Nath, Author at The Wheelchair Traveller

Day 8/9 – Cruise Ship Central

I don’t quite know what’s happening to this blog as posts are going missing, must be something to with the wifi! However I will write the missing ones again when I get home.

As I was meant to say on day 7 yesterday it was another day at sea which was day 8, so it was round 2 of doing absolutely nothing!

Today, we docked at Nassau in the Bahamas and as I read on another blog (Curb Free with Cory Lee), that Nassau was accessible I decided to take super bunny to stretch its legs. As expected the place was very accessible as opposed to other places on the cruise and most shops and restaurants have level access.

After taking a short walk through the centre we headed down to the beach for another dip in the sea, plus super-bunny got to go on the beach (it wasn’t accessible we just pushed and pulled it . It was another story trying to get off the beach and resulted in four excitable men lifting super-bunny off the beach, one of the older men said how great my PAs to help take me around the world…. how lovely of them to do so!. Oh and I decided to get with the Caribbean culture whilst on the beach, drinking from a cocoanut…. A rather warm one at that!

Before getting back onto the ship for one last time, we headed to an accessible restaurant, note to self don’t order an appetiser by itself, you don’t get much!

Tomorrow we dock back at Miami and have to be out of our cabins at 7am (how lovely for my PAs). The plan is to head onto the free metro mover to downtown Miami to have lunch and to have a gander around their majestic TOWERS!!!!!

Day 6 – Palm Trees!!

Today we docked at Georgetown in the Cayman Islands, I say docked but we actually tendered meaning that we had to get boats onto the main land. We thought it would be best to take my manual wheelchair just to be on the safe side and it was a good job that we did as there would be no way that super-bunny would be able to get on the tender boats!!!

It took 3 strong men to lift me and my chair onto the tender boat and then onto the main land. Once off the boat, we followed the sight of the beach for half an hour and on pavements that were not the best in terms of access. We soon came to a quaint little beach near the sea with palm trees and a majestic view of the sea, perfect to go for a swim with my rapid deployment inflatable system! Immersed in clear blue water, we were able to see little fishies whilst we were bobbing around.

On our return to the centre from the beach, we stopped of at a beach side Caribbean restaurant where you were able to feed the fishies your leftover food, oh and there was a couple of iguanas wondering around the place! Before we headed back on the tender boat we had a snoop around the shops. I forgot to say at the start, that although some of the pavements were not accessible most of the shops were, where they had temporary ramps into the shops which was a little better than Jamaica.

Tomorrow we head to Cozumel, Mexico where apparently there is quite a lot of shops to buy lovely things, Whether or not I buy anything is another story

Day 5 – Jamaica Man!

Today we visited our first port of call, Ochos Rios in Jamaica. It was another hot one as we made our way from the cruise ship to the terminal, definitely one of the hottest places that I have ever visited!

Prior to coming out here, I had booked a wheelchair accessible taxi to go on a sightseeing tour around the local area and through Fern Gulley which I was led to believe was a rainforest. Our driver arrived bang on time with a wheelchair accessible minivan that had a tail-lift at the back, so it was easy to get my manual wheelchair in and thinking about it since, it would have been ok for superbunny!

We started our tour by heading through Ochos Rios and its main street and you got a flavour of how poor the country is. Now when I think of the rainforest I think of exotic animals and the Brazilian rainforest from documentaries, no, the Jamaican version of it is just a lot of fern trees towering above you with a road winding through it! What was interesting about it was the amount of shacks at the side of the road with people trying to sell trinkets etc. I don’t know how they can make money in the middle of nowhere with the occasional car going past but they must manage somehow.

After giving out a few tips, we headed up to a viewpoint where you could see just how big our cruise ship actually is, towering over half of the town. Next we visited a local store to buy presents and I tried some authentic Jamaican rum, before heading to Dunn Falls.

On the website for Dunn Falls it looks quite accessible for a wheelchair but I think the Jamaican term for accessibility isn’t quite the same as mine! But we were undeterred and headed in, only to head back out as the heat got to us. It was a good job that I took my manual wheelchair as it was basically on a hill with steep slopes, but a few of the locals helped me and my PA’s out.

Finally, our driver took us to a local takeaway restaurant to sample some authentic jerk chicken, before returning back to our cruise ship.

Tomorrow we visit Georgetown in the Cayman Islands, I’m not quite sure what there is to do but we’ll find out! 🙂

Day 4 – Absolutely nothing!

Yesterday we were at sea all day as we made our way to Jamaica. This made for a perfect opportunity to do nothing! As we couldn’t attend the emergency drill yesterday, we were asked to go to the theatre to watch an exciting demonstration video in around 5 different languages! For the remainder of the day, I was chilling out and listening to my audio book and before I knew it the day was over.

Today we dock at Ocho Rios in Jamaica where we have booked a wheelchair accessible driving tour around the Fern Valley (rainforest) and visiting Dunns falls (I think that’s the one anyway) which should be intriguing

Day 3 – Lets go cruising

After packing once again, we headed down to the port of Miami (apparently the biggest port in America…interesting fact!). On our way back from Miami beach Friday we managed to book a taxi to take us there with the same company. Although the port of Miami is around a 10 minute drive away the taxi driver charged us 40 dollars, however the other taxi that we booked to take our luggage only cost 15…rip off!

