The preparation phase

Dear readers,

This week, I want to introduce you to my new best friend "Héméra". Why new? Because, it/ she just came into my life. Why best friend? Because we are going to hang out together for the next 4 months. Who the heck, am I talking about, you might ask ?

Well, first clue, it is not a girl... No it is my trip's best companion, the one that I am going to use everyday, whatever the weather, whatever the road, whenever within the day. I am talking about my handbike. I have been waiting for it during a whole month and it has at last arrived. The project is now becoming concrete and I can have a real training planning instead of before when I was dependent on other people lending me their handbike. I thought I would give it/ her a name in case I need to talk to someone. It will be easier to talk to Héméra than to a handbike.

Now that I have Héméra, I can also look for an adpated trailer. It might seem easy but it is actually much more difficult than everybody thinks. Indeed, the trailer is adapted to bikes and not to a handbike, meaning that I have to make some changes. But to choose the right trailer is also not simple, you have a wide range of products, ranging from monowheel towards two wheels, both offering advantages and drawbacks. Feel free to provide me with valuable advice if you have some experience with one of them.

Appart from that I have also started receiving some camping equipment. I am relieved, I will have something to sleep under. I have also chosen to take some freeze-dried food with me. 90 days of freeze-dried food will be heavy so I will make some sendings in order to spread the weight along my trip. Freeze-dried food gives some kind of flexibility, as well, managing when and where I want to eat not depending on whether I will find a restaurant or a supermarket or not. Freeze-dried food is lighter than normal food it is less bulky and you can keep it for a longer time.

Now that I am tackling logistical and concrete issues, I can feel D-Day closing in.

D-Day: D-42 

Have a look at the following video to meet Héméra:

 

If you were in a wheelchair... part 7

Dear readers,

1. Something very interesting and original happened to me one evening in Rotterdam. I was on my way home after I had accompanied a friend back to her place when it started raining. Under the rain, your hands can slip off the handrail and it becomes really tenuous to control your wheelchair. I was getting off a pavement when my wheels got stuck in the gutter and my wheelchair tipped forward. I managed to restore my balance, and before I was on my way again, a police van stopped and the two policemen inside kindly offered to drive me home. This act of kindness really touched me then and I wanted to express my gratitude.
2. What about a nice evening in a restaurant? I never say no: there’s nothing like not having to cook and discovering new flavours. But I always feel a bit embarrassed because I know that the space between tables is limited and moving in the restaurant is a real pain in the neck. The only way for me to get through with my bulky wheelchair is to ask other customers to move their chairs forward. It annoys me and I understand perfectly that people can get annoyed, so I am really thankful for most people’s sympathy and patience in these cases.
3. We haven’t really talked about pavements yet. They can be a real nightmare when they are too high, whether you have to get on or off them. It is physically impossible to get on a pavement without help if it’s too high. Getting off the same sort of pavement is a pain all the way down your spine. Most often, wheelchairs are condemned to get off the pavement when there’s a pedestrian crossing because it’s the only spots where you find accessibility facilities. That’s why a car parked on a pedestrian crossing shows the selfish and condemnable attitude of its owner.

See you next friday some new stories...

If you were in a wheelchair... part 6

Dear readers,

 

1. When I moved to Paris, I started looking for a flat. After an unfruitful demand to the city council, I decided to look for one on my own. How greatly disappointed I was when I realized that looking for a flat is far from being easy. Especially when you’re looking for a flat in a building with a lift. Moreover, you cannot always fit the wheelchair in the lift, so you sometimes need to dismantle it… I am sure you know what I’m talking about, those tiny lifts where you cannot even turn around and that barely fit two people inside. I am of course aware that these cannot be changed. This would need tremendous work, so one simply needs to look a little longer.
2. Handicapped toilets are much appreciated when they are provided for. Fortunately, you can always find them in recent buildings. The usual problem, likewise for regular toilets, is when they are in use. But it’s scandalous when they are being used by a valid person. My experience is that each time a valid person uses handicapped toilets, he or she leaves a terrible smell and an unbearable vision behind. Another reason why it is important to leave handicapped toilets free is that we do not have the same capacity to "hold in" as well as valid people… Keep this in mind…
3. I recently went to Disneyland resort Paris for the first time – it’s never too late, you might say! I could generally access all attractions (which is not always the case depending on the handicap). I was consequently really surprised when I was not granted access to one of the most recent attractions: Crush’s Toaster. In fact, it’s supposed to be accessible. Well, in theory, because it’s not the case in practice. When I got to the entrance of the then most recent attraction, I was asked to "walk" for 300m on an authentic assault course with a lot of stairs and a very large crowd making my moves difficult and even impossible. I was told that this was a security measure and a sort of security test. You can imagine that this was the end of it and that I didn’t see the attraction. It’s a real shame for a new attraction that is said to be accessible and adapted.

See you next week for some new adventures...