Ingrid and Lieven Vandoorne, of
Belgium, recently discovered a
marvelous new travel service and explored the wonders of ancient India. Come along as they visit Delhi, Agra and
the Taj Majal. To introduce ourselves,
we are Ingrid and Lieven Vandoorne of Belgium. I, Ingrid, am a
paraplegic (from a car-accident in 1995 and use a small wheelchair,
about 60 cm). We travel very frequently and always on our own--never in
a group, and normally we organise all the arrangements ourselves. This time, related to
this destination, it was, of course, much easier if someone would take
care of us. After research on the Internet, we found an organisation
named Timeless Excursions and we just tried it out and it was
great. The managing
director, Mrs.Renu Tawadey, had met a Norwegian tetraplegic, and she was so
enthusiastic about his way of living and his courage that she decided to
do her utmost to make as many places accessible as possible. She
negotiated with hotels over two years, and finally she attained some
rooms, which were made accessible: Three in Delhi, three in Agra and six
in Jaipur. We met her personally; in fact, she invited us, because she
wanted to know herself personally about our experiences with her agency. Here is a brief story
of our trip: Our flight Lufthansa, Brussels-Frankfurt-Delhi was very good. Transfers were arranged well and the staff was very friendly. The flight from Frankfurt lasted 6.5 hours. If needed, there was a small wheelchair on board to go to the toilet. The return flight lasted 8 hours, but it was a night flight. I always take a sleeping pill then. This is just a tip to make flights easy and also the jet-lag is much better. At arrival, we met Mr
Rakesh from the agency. The car was ready, and we went to the Ashok
Hotel. Indeed, the room was accessible and the bathroom had a roll-in
shower. In front of the hotel, there are steps but you can enter very
easily from the back of the hotel. In fact, you can read all this
details on their website and they are correct and detailed. http://www.timelessexcursions.com/dis.htm
We did a guided tour
(with a personal guide and a personal helper) Traveling was never so
easy for my husband! In Delhi you can find ramps in some tourist places
(due to a recent visit of Stephen Hawkings to Delhi), but in other
cities, as Agra, it is very poor, and there are steps. But, of course,
if you have a personal assistant, it is a pleasure to be able to see all
those magnificent buildings!
We never thought we
could go to India in such a ‘relaxed’ way. The people of the agency
did everything they could to make us feel comfortable, and we think that
Mrs. Tawaday made great efforts for the disabled. Just go and see!
The
best time to visit India is coming now; Oct.-Nov. is best because the
heat is less. In July-Aug. it can be 45° in Delhi—unbearable. We
normally ate in the hotels. In India it was 5* plus and 4 *hotels, so
you can normally trust the food! We did drink only bottled water; also
for cleaning teeth we used bottled water. If we were hungry and not in
the hotel, we would eat bananas and djapati (bread, sometimes still
warm), or we would buy some dry biscuits. If you eat fruit, peel it
yourself with a knife cleaned with bottled water Of
course, you can also eat in other restaurants but have a good look about
because the hygiene can really be a problem. Another tip: don't drink
very cold water; this can cause diarrhea. Drink a lot of water but at a
normal temperature. The Indian food is very good! In the hotels, we
didn't have any problem at all Tip:
always take care if you swim and swallow some water; this can also be a
source of bacterial infection. We have never had problems on big trips,
but my husband has been ill (throat and ears) after swimming in a little
swimming pool in France. Really:
Just go and try. It will be one of the highlights of your travelling
life, and the agency will do anything they can for you, which is very
important for disabled people in countries like India. Magical,
mysterious, poor, ugly India...you can't describe it if you haven't be
there---even if it is only for a week http://www.timelessexcursions.com/index.htm
Global Access Disabled Travel
Network |
We went to Agra in an
air-conditioned ambassador car. The Claks Shiraz
Hotel was OK, and we
visited such beautiful monuments as Fathepur Sikri, the
Agra Fort and,
of course, the Taj Mahal.
In
W