Thai Transport for disabled

January 21, 2010 Elephant Village

Some disabled people say they can and they did and some handicapped didn't take a ride on an elephant. Truth is you have to decide for yourself. It is a non accessible attraction which is nice holiday fun for the family. I have tried once with my sister in law. You need a good balance and a little bit strength in your arms and/or legs.

A paraplegic took a ride. A few men lift him up the stairs and onto the elephant. He survived but is not going to take a ride again. His balance wasn't good enough and he stayed in his seat with help of a friend. But on the other hand when you are able to stand or even to walk a few steps then you can try.

When you decide to stay behind during the ride of your family members you can take a look around and talk to the people who run this place. They will tell you about the elephants, their age, their diet, etc. Or you can feed a baby elephant.

Accessible villas Hua Hin, Thailand

17 February 2007.

With this Blog we try to tell people about the accessibility of Hua Hin in Thailand. And we like to tell people more about adapted accommodations. We would like to start with accessible villas. Holiday homes which can accommodate wheelchair users. We invite people to add their accessible villa in a comment.

Access limited, Petchaburi

18 juli 2007, Wat Ham Sua Ta Muang and Observatory

Access limited is the title of this post. Why? Take a look at the picture and you know. Stairs and a train. But does this make the place inaccessible to wheelchair users. We don't think so. It all depends on your handicap and perseverance.

Guests of our villa Coconut Grove took this train. This disabled guy could walk a few steps with help of his parents. By far the easiest way.

At the other side of this mountain is a steep road. Very bumpy. Take the route of the worse part of the bycicle tour Luik-Bastenaken-Luik and multiply this with ten. Then you have a small idea of the condition of this road. We have tried with a powered wheelchair but stopped after ten meters.

Once you are on top of this mountain you have a beautiful view, can take walk in the park and visit the temple and observatory.
We took a walk through the city which is interesting too.

Accessibility celebrated in America

The White House Blog

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with Substance.

The accessible world started here 20 years ago. Nearly 18 years ago we have visited Florida and in that time we already were able to rent an adapted car, accessible hotel rooms, visit theme parks, etc.
At this time the challenge of making the world a better place for disabled people has moved to the East. And with this Blog WheelchairThailand is making a small effort to contribute by rising awareness.

Are paragolfers with handicap welcome?

Source picture: http://premiumproducts.ottobock.com

Almost every golf course in Hua Hin is joining the Hua Hin Golf festival during the month of August. In this month the participating golf courses give discount on their normal fees. I don't know anything about golf. I don't play. I didn't even visit a golf course in Hua Hin. I just know they have a handicap. Doesn't matter, I'm disabled too.

I do know that the Royal Hua Hin golf course, opened in 1924, is at walking distance of our wheelchair accessible apartment Tira Tiraa. This 18th hole golf course is a natural beauty. Every fairway is surrounded by big trees. The entrance of the golf course is located in the centre of Hua Hin near the railway station.
The practice field of this golf course, putting green?, is located next to Tira Tiraa, at the other side of the railway. Have fun.

Do you know the answer to the question: "Are paragolfers with handicap welcome?". Please write your answer in a comment on this Blog.

Wheelchairs and more disabled stuff

February 13, 2006

Wheelchair brake down. It can happen all the time everywhere. Wether you are at home, at work, at school or travelling the world. And when this happen you are really handicapped.

Just a flat tire is a small disappointment and will take a little bit of effort to get it fixed.

But what to do when the frame of your wheelchair is broken? Even then you can go to a local motorbike shop. Some of them are able to weld your frame back together again.

And when the electronics of your chair are failing. What then? Then you are in big trouble. You have to find a dealer of powered wheelchairs. Searching on Google won't give you what you are looking for. Because the websites are in Thai. Only insiders know where to find this information. Luckely we can provide you with some addresses of dealers and repairmen. Don't expect them to be in Hua Hin. Find here the adresses of these dealers. Some owners are disabled themselves. We hope you never will need them.

1 Dealer of wheelchairs.

2 Wheelchairs and aids / medical equipment.

In the meantime hire a wheelchair in Hua Hin. There is a shop in Market Village which is renting out manual wheelchairs.
And another suggestion. In case you know what is wrong phone your own dealer and have the parts send to Thailand and change it yourself.

Handicapped animals in Dutch care

Wildlife Rescue Center

Sometimes the truth is ugly. Wild animals being kept as a pet or even worse used to entertain tourists. Gladly there are people who are concerned about the welfare of these animals. One of these people is Edwin Wiek, a Dutchman. He founded and runs the Wildlife Rescue Center. The Wild Animal Rescue Center is located behind Kao Look Chang Temple in Petchaburi province, Thailand, approximately 40 Kms from Hua Hin.

