Wheelchair Accessible Travel: Provence, France, Philo Apple Farm, California, Beijing, China, Outer Mongolia, New Zealand, Italy, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast

GLOBAL ACCESS NEWS TRAVEL E-ZINE
VOLUME VIII NUMBER 11, November 2007
Copyright © 2007, Global Access News
http://www.globalaccessnews.com/

Please note: Any Internet links mentioned in this e-zine were verified as functioning as of the date listed at the top of this zine. However, web sites and e-mail addresses change frequently, so changes may have occurred after that date.

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Welcome to the November 2007 issue of the Global Access News Travel E-Zine. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to write us and share your travel tips and experiences.

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CONTENTS

1. PROVENCE FRANCE: DOMAINE DU CRESTET
2. CALIFORNIA: PHILO APPLE FARM
3. BEIJING: WILL IT BE READY FOR US?
4. NEW ZEALAND HOTEL SUGGESTIONS
5. OUTER MONGOLIA … NO LONGER A FANTASY
6. ITALY: FLORENCE, AMALFI COAST, ROME & POMPEII

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1. PROVENCE FRANCE: DOMAINE DU CRESTET

Paul Kluijtmans, of Domaine du Crestet, sent word on the accessible accommodations available at their Olivier house in the Provence region of France, Kluijtmans writes: We give disabled guests priority in booking the house. Photos of the accommodations are available at http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/holidaycare4U/page2.html and
http://www.domaineducrestet.com/

Paul Kluijtmans
Rte de Ste Anne
84110 Le Crestet
France
tel port. + 33 6 87 06 12 37
tel. & fax +33 490 36 23 86
pmkluijt@wanadoo.fr

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2. CALIFORNIA: PHILO APPLE FARM

Just north of San Francisco in the Anderson Valley, the Philo Apple Farm offers four guest cottages set in the fruit grove. The “Green Door” