europe before my memory gave way! 😜 So there were a few small things I wanted to point out to parents with a child as special as Vineet.

1. So when we came back I found that Vineet's SB site had a blister kind of thing at the bony part. Big mistake on our part - we had forgotten all about his cushion in this trip! 😱 It did not occur to us at all that his travel chair had no cushioning at all. We had carried it to Mumbai (and even left one in the hotel by mistake) but this time we forgot in the hullabaloo. So now we had to take care of this blister which ultimately burst and is now healed, Thankfully by the grace of God Almighty 🙏

2.  I don't know if we searched less or what, but it was so difficult to find a bottle of milk, just plain milk in there. They came in different forms and flavours, but never just pure milk. Quite perplexing...or maybe we didn't try to hard, eh 😏 Nevertheless, that one glass of milk daily was quite irregular for Vin and it made him weak. So if your child is having food issues, carry lots of them with you in portable forms. It would have done us well to carry small milk cartons from here. Next time! 😌

3. Lastly, while writing my posts I was also able to find a lot of exciting things about Italy - especially the " ACCESSIBLE GONDOLAS in Venice!!! I was soooo excited for Vin! They ACTUALLY have them!
Click HERE for the official link for demo videos and online official bookings and you can also contribute to them for making this thing happen!! I will be in touch with them... ☺




Have a look at this awesome video 😃



4. And it also makes me make a note about our very own First Indian Travel Company for the specially challenged - www.enabletravel.com

They also have a Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/EnableTravel/

I am still upset at myself  why I didn't come to know of them earlier... Nevertheless, I love their stories and their services ,and after #DeepaMalik our very own Paralympic Champion went for a Europe Trip with them , she has highly recommended their services. They are having an Offer going on at the moment on the occasion of the country's 70 years of Independence - you can nominate a friend or relative with any disability and send them on one of their #70trips without any worry at all! Isn't that a great initiative?!! We won't be able to go on another vacation so soon again 😁 but naturally, but if you want to nominate anyone , here's the  link - CLICK HERE  Those who will nominate will get a Rupees One thousand travel voucher from 'Cox and Kings".
And if you want me to nominate someone for this, please leave a mail to - spinabifidainindia@gmail.com

HURRY!!!!

Vineet's London-Europe Trip 2017 Day 10 ( Zurich)

14th June

On the streets of Zurich

So today was going to be the last day of our beautiful trip. It was a bittersweet feeling.. Part of us wanted to stay back but a greater part wanted to be back home soon with our near and dear ones. I for my part was very worried about the way Vineet looked - tanned and almost dehydrated... He had also been skipping his daily one glass of milk in the evenings as dinner was early all these days...😒
So at noon we said goodbye to our hotel in Olten and moved towards Zurich. I was not surprised when we were told that our new driver would be a lady,  coz earlier on one of our drives I had seen a girl as young as in her twentys driving a big bus as ours easily in her red cold-shoulder- top 😍My eyes had widened at her- we have yet to see something like that in our country....
However our lady driver was more experienced and must have been in her 50s (?)  and she drove very well and took us for a short tour of the city of Zurich before dropping us off for a short time near the station for lunch.We had lunch in Burger King at Zurich station and since we still had some time left, we rushed to catch a tram and go towards the lake as our Tour Manager had advised us. He even told us the Tram number ☺. The tram was very accessible and it was a wonderful ride up to where we were supposed to embark. A fellow traveller helped us as to where we should get down, and then we were supposed to walk a short distance towards the lake.

Beside Lake Zurich

 As we were walking towards it,  we saw a church ⛪ on the left hand side and walked towards it. Only to be told at the entrance that we would have to pay 5 euros for entering and a short tour!!  What the heck??!!  To pay to enter a church is the WEIRDEST thing that I've ever come across in my whole life as of now!  I don't think those guys at the counter have read the Bible wherein Jesus himself beat and drove out all those people who had made the Temple  (Church during the days of Christ) into a marketplace for their stuff. Read - JOHN 2:16 And here they were taking money to let in people?!!  I was so shocked and angry that I forgot to mention this part,  but I told them they were doing a horrible,  miserable thing. And I refused to pay them any money and walked out with a vow to report this to higher church authorities. I asked them the name of the church,  but they deliberately told me the Dutch name so I couldn't remember it (but they're wrong, I will hunt it out and make my point soon😠)