You can vist the center and take a look around. We have visited the center once. It is wheelchair accessible. However there are a few obstacles where you might need a little bit of help. It is nice to look and walk around, see the animals and listen to the stories of the volunteers. Keep in mind these animals are a kind of disabled themselves. They didn't learn to take care of themselves. So they need help. So don't forget to make a donation to keep up the good work.

Disabled travel groups to Thailand

19 oktober 2008, Khao Tao Temple.

Really wheelchair accessible accommodations in exotic places all over the world are hard to find. And in case you find some which can accommodate groups these are even not that accessible as you think they are. Or they are located in the middle of nowhere and you need a car or taxi to transport you every time you want to go somewhere.

In case you would like to travel to Thailand as a group check out these accessible accommodations. These holiday homes can accommodate a maximum of 12 people of whom 8 wheelchair users. The houses downtown Hua Hin are close to all amenities and a perfect location to explore the town on foot or on wheels. Groups can get discount on rental prices.

Do you like to know more about group holidays? Write an email to info@gehandicapten.com.

Group travel and holidays for handicapped wheelchair users

Looking for an accommodation accessible to handicapped people and wheelchair users who want to travel in a group to Hua Hin, Thailand look at this website.

Wheelchair repair of flat tire

January 19, 2010

Every time I come to Thailand I prepare my wheelchair the best I can to prevent it from braking down during my stay overhere. But sometimes I'm not that lucky and get a flat tire. The first time when this happened I was drinking beer in a street corner cafe. At that time I felt really disabled. Waiting in bed for my wife coming back with the tire. The people from the cafe offered their help the next morning and took my wife together with my tire to a road side bike repair shop. They were able to repair the tire but not to inflate it with air. So we walked down the street to the next shop. Here they were able to repair my tire. Imagine, Sunday morning, 9am, my tire been repaired within ten minutes for 20 Baht / 40 Eurocent. Unbelievable. And they say thank you and even smile to you. Because they know they have charged you double. But we where both happy with this arrangement.

So in case you have a flat tire go to a shop closeby and point out your problem. They will solve the problem before you know it.

Access to Maruekatayawan Palace

January 31, 2010. The Palace of love and hope, Hua Hin.

During our first visit to Hua Hin, Thailand we have visited this Palace. And we were astonished by its beauty. It is located halfway Hua Hin and Cha-am. You could roam around freely on the Palace grounds and even in the Palace. You just had to take your shoes off and leave them. Since then a few things have changed.

There is a ticket boot at the entrance of the Palace grounds. Different prices for Thai and foreign people. An information centre was built with an exposition of the building. Only limited number of people can enter the Palace at the same time. You still have to take your shoes off but now you can put them in a shoe bag and take them with you. So you dont have to walk back to get them. Rooms are protectet with cords.

Now about the accessiblitly. The open plan Palace and the Palace Garden are beautiful and definitely worth a visit. The Palace garden and the information centre are wheelchair accessible. They have renewed the restrooms for handicapped people. The Palace itself is not accessible. Unless you have yourself and your manual wheelchair lifted to the second floor or are still able to walk stairs with some help. When you are in a wheelchair you can look into the Hall from the outside which is located at the ground floor. And afterwards look to the pictures and listen to the experience of your travel companions.

This visit will take about two hours. Afterwards it is very nice to visit Cha-am beach. Have some food, a few (soft)drinks and watch what is happening on the beach. A perfect lazy afternoon.

Accessible vineyard and wines in Hua Hin

When people think of wine they think of France and the worlds most famous wines. No one is thinking of wines produced and bottled in Hua Hin, Thailand. But since 2003 Hua Hin Hills Vineyard is growing grapes and producing wine near Hua Hin. This vineyard is located 35km west of Hua Hin.

After a visit to Wat Huay Mongkol you can drive 16km more west to enjoy a vineyard tour on a elephant, fine Thai tapas and of course their delicious wines. On the terrace of the sala surrounded by vineyards you can spend a laisy afternoon doing nothing. Don't forget to buy some wine to take home.

The restaurant / sala has an access ramp and the terrace is wheelchair accessible. So handicapped people and their travel companions can enjoy this holiday trip together.

The wines are also for sale in their shop on the second floor of Market Village, a big shopping mall in Hua Hin.

Accessible holiday in the South of France

Some people are already thinking about their next years holiday and trying to find a new accessible place. In case you are looking for adapted accommodations where disabled people can spend their holidays look no further. Click here for holiday homes for wheelchair users and handicapped at the Mediterenean Sea in France.

Beach access ramps, Hua Hin, Thailand

January 31, 2010. Beach access ramp for wheelchairs and scooters.

We love to take a walk on the beach. We can walk al the way to Khao Takiab, have a drink and some food and then walk all the way back. Or take a walk towards the Hilton hotel, find a nice place to rest, have a massage, a manicure or just watch people having fun at the beach.

