Parade King Bhumibol of Thailand.

In honour of King Bhumibol's Birthday a parade is passing according the map below.

Where? Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, in front of Klai Kangwong Palace.
When? December 5, 10.30am.

Wheelchair access? The streets are level so it should not be a problem to find a spot to watch. Come early. It will be crowded. Bring water and a umbrella.

Hope to see you there.

WheelchairThailand Hua Hin or Gehandicapten.com

Birthday coming up for WheelchairThailand Hua Hin.

Birthdays. They happen every year and every year we get one year older. In December King Bhumibol is celebrating his birthday on December 5. Hua Hin people are preparing.

Hua Hin People Love our King.

The female part of Wheelchair Thailand celebrates her birthday on December 7. And in The Netherlands we celebrate the birthday of Sinterklaas on December 6 with gifts for the children on the evening before.

But the birthday party for the King beats every festivity in Hua Hin. At the moment the King lives in Hua Hin and many military is coming to Hua Hin, streets are decorated and lit and bulletin boards announce a party.

Translation

Invite to join Candles Ceremony for His Majesty 5th December 2013 and join concert for King's honor with singer Jenifer Kim/Eak Surachet/Wai Kamikase/ Kanomjean Kamikase/Alarm 9 and join Happiness of Population is Happiness of our king exhibition with Art gallery and King's giving Happy New Year Card, At Queen's Park, 19 Rai 5 December 2013 Start from 10 AM.

So come and join this party. I'm sure everyone is welcome to celebrate His Majesty's birthday.

19 Rai is wheelchair accessible. Just don't expect a restroom / toilet with wheelchair access.

See you there.

Vintage wheels for Wheelchair Thailand in Hua Hin

Last weekend in Hua Hin many vintage cars were visiting Hua Hin. First they were displayed at Venezia, the new amusementparks annex shopping mall. From here they drove in convoy, like a parade to the Centara Grand Hotel in the centre of Hua Hin. And Sunday morning I took a look at these magnificent cars from the past. Like the Mercedes on the picture below.

Some cars weren't that old, but made me feel old. Like the Volkswagen T1 from the sixties. I saw this drive around in my country when I was a child. And the Citroën Pallas, better known as the Snoek (Dutch word for pike) also a Golden Oldie. And the Volkswagen Kever (Beetle).

See for yourself here is a link to my album.

Coming up:
Celebrations of His Majesty Bhumibol Birthday.

Airport power Wheelchair check-in

Have you ever considered travelling with you powered wheelchair? And did you decide to leave it at home because you were afraid the handlers would damage it. Then watch this movie about me and my powered wheelchair preparations at the check-in of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for my 20th flight to Bangkok Airport Suvarnabhumi. I made this movie as an example. When you want to travel you have to find a way how to prepare your wheelchair.



What do you see?

• A small toolkit with which you can handle bolds and screws.
• Tie-raps to tie down cables.
• Removal of joy stick to prevent damage to steering mechanism.
• Disconnecting the battery cable underneath.
• Minimize size of wheelchair. Some airplane loading doors are just 84cm high.
• Wheelchair parts in bag to prevent them to get soaked in the rain. And less weight in your suite case.
• Luggage straps to tie down wheelchair parts in bag.
• Instruction of airport staff how to handle manual breaks and wheelchair during transportation.

Do you have question about how to travel as a disabled? Don't hesitate to email us.

Or read more stories about travelling with a powered wheelchair on my Dutch Blog.

Thai Festivals in wheelchair; King's Birthday

Thailand is preparing for holiday season. Lights in the streets are coming. Rainy season is ending en tourist are travelling to beach resorts like Hua Hin. I like this season. It is a very good time to spend some of your days in the tropical sun and just enjoy life as it is.

On December 5 Thailand is celebrating his King's Birthday. If all is well King Bhumibol (Full name: Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Bhumibol Adulyadej Mahitalathibet Ramathibodi Chakkrinaruebodin Sayamminthrathirat Borommanatbophit) will become 86 years. Thai people like to celebrate this birthday with music, food en fireworks and an ice sculpture competition.

Last year my wife and I celebrated this birthday among the Thai locals and we loved it. And since it is beautiful weather in this time of year you can go out in your wheelchair too and enjoy all the festivities out on the street.



