Nath, Author at The Wheelchair Traveller

Oh Corona, Corona

Amidst the chaos that the Coronavirus is bringing to the world i.e. a quarter of the Earths population is now in isolation, there are some positive aspects that are being missed by many. One that is of particular interest to me is how the impact of isolation is affecting our environment. Besides the reduction of emissions in our cities, wildlife is having a rare chance to thrive, for example, the clearer waters of Venice is allowing hundreds of fish to enter, even dolphins can be seen at Italian ports! It’s such a shame that this glimpse of what the world could be will most likely be short lived when daily life returns to normal…

Anyway, travelling this year, yes, well that has completely gone out the window hasn’t it? I had booked a 2 week excursion to the USA at the end of May to Seattle and San Francisco (with day trips to Vancouver and Sacramento) but, let’s face it, that isn’t going to happen! Even if the travel restrictions are lifted by then, I don’t know how I would feel about spending 8+ hours on a plane with the same people spreading their illnesses around (Although, airplane cabins are thought to be the safest containment areas currently…fun fact for you!).

So what is the plan now you may ask? Well, first we have to ‘send this virus packing’ (in the words of good old Boris!) and then wait for the travel restrictions to be lifted which is unknown at the moment. Once lifted and a few months have passed, the plan for this year and next is to remain in Europe (or the crossroads between it and Asia) mainly because you know where you stand with your own continent plus I need time to rebuild Dynamic Play after all of this!

I was in the process of planning Turkmenistan for September before Corona hit the UK. Of course, that plan has now changed and I now plan to explore even more of Europe for the next two years hence it seems fitting to begin by finishing up northern Europe and the remaining Baltic states namely Latvia and Norway before I start on the south and the rest of the east. Now the two countries have completely opposite views on accessibility. As with other Scandinavian countries i.e. Denmark and Sweden, Norway seems to be ‘up there’ with catering for the disabled so doesn’t require much forward planning. Now, you would of thought with Latvia, especially Riga being a tourist hotspot coupled with being a ‘stag’ destination, it would have some kind of accessibility, it appears not! The only publicly known ‘accessible’ taxi company only caters for manual wheelchairs. All is not lost though as the majority of buses (especially to and from the airport) are wheelchair friendly, good news for Superbunny!

The plan for next year is to see how Superbunny fairs with both some of Europes more accessible countries i.e. Portugal and Croatia and perhaps some of the more ‘out there’ countries i.e. Georgia and Azerbaijan!

Nonetheless, let’s focus upon Riga and Oslo for now…

Day 6 (Uzbekistan) – The Inaccessibility of Tashkent

As it was our last full day in Uzbekistan, we remained in Tashkent and, after a lazy morning i.e. catching up on work enquiries, it was time to trek up to the TV Tower for a majestic view of the city. Now, as the Tashkent metro is completely inaccessible i.e. down flights of steps, we decided to walk for which trusty Google Maps informed us would take 52 minutes down one straight road, simple! However, as we were in no rush, we agreed to take the scenic route and zigzag our way to the tower through the suburbs (as that is where you see the real city i.e. not the commercial hubbub) and its ‘lifestyle’, needless to say, we ended up a little lost.

If you thought the city centre was a little inaccessible, try rolling through the suburbs with large water gullies dissecting the pavement…

It must have been a good 2 hours before we reached the majestic tower weaving our way through the streets (and up and down steps) until we discovered the entrance to the structure…

During ones travels, I have come to realise that observation decks are generally well equipped for wheelchair users (even if it does mean going through the rear entrance) but this is Uzbekistan we are talking about hence you can guess what the first obstacle was…

It seemed rather strange though as there was a perfectly good ramp up to the entrance. Anyway, the tower presented some great views of the city…

We were all delighted to have discovered the road which we should have walked up afterwards hence it was a straight 52 minute road back to the Hotel Uzbekistan (stopping at ‘Chesters’ restaurant to sample the Uzbeks version of the British cuisine) for our final night in Central Asia!

Day 5 (Kazakhstan) – The Madness of Shymkent

It was another 6am start as our driver took us to the Kazakhstan border with the vision of having a day tour in and around Shymkent, the third largest city in the country. One did have some expectations that the border would be tricky to cross due to the nature of the two countries but nothing could prepare you for the absolute madness that unfolds. You see these mad border crossings on TV full of people selling tat with stray dogs hanging around but it’s not until you experience it yourself that you realise the craziness of it all (and about 6 passport checks!)…

After around 30 minutes of walking through various passport buildings, we stepped into Kazakhstan where our guide, his English translator (Bob) and driver met us. This is when it starts getting a little confusing, we had been driving through the Kazakhstan countryside/desert for approximately 3 hours when we discovered that the tour company wished to take us to the ‘Ancient City’ which would be another hour (bear in mind that we only had a day!). We were all getting slightly bored so it was at this point that Bob took control and asked if we could scrap that idea and just visit the Arystan Bab Mausoleum before heading back to Shymkent. For the next 30 minutes, we took some ‘country’ roads through the desert passing all kinds of animals including camels strolling along the road…

The Arystan Bab Mausoleum is basically what it says but contains a mosque also. When one travels to countries that have strong religious beliefs, my presence seems to create some reaction and this is was exactly what happened. Whilst walking around the mosque area, one was approached by a local asking for a selfie with us all whilst thanking us for visiting. The woman then proceeded to introduce us to her family i.e. her husband, son and daughter which is apparently a Kazakh tradition.

