WheelchairThailand Back from the Wild.

November 23, 2010
Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope
Kaap Die Goeie Hoop (South African)

In November we have spent our holiday in South Africa. We booked a 12 day Krugerpark and Cape Point tour with Epic Enabled. We met Alfie Smith, the owner, in The Netherlands 4 years ago. This time we met him at the airport in Johannesburg to bring us for our first night to our hotel.

During the 8 day Kruger park tour we have stayed in lovely wheelchair accessible cottages within the Kruger Nasionale Wildtuin. The tour can handle disabled people but welcomes able bodied persons as well. So our internatinal group consisted of 2 couples without a handicap, two couples with a partner in a wheelchair and one paraplegic dad with two nice teens. We moved every two days, got up early, drove through the park in a adapted Mercedes Truck, saw a lot of animals, lunched at picknick sites, saw some more wild, had wholesome diners and got to now each other. We have seperated as friends at the airport of Johannesburg. Alfie Smith is a hell of a tour guide. And Charles his tour companion was very helpful.

An inland flight brought us from Johannesburg to Capetown where Sabine Smith picked us up with a wheelchair accessible Mercedes van.

The second part was a 4 day Capetown tour. We stayed in the wheelchair friendly Epic Guesthouse. Capetown is part of the Dutch history and so we visited the Dutch castle, the Companie's Gardens, Kaap Die Goeie Hoop, Jan Riebeecks' bushes in Kirstenbosch, and the V&A Waterfront (Brittish). We also drove along Chapmans peak and visited the pinguins at Boulders Beach. We didn't manage to get up to Table Mountain. There was a cloud hanging over or the winds were too strong so the cable car didn't run to the top.

This holiday was great. We really needed some time off after five years. It was nice to meet Alfie again and to meet Sabine and their son for the first time. They do a great job, they are helpfull, very friendly and can tell you a lot about South Africa. So thank you Alfie and Sabine for the wonderfull holiday. We will be back for another holiday in the future. Untill then we wish you good luck.

More info about these tours or a stay in the guesthouse write an email to Alfie and Sabine Smith, info@epic-enabled.com .

In case you want to read more about our experiences keep following us at wheelchairthailand.blogspot.com

WheelchairThailand is going wild.

November 2010

We, Jan and Hanneke, are travelling to South Africa. We will be on South Africa safari and we will visit Capetown.

We take a Thai nurse. And my powered wheelchair.
Follow this Blog or Twitter to keep up with our adventure.

See you soon in Hua Hin Thailand.

Restaurants and accommodations with wheelchair access in Hua Hin

September 30, 2010
Terrace 94

We had seen the sign "Terrace 94, 250m" before but didn't check this place out. There are so many restaurants closing and so many restaurants opening it is almost impossible to check out every new restaurant on accessibility. But on recommendation of our friend Hans V. we've paid it a visit.

This restaurant has two levels. A groundfloor and a second floor. The entrance is a little bit difficult. From the road you go down into the gutter and then you get a steep ramp onto the terrace of the restaurants. My safety wheels at the back of my wheelchair preventing to flip backwards were touching the pavement. My back wheels came of the pavement. So my wife had to push me through. Then the access ramp leeds you onto the terrace. This is the only spot where a wheelchair users can sit unless you take the big step into the restaurant. The second floor is out of reach.

We had diner here on friday night. It seams to be the restaurant which was located in the old Papa John restaurant opposite the Sofitel hotel on the Naresdamri Road. The menu shows different kind of foods. European, Thai and Mexican. Jan tried mexican food and I tried European. The Mexican enchillada was served with the inside still cold. The steak was okay.
The restaurant had live music on the second floor during this evening. But the music down stairs was not turned off. So we had to listen to two kinds of music at the same time.

Since one time is no time we are not going to judge this restaurant on its quality. But the wheelchair access to this restaurant remains difficult. Terrace 94 is located at Soi 94. Soi 94 is located in the middle of our wheelchair accessible accommodations, Apartment Tira Tiraa and Pool villa Coconut Grove.