In need of a wheelchair accessible accommodation take a look here for full serviced pool villas with wheelchair access.

Thailand festivals in wheelchair

In the last post I have written about the Thai festivals and holiday season. One of the main holidays in Thailand is Loi Kratong. The festival of lights. Very luminous, peaceful and serene holiday.
Thai people also make music and sing songs. Have a look at this video made in Hua Hin to see what you can expect when you visit during Loi Kratong on 17 November 2013. Enjoy.

 

Loking for a wheelchair accessible pool villa to stay during Loi Kratong? Here you will find everything you need.

 

Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.
Loi means 'to float', while krathong refers to a usually lotus-shaped container which floats on the water. Krathong has no other meaning in Thai besides these decorative floats, so Loi Krathong is very hard to translate, requiring a word describing what a Krathong looks like such as Floating Crown, Floating Boat, Floating Decoration. The traditional krathong are made of the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathong are also biodegradable, but styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits. On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits.

See you in Hua Hin at Loi Kratong.

Wheelchair holiday season

With the holiday season coming up in a few months I like to tell you something about the holidays in Hua Hin. Tourist destinations in Thailand like Hua Hin celebrate all kind of holidays. Not only Thai and / or Buddhist holidays but also Chinese and European holidays. So they celebrate in order European Christmas and New Year at in December, Chinese New Year in February and Thai New Year in April.
But they also celebrate Loi Kratong in November and Makha Bucha in February. And last but not least they celebrate the Kings on 5 December also known as Fathers Day.

We love this Festival season and like to celebrate with and around the locals. It is really fun. It is dry season. And often there is music, good food and sometimes big fireworks. 

So November till April is a really great time to visit Hua Hin in Thailand. And even in your wheelchair you can be part of these festivities. Our staff knows where to go, can take you to the best spot and likes to celebrate with you.

Hope to meet you in Hua Hin.

Jan and Hanneke
Gehandicapten.com

Wheelchair Thailand flat tire

Flat wheelchair tire repair Hua Hin, Thailand.

Amazing what Thai people do to earn a decent living. We are glad with this kind of service, can not find it in our country and certainly not for this kind of money.
Saturday evening 7 pm and I have a flat tire.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My wife driving around in our car and looking for a repair shop. Finally after 1 hour I find a shop able and willing to repair my flat tire.

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




And what kind of shop this is. This man is building motor bikes. So a lot to look at. Not boring at all. Have a look at the picture below. Do you like to ride this? My wife does.

Low rider, motor bike shop Pa La U Road, Hua Hin, Thailand.

Grocery shopping in Hua Hin, Thailand

Dutch people are like all other people in the world. We like our Dutch food. So when we can we take cheese, chocolate sprinklers, liquorice, etc. English people take their tea. And more examples are possible.

But there is no need to take these groceries. Hua Hin has 4 supermarkets, few bakeries, some butchers and wineries. But don't forget to visit the local markets for fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, chicken, meat, herbs, spices, etc.

The supermarkets are:



Big C Supermarket, Pa La U Road, Hua Hin, Thailand

Tesco Lotus in Market Village with a great selection of fresh vegetables, meat fish, bread, etc.
Villa Market, great wine selection.
G Hua Hin supermarket, for Chinese and Thai ingredients but also Dutch Coffee.
Big C with French products of the Casino brand.
And a small supermarket located within the shopping mall in the centre of Hua Hin.

Products of Casino brand in Big C Supermarket.

 

Tesco Lotus Supermarket is within 1.5 km form the wheelchair accessible holiday pool villas Coconut and Si Deang.

Villa Market is in the centre of Hua Hin.

G Hua Hin Supermarket is close to the wheelchair accessible apartment Tira Tiraa.

And Big C is within 5 minutes bike ride of Studio 74.







All supermarkets or the building where they are located have wheelchair accessible restrooms except G Hua Hin and the small supermarket. And they all have parking space for cars and motorbikes.

 

Questions about food and / or shopping. Comment or write an email.

 

 



Blue mat makes beach accessible in South of France

Made this movie at Canet-Plage in South of France. Camera fitted on my electric wheelchair. Like to show you how the blue mat makes the beach accessible. Easy to reach the Mediterrenean Sea. Beach wheelchairs can you use for free.