We boarded the cruise ship with ease, I got to skip most of the queues…the benefits of being disabled! Our luggage was took by the porters which included my manual wheelchair, but it soon made its way up to our cabins.

As our cabins were not ready until 1430 we headed to the welcome buffet and was surprising how much food they have on offer!

My cabin seemed to be massive (I have posted it on Twitter) compared to some of the other cabins which made for a luxury experience, oh and I forgot the balcony for which I am sitting on right now. It has a fairly big wet room complete with a shower seat that you can almost fit on, but it good compared to some in the UK!

We walked up onto the 16th floor to watch the ship depart from Miami which was spectacular as the sun went down, oh and we saw lightning too! When I booked the cruise, I didn’t quite realise how posh the evening meal would be. I was a bit taken back by it but sure that I’ll get used to it eventually.

Today we are at sea all day so the plan is to just relax and maybe go swimming later ready for Jamaica tomorrow. Finally, to confuse us a little more we are now 6 hours behind the UK until Friday when we arrive in the Bahamas

Day 2 – Lets go to the beach ey ey (Wait that was last time…)

After a slow morning yesterday, we headed to Miami beach which we found out is totally different city to Miami (interesting fact for the day!) it was simple enough to book a wheelchair taxi from the hotel to the beach bar the fact it cost 70 dollars there and back. Along the way, we got on good terms with the driver who decided to show us some of the sights on the way.

We headed straight for the beach where super bunny got stuck in the sand and that was the moment that a guy came over and informed us that you can hire a beach wheelchair. I had seen these online and was expecting to pay a little for it, but was pleasantly surprised that it was free. Although I could not drive it myself due to the set up, it was rather exciting and my PAs seemed to enjoy driving it and scaring me at times (I have uploaded a photo on Twitter).

We drove the wheelchair down the path leading to the sea where I disembarked and got into the sea forgetting the fact that I didn’t have swimming trunks on (typical me).

I think they heat got to us all so we decided to retreat to air-con restaurant and it was here where we got a flavor of exactly how chaotic the atmosphere was. It was so busy and hectic a stroll was necessary into a quieter area full of Palm trees.

After a taxi ride back, we discovered a supermarket as Thursday night cost us around 90 dollars and me being a cheap skate, I didn’t want to pay that for one day (breakfast came to 100 dollars in itself!).

It was another early night after we discovered an Italian restaurant which encompassed live music which really set the scene for a romantic evening with my Irish PA.

Today, we head to of Miami where we board the cruise ready to depart at 1900 tonight.

Keep following Twitter

Day 0 and 1 – The epicentre of the UK (Heathrow) and touchdown

So it has been a been a manic two days of travelling hence why I have just started the blog this morning!

As per my previous America trip, we stayed in the Ibis hotel at Heathrow which brought back memories of my 21 day American adventure, I think I even stayed in the same room!

We used the same pick up service as before (Purple Parking) where we were able to drive the van into the terminal car park and they picked it up and drove it into a secure car park (I’m sad that I know where it actually is seeing as it is next to the main railway line from Bristol to London Paddington, if you’re interested). As always, it was quite a smooth process through Heathrow airport bar the fact that my inflatable rapid deployment system contained as gas cylinder, not a good idea going through security!!

This time we flew with British Airways to Miami rather than Virgin Atlantic, still in Premium Economy. There wasn’t much difference at all between the two airline except we got a lemon in the drink. The 9 hour flight seemed to pass quite quick as we were content in being fed and watered and soon landed at Miami international airport, America seemed to have the habit of not being able to deliver my wheelchair, super bunny, to the gate rather than to baggage collection. It was easy to get a taxi to the hotel, why can’t other countries be as efficient! Anyway, this is where the deliration started due to the 5 hour time difference, so it was an early night.

The hotel seemed to have known I was coming as my room looking over the skyline including, my favourite thing, TOWERS!! I have posted a photo on Twitter of the majestic view.

Today we plan to head to Miami beach for a wonder around and hopefully not get bitten by mosquito and contract zeka virus!

Keep following Twitter

Day 4 in Madrid – Planes!

So it turns out that the airport charges you €3 to use their wifi and me being a cheap skate I’m wasn’t going to pay that, this is why I’m posting this a day late!!

Anyway we woke up to another sunny day and decided to chill out and explore the nearby area which there was a traditional market and we decided to explore. One of my PA’s were thrilled as they bought themselves a pair of “Okly” sunglasses for €1 as they left their pair at the hotel.

For lunch we found another marvellous restaurant, I put it similar to Gourmet Burger Kitchen in the UK, but a lot cheaper :)…

Our taxi arrived at 18:30 to take us back to the airport, the journey took 15 minutes and cost €30!! it seems to be a standard rate for the airport taxi to bring you anywhere in Madrid. It does seem quite expensive to me.