FRAUMUNSTER  CHURCH, ZURICH

Okay!! Grand update! GUESS WHAT! GOOGLE HELPED ME FIND THE NAME OF THE CHURCH - "FRAUMUNSTER  CHURCH " IN ZURICH. YES. THATS THE ONE, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE!
 And I thought I heard them vaguely making an excuse to the extent that they needed money for the maintenance of the church as it was a heritage site (I could be wrong here, nevertheless). As far as my little knowledge goes, a heritage site is taken care of by the government. Secondly, in the Cologne Cathedral, entry was free and if anyone wanted to opt for a guided tour of the whole church right upto its highest floor, only then they needed to pay a small amount. That was so so OKAY. And THIS was NOT OKAY AT ALL!! I even felt ashamed to see a couple of Asian (maybe Chinese or Japanese) tourists paying to enter the church... 😑


Anyways, still smarting,  we moved towards the lake and what do we see on the road?  - three guys on motorised wheelchairs roaming about the streets and basically having a good time! 😊 Oh it was such a heartwarming sight....  Then there was this guy playing the bagpipe near the lake while a small boy was making huge water bubbles with the help of his grandfather. There were the words "PEACE" written on a small board behind them. And I thought what a perfect way to end our wonderful trip! PEACE!  Much needed in the world today!

So now it was time to head back to where our bus was waiting to take us to the airport. And soon it was time to say goodbye to Zurich, Switzerland. We went back the same way- via Oman Airways and Muscat. This time we didn't get Vin's wheelchair wrapped as we had learnt our hard lesson while coming. It was a good decision.

At Zurich Airport

It was a difficult journey while returning as we were already jet-lagged and spent most of the hours sleeping away and thereby missed dinner, and we didn't have time for breakfast also the next day. By late noon we reached New Delhi Airport and then rushed to catch our evening train back home. Only when we had seated ourselves comfortably in our coach that we heaved a sigh of relief. But by then Vin looked weak and dehydrated. I immediately took care of him and made him feel better as much as I could. We all longed to be in the comfort of our home and with our near and dear ones soon.
And so it happened the next morning! 😃
 NO PLACE LIKE HOME SWEET HOME !!!! 😊☺

Watch our video here -

Vineet's London-Europe Tour 2017 Day 9 (Mount Titlis and Luzern)

13th June

Entrance to the Cable Car towards Mount Titlis

After having rested the earlier day, we were all charged and excited to go to Mount Titlis today 😃 We dressed in our snow boots and carried our jackets as it was quite warm in the valley. I also carried our regular shoes and sandals to change into later, as it was really warm. We reached Mount Tilis base after a bus ride of around 50 mins and before we knew, we were ushered into the ice cable car and off we zoomed up towards the mountains! It was beautiful, thrilling, exciting and a never-before experience! At the second station we changed into the #Rotair, which is the only revolving ice cable car in the whole world! Until now, we had NO problem at all moving Vinsy in his wheelchair. It was all so smooth, unbelievably accessible. 😀

Then we reached to where the snow was by lift from the rotair station.So now,there was a nice little open restaurant out there with the floor made of iron grills and wood and then there was the snow. So now what to do...how to take Vin into the snow? Simply drag his wheelchair in the snow as far as Papa could. When he got tired, we had reached half way towards where road to the ice-flyer and snow-activities started. We couldn't think of dragging Vin till the "Glacier Park". It was just too far....

Thats the Glacier Park in the background where we couldn't take Vin

So we perched in there and Papa suggested we make a small snow-man. Mum and Tia got to work with some help from Vin and soon enough we had an 'OLAF' ready complete with Vin's cap and papa's shades on it! He looked too cute and endearing, so other tourists also started taking fotos with it! We felt accomplished 😌 Then Tia started going up towards the topmost part and mummy went too so she could get some videos from there to show Vin later.

Yup. So we couldn't enjoy the snow-activities at all and we had thought we would.... It was sort of disappointing....but never mind... 😔

LAKE LUCERNE

We had lunch in one of the Pizzeria there (which was exorbitantly priced) and then we moved towards the town of Lucerne. It was a beautiful town and we had all afternoon and evening to ourselves. We did some shopping there and decided to spend some time sitting quietly by the lake (Lucern). It was a beautiful view and we didn't want to move from there. But then, our Tour Guide had mentioned to us about the " CHAPEL BRIDGE (KAPELLBRUCKE)  nearby and so off we went towards it. THERE WAS NO RAMP at the entrance and there were at least 6-8 steps. Papa told me and Tia to take a look inside and come back, but we don't do stuff like that. Where Vin can't go, we can't go too...not all the time.

ENTRANCE TO THE CHAPEL BRIDGE (NO RAMP)

So we took the pathway beside the lake and the Chapel Bridge and came to another bridge which had 2 steps leading to it and we could carry Vin onto it.We roamed on the other side and found nothing interesting, so we returned the same way. This time we got ourselves a helper who helped transfer Vin the 2 steps down. As I write this, I am thinking maybe I should have gone into the Chapel Bridge and checked for some accessible path... At least they could have put in a sign if there was at all!! 😐

Then it was time to leave for dinner.