For already a long time we know where to find a beach access ramp to start our stroll along the water. The only thing we didn't do was take a picture of one of these ramps. This picture is taken near Chivasom hotel.

In case you want to know where to find other beach access ramps take a look at our Google Map.Some of these access ramps for wheelchair users are very close to accessible holiday accommodations for handicapped people in Hua Hin.

Accessible temples, Hua Hin, Thailand

February 1, 2010. Wat Huay Mongkol, Hua Hin, Thailand.

This is one of the wheelchair accessible temples in Hua Hin. This temple is located west of Hua Hin. It takes a 25 minutes drive in a local green taxi to get there.

The statue is the biggest in the surrounding area of Hua Hin. The temple grounds are level and there is also a toilet for handicapped people. For the exact location look at our Google map.

Take your time and walk or roll around in your wheelchair or scooter. The temple grounds are even more beautiful then the statue itself. Behind the statue is a path where you can make beautiful pictures. Then at the end of this path cross the bridge with lovely orchids at the railing and water lilies in the pond. Walk along the small elephant camp and take a look at the orchid farm. Beautiful flowers here. Follow the road, take a look at the fruit trees of the temple and afterwards cross the water. There is a stone bridge where the water is running over. It is just 5cm deep. Nice to cool your feet after this walk. Don't you like this? Then just turn around after the orchid farm.

Afterwards you can drive on to the Hua Hin Hills vineyard or on your way back pay a visit to Elephant Village.

More info write to info@gehandicapten.com

Accessible temples in Hua Hin

February 2, 2010. Khao Takiab, Monkey mountain en temple. Movie is showing Kirsti Cath, her care takers and Jan.

One of the tourist places you must have seen during your holidays. Nothing special but just a nice place to look around even when you are disabled. Buy some peanuts or bananas to feed the monkeys. Walk upstairs, +/-100 steps, to see the temple when you feel like it. Take a look at the shops. They have very nice handpainted t-shirts. Behind the shops you will find a wheelchair accessible toilet / restrooms. Stroll / roll down the road and enjoy the view of Hua Hin Beach all the way up to Hua Hin center.
Watch your gear especially your food. Monkeys can and will take it.

Close to the temple is the best accessible beach of Hua Hin. Take a look at this previous post.

Accessible Suan Son Beach

January 24, 2007. Suan Son Beach. Halfway Khao Tao and Khao Takiab behind a military base. It is a beautiful beach with lots of shade and a nice accessible restaurant. The beach has level access and pine trees. The sand underneath these trees is loose but a little bit closer to the water the sand is firm. Even handicapped people in wheelchairs can stroll along the sea.

This movie is taken at Suan Son Beach. It shows how firm the sand is and the beach wheelchair which can be used to take disabled people into the sea. You can hire a beach chair or a tube. In the restaurant you can buy some simple food, a drink or a snack at the counter.

During weekdays the beach is quit. In the weekend Thai people come here to "swim" with all their clothes on and picknick or have a drink with their family. In case you like to watch people you can sure enjoy yourself for a few hours. Have fun and don't forget to take a dip in the shallow water.

Accessible temples near Hua Hin

In and around Hua Hin are a few temples which can be visited in a wheelchair. One of them is Khao Tao, Turtle mountain. Khao Tao is located 12km south of Hua Hin. When visiting this temple you will have beautiful views from Khao Tao to the accessible Suan Son Beach all the way over to Khao Takiab. Take a songtheaw, a local green taxi to Khao Tao in the morning and afterwards relax at the beach. Have some lunch, a few drinks and buy some souvenirs from the local beach vendors before heading back to your accommodation.
Close to the gollden turtle abled bodied persons can take a walk to the top. Disabled people can not.

When you visit this temple wear a shirt with sleeves, take of your hat and take of your shoes where they ask you to. After a visit donate a few Baht to the temple to keep up the good work.

Wheelchair accessible local markets Hua Hin

Hua Hin has some nice local markets where the citizens of Hua Hin are shopping for their groceries. The Chat Chai Market is one of these markets where you can shop even when you are disabled. It is located in the centre of Hua Hin just 200 meter from our wheelchair accessible apartment Tira Tiraa.

You can buy fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh and dried fish, shrimp, chicken, meat, clothes, toys and some more. At night local farmers brings their goods into town and early in the morning, around 7 they start to sell their product. It is an all day market. The market closes in the afternoon or when products are sold out.

We love it to shop here. People are friendly and appreciate you buying their products. Sometimes they warn you. Telling you this is no falang food. But when you like to taste different kinds of food don't let them stop you from buying.

Visit this market in the morning. This is when local people are coming to buy their food. But when you are in a wheelchair keep in mind that the paths are narrow. When it is busy you need patience to see this market where women fall asleep behind their stalls and the neighbour is watching their small businesses. It is one of these places to make nice pictures during one of your holidays.