It is here that I bid you fair well from this holiday. As usual, I have changed my plans for the summer which now involves flying to Miami and then taking a cruse around the Caribbean for 11 days, stopping at Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, and the Bahamas.

Day 3 in Madrid – Trains everywhere!

We woke up to a beautiful day in comparison to yesterday’s rain and it was straight down to the metro to visit, guess what, A TOWER THAT YOU CAN GO UP!!

Whilst we we were travelling on the metro changing lines at interchanges, I was able to get a feel for how accessible it is. One of the lines that is closest to the hotel (line 1) seems to have one of the oldest rolling stock on the network, I put it similar to the old style Paris metro train (not many people will care about this, it’s just me being sad!). Naturally there was quite a big gap between the train and the platform edge, however, I have noticed that the driver comes out of the train cab to offer assistance (if only the London Underground did this!!). Anyway for the remainder of our journey, the trains seemed to be that of a modern style and reminded me of the Circle and Hammersmith and City line trains…

When we reached our destination, i.e the tower, it looked majestic against the backdrop of the mountains, it was quite cheap too…there was a reason for this. Although you had a nice view as you went up in the lift as you reached the top it was basically a big podium that you could look out 180 degrees over the city, it still satisfied me anyway…

We exited the park that the tower was situated in and began our quest to find somewhere for lunch which took a shorter time than anticipated and it was marvellous food (I can’t actually remember the name of it to save my life!). Heading back onto the metro, we travelled to the main station to discover that the elevator was out of service bringing back memories of the London Underground. As a result, we had to get back onto the train and go down to the next accessible station doubling back on ourselves. When I think about accessible metro stations I think of elevators but it seems that the Spanish term it differently as there was no elevator but rather an upward and doward travelator which super bunny loved…

We finally reached the train station only to realise that the Spanish have implemented an airport style security process before you can go on the platform so we went on another little quest to find a spot to watch the trains as they arrived and departed which was entertaining for a while!

Later, we plan to walk down to the Cuatro Torres financial district which basically consists of four very tall towers, in fact some of the tallest in Europe when they are all lit up and looking majestic. Before we head back to the airport tomorrow night we plan to go into the centre on our continuing quest to find a Real Madrid shop.

See you at the airport 😀

Day 2 in Madrid – Pigeons on the Santiago Bernabeu football pitch!

As predicted, we woke up to a dreary day here in Madrid but that did not deter our excitement for the day ahead. After breakfast, we headed out on our quest to find the Santiago Bernabeu football stadium which is apparently one of the biggest in the world (I only really went to marvel at the architecture). It was pretty easy to navigate from our hotel as it was one straight road all the way there and we passed some marvellous modern architecture…

We reached the stadium in the knowledge that me and one of my PAs got in for free, however the nice lady at the ticket office let us all in for free, what a nice woman she was! We were told to walk around the stadium to a particular gate where we were greeted by security when we were taken up a glass elevator beginning our tour. The tour included some high tech gadgetry for which filled me with excitement before continuing into the actual stadium.

Normally you are allowed to go onto the pitch, however, this isn’t wheelchair accessible so as an alternative you are allowed to visit the wheelchair seating area where we noticed that the V.I.P area was a stones throw away! As I have discussed over the past few years writing this blog I have a phobia of pigeons, or as I like to call them the devil. As a result I was particularly drawn to the fact that pigeons seem to gather on the actual football pitch for which I found fascinating, and the architecture was too…

Upon our exit, we went on the hunt for a Real Madrid shop which was to no avail, however what we did find was a quiet old shopping centre for which made a perfect stop for lunch. It is usually common sense for shopping centres to sign post the location of the lift, however the lift in this shopping centre appeared to be by the toilets with no sign postage. I say lift, it was actually a cargo lift which I swear dated back to the 1980’s, it even had no sensors on the doors so was attempting to shut on my PA. After a magical adventure in the cargo lift, we found a place to eat although the price was extortionate due to its close proximity to the stadium.

After lunch, the sun decided to appear as we wandered off around the other financial district that Madrid possesses. As usual, my artistic style of photography showed as we wandered around and soon began to get lost amidst the excitement. I thought that the hotel would be easy to find due to the straight road going back and the sky scrapers surrounding it but neither of these two were evident. To add to this, all of our phones had no internet access or had run out of battery. We headed down some back streets and eventually found out that we were following the metro line albeit the wrong way! As there was an accessible metro station nearby, I couldn’t resist going on it to get back to the hotel.

In terms of accessibility, the metro reminded me a little of Paris as only some of the stations are accessible. Depending on what line you wish to go on the gap between the train and the platform edge varies and in this case super bunny had to take a leap of faith whilst attempting not to run over anybody.

I forgot to mention about the general accessibility of the stadium tour, the exhibition was fully accessible but the dressing rooms and the pitch were not-not bad for a freebie!

Tomorrow. we head back to the metro to visit another one of my favourite things a observation deck and to top that off the train station!! Oh and going for a walk around the centre to hopefully find a Real Madrid shop.

See you tomorrow!😀

Nath