After note - When we returned back home to India, I wrote a letter to Mount Titlis authorities about how disappointed and disheartened we were that Vin could not go upto the ice flyer or the snow activities, and how it would be nice if they could arrange a ramp or something to make it happen for people on wheelchairs. And I was pleasantly surprised to receive a reply from them saying how they were looking into the matter and were as eager to help people on wheelchairs reach the.....
Well,  that certainly brightened me up 😃 At least they were thinking....  And it also reminds me to write back to them about a more feasible idea that I got the other day when I was watching a few videos of mount Titlis on YouTube .Hope it convinces them soon!! 🙏😇

Watch our video here-

Vineet's London-Europe Trip 2017 Day 8 ( Olten, Switzerland)

12th June

Today our entire group left for " Jungfraujoch", a glacier-saddle between two high of the highest peaks of the Alps in Europe. (Here is the wikipedia link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfraujoch ) So to reach it, you have to catch a train from Interlaken (in the valley) and change it from Kleine Scheidegg again to reach the top.
We did not go. I had read reviews of Jungfraujoch before coming and they said that it was a highly over-rated tourist spot. That was the first reason and also we were already scheduled to visit Mount Titlis the next day, which was also a snow-covered mountain (though not so high as Jungfraujoch). Then there was the biggest problem of breathing at that height which I cannot bear. I have suffered due to it when we had visited 'Zero Point" in Sikkim, India earlier. I did not want to risk that trouble again. Fourthly, there were changing of trains to be done and frankly I didn't know how much of a trouble it would be for Vin in his wheelchair. And lastly, we wanted to take a bit of rest after all those hectic days of continuous touring.
So. We slept. We slept so late that we almost missed breakfast! 😜😅Then we had lavish baths 😄and after a delicious lunch (from the hotel restaurant), in the evening we got dressed and decided to go for a short walk towards the town of Olten nearby where we could also see some church steeples and I wanted to visit one 🙏


                

It was a lovely walk and we enjoyed walking beside the fields of Switzerland into the town where we saw very few people and some kids on bicycles. We saw sheep grazing and finally we found a church where we went in and prayed. We thanked God for the beautiful trip of our lives and returned back to the hotel where we met our group buddies who had already returned. And we found our dinner packed neatly and left for us by our Tour Manager. God bless him! 😇

Also I would like to share with you all the awesome "adaptable room" we got here , even though it was on the 1st floor. The door to the Bathroom was wide , there was a shower tool, toilet had handle bar, and there was even an Emergency thread! Have a look at the pics -

 

And here is a short video I made of us -

Vineet's London-Europe Trip 2017 Day 7 (Black Forest and Rhine Falls)

11th June

The Black Forests of Germany in the background

Today we proceeded towards the Black Forests of Germany and therein we stopped at the largest cuckoo clock and the original cuckoo clock factory. One of the building was wheelchair accessible with a lift but the other one was not- not at least till what met my eyes... Have to Google about it too 😐
            So at least Vin was able to go around in the accessible shop and admire the various Swiss watches, etc on display. Then we moved on to the Rhine Falls. Here too,  there was a wheelchair/accessible path just a few paces away from the stairs that went down towards the Falls, but again,  No Signboards😒😑
I wandered around ,  went down the stairs and luckily saw a baby in a pram coming from that way and heaved a sigh of relief!

Once down,  we crossed a small bridge and then there were stairs again to go further down to where the ferries were. We saw a small makeshift lift just at the entrance. BUT IT WAS LOCKED!!

YOU CAN SEE A VIDEO OF THAT LIFT   HERE

So again I went down the stairs and looked for alternatives or ways, but NONE. Again we were left behind from our group and there was a big crowd and queues to go into the numerous ferries with different scheduled timings. I went up to one of the ticket counters and asked the man there about how to use the lift. He said we have to give him a copy of Vin's passport and a government 'disability certificate'and he would give us the keys to it. I ran towards Vin and papa to give them this information when I saw papa carrying Vin and coming down along with our dear Tour Manager. They left the wheelchair on top of the stairs as it was very sunny and there was no shade nearby. Papa is a loving💕 papa and luckily we found a bench to sit on while we waited for our ferry to return from its previous trip. It came and we went for our exciting ferry-ride towards the Falls. And no,  the ferry was not wheelchair accessible. I suppose there are none in the world? I read about Venice's famous gondolas were going to be made accessible,  but I have not updated myself about this( which I should be doing)

On the ferry ride finally!

This time we were allotted rooms on the 10th floor of the hotel in Germany. We had a long wait for the lift although there were 3 of them but of 3 various sizes - small,  medium and large!  😂
The view from the balcony was beautiful as we could see almost the entire city of Ludwigshafen  and the bridge.