After our encounter with the locals, we took yet another 90 minute drive back to Shymkent (by this time it was 4pm and we had to be over the border by 8pm!) for a traditional feast…

One thing to note in Kazakhstan is that ‘holes’ are present in many areas instead of toilets and even when you have actual loos, they may not be the most accessible! This resulted in a short drive to Shymkent Plaza, a shiny new shopping mall complete with a cinema etc (basically your average mail in the UK) which is a prime example of Kazakhstan’s increasing wealth…

The plan thereafter was to visit Independence Square until was discovered that the border was another 90 minutes from the city (it was 6:15pm) thus this idea was scrapped and we headed straight back and into Tashkent.

Although we spent most of the day stuck in the van on Kazakh motorways, there seems to be a stark difference surrounding accessibility and the general attitude towards disability. Bob explained that, in several cities, there are community projects aiming to get disabled people ‘out and about’ which may explain why the Kazakh society seem to be more comfortable around them. Oh and there are plenty of ramps (well compared to Uzbekistan).

Situation Outside The Hotel Uzbekistan

As Saturday was our first rest day, there is little to report bar eating and drinking thus I thought it would be appropriate to explain the situation outside the hotel.

Now, the hotel is situated on a circular road system, however, instead of an actual circle, it has rather straight bits, perfect for Uzbek boy racers to whizz around hence in the middle of the night, all you can hear is tyres screeching, what a wonderful sound it is!

Day 3 (Uzbekistan) – The Road (Or Bullet Train) To Samarkand

It was a 5:30am start as one headed to Tashkent railway station to catch the Uzbeks version of the bullet train (Afrosiyob) two hours south to Samarkand for a city tour. As with most places in Uzbekistan, the station consisted of a flight of stairs up to the concourse with no lift to be seen. As a result, we were escorted around the rear by security and into the business lounge whilst we waited for this majestic train. Slightly concerning was the fact that a song bird was locked up in a cage in the lounge with a microphone sounding the actual bird song into the area.

Soon the magnificent train awaited…

Now, the train was actually built in Spain and therefore has to comply with Spanish access legislation so I was a little confused when the train staff decided to lift the wheelchair themselves onto the train! It turns out that there is a ramp onboard in plain sight but when we questioned the staff whether we could use it, the responses were either ‘maybe’ or ‘not possible’…shows how many wheelchair users use the trains in Uzbekistan!

After meeting our tour guide and driver at Samarkand station, we were escorted around the city stopping at notable sights such as Ulugh Beg Observatory which was one of the first places where time was observed…

When wandering around this architectural marvel of a city, one thing that was noted, especially in Registan Square was the amount of ramps in place (albeit some made out of marble so rather slippy!). It seems that Samarkand are much more (well in Uzbek standards anyway!) geared up for wheelchair users, maybe it gains more tourists than the nations capital…

Another thing that one has noticed since being in Uzbekistan is how cheap everything is i.e. you can easily have a three course meal (with three people) for approximately £30.

Today is a chill day in and around the hotel before we travel over the border (and a time zone) to Shymkent in Kazakhstan.

Day 2 (Tashkent) – Markets and Landmarks

When you think of a disabled travellers bucket list, let alone one of an able bodied traveller, it is unlikely that a visit to the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent appears on there. However this is oneself we are talking about and we all know that the more obscure a country is, the better!

Today we were delighted to be taken on a private tour of the city. Tashkent fools you a little as the city centre is pretty small yet it does sprawl out over a considerable area. The first stop on the tour was the Tillya Sheikh Mosque which possesses magnificent architecture (which we will see more of tomorrow when we head down to Samarkand)…

The second stop on our wonderful tour was the Chorsu Market which is the largest fresh food and drink market in Tashkent, think of London’s Market but on a larger scale…

Now, the traffic in Tashkent is OK (you still take your life in ones hands when crossing roads), however, it’s just a freefall surrounding the market area which is slightly hair raising to say the least…

Next was Tashkent’s Independence Square (formerly Red Square when under the Soviet regime) surrounded by various governmental buildings, one of the things that has struck me since being here is the cleanliness of the city akin to Belarus and China thanks to the amount of street cleaners scattered all over…

Finally, it was the Museum of Fine Arts which was formerly a Russian officials house and contains over 11, 000 artifacts from various cultures (mainly Persian) and eras…

One should also discuss the citys accessibility. If Superbunny came to Tashkent, one thinks that the majority of our time would be spent either looking for drop curbs or on busy roads as the pavements look flat in the first instance and then a flight of steps confronts you. Also, there aren’t any wheelchair accessible vehicles as of 2019 which is a stumbling block before you even start! Akin to China, there are ramps but it takes a while to actually find them and many are very steep!

It’s a 5am start tomorrow as one heads to the railway station to catch the Uzbeks version of a ‘bullet’ train (Afrosiyob) 2 hours south to Samarkand situated in the south for a city tour!

Day 1 (Tashkent) – Hotel Uzbekistan

Some may say just even getting to Uzbekistan is an achievement, however, visiting the ‘Stans’ has been on the bucket list for quite a while and here one is (albeit without Superbunny)!

As mentioned previously, one is staying at the Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent, one of the reasons being that it is one of the only accessible hotels in the city as of 2019. Bar from looking a little outdated, it offers all the usual features i.e. roll in shower, seat plus a large room…

As one booked my Uzbekistan trip through Exodus Travels, all the itinerary has been taken care of thus tomorrow we are having a private tour of this magnificent city.

Day 7 (Belarus) – 24 Hours in Minsk

We arrived at our Minsk hotel, Hampton by Hilton yesterday evening where luxurious rooms (compared to the Ibis) awaited us! The rooms are much more spacious along with all the usual accessibility features i.e. shower seats. However, the pinnacle of this is that ones room overlooks the main train station meaning that trains are arriving/departing as I type!

As today was our only day in the city, one headed out to search for the centre passing Soviet built structures along the way…

The centre itself isn’t overly big in size meaning that you can see the majority of landmarks in a matter of hours such as Victory Square…

When walking around the city, one noted that the majority of shops and restaurants have steps at some stage i.e. indoors even when a ramp is outside. Another thing to note is that the main avenues adopt a similar underpass system as China complete with steps meaning that you may end up walking quite a while to reach an over ground crossing point!

The plan after lunch was to simply have a wander back along Prospekt Nezavisimosti (the main street/avenue in Minsk) back to the hotel via an observation tower when we were pleasantly diverted. Whilst attempting to figure which tower was the correct one, we were approached by a guy in a wheelchair plus a ‘social worker’ (who had apparently seen us wandering around earlier) asking the PAs if they were volunteers for a Belarusian charity who provides summer camps for the disabled. After chatting for a while, they invited us to hop onto the metro with them (at an inaccessible station but it was clear that they were pros at the steps business!) out of the centre to a ‘hipster’ neighbourhood complete with street art and quirky cafés/restaurants. It is probable that we would never have found it without them…

Regarding the accessibility of the Minsk metro, once you are down on to platform level, the gap between the edge and the train is minimal (Superbunny would have definitely cleared it). At the destination station, there was a series of ‘platform lifts’ to street level.

Tomorrow, one heads back out to Minsk International Airport to catch our flight back to the UK concluding this trip! Ones next adventure involves visiting Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Day 6 (Lithuania) – The Vilnius Airport Experience

Our strategy for today was simple, get into Belarus! As our flight wasn’t until the evening, one had plenty of time to visit the Old Town one last time. After spending 5 days in Vilnius, I think we came to know the lay of the land far too well!

The best bet if you are a wheelchair user is to contact the ‘Maltieciai’ service (who we transferred with when we arrived in Lithuania) as it is unknown what size vehicle to expect (even for a manual wheelchair!) if one chooses to use Uber.

Now, when one thinks of airports i.e. Bristol or Heathrow, I envisage them being surrounded by hotels, car parks etc, not an airfield located around the back of a conventional industrial estate, oh, and an IKEA to peruse whilst waiting for check-in! Vilnius airport with its Soviet styled exterior isn’t the biggest airport in the world but it has all you need plus a number of disabled toilets!

We flew to Minsk International Airport (or airfield as the hostess put it!) with Belavia (a Belarusian airline) with a flight time of just 35 minutes. Seeing the airport from the air confirmed my expectations of it being an ‘end of the motorway’ structure surrounded by fields and trees. The air quality was pleasantly nice stepping out from the marble and pristine terminal! As mentioned originally, there are no publicly known wheelchair taxi services in Belarus so your options are to catch an accessible bus OR to catch a conventional taxi. One opted for the latter taking 40 minutes and costing a mere 150 Belarusian Rubles!

Tomorrow is our only day in Minsk so let’s see how that goes…

Day 5 (Lithuania) – Belarus Visas

Well it wouldn’t be a trip without a hiccup would it now? When planning this trip originally, one was going to fly from Vilnius to Minsk rather than catching the train but soon opted for the latter simply for ease. During the train booking, I completely forgot (until this morning when one was checking everything) that in order to enter Belarus without a visa (as of 2019), you must fly in and out of Minsk International Airport. If you wish to travel over the international borders via any other means, you still need to obtain a visa prior to your trip otherwise face deportation, little contradictory to the word ‘visa free’, don’t you think?

Annoyingly, one discovered this a hour or two after todays flight to Minsk had departed (it had to be the day that the flight departure time was 09:25am instead of 6:40pm) hence we have another night in Vilnius before catching a 35 minute flight tomorrow evening simply to cross the Belarusian ‘checkpoint’! One positive of this situation is that tomorrows flight cost less than £190 for all 4 of us!

As a result, one only has 1 day to explore Minsk so a strategic plan has been devised to make the most of it!

(Definite lesson learnt here that if a country says it is ‘visa free’, it may not mean that you can travel over any old section of the border!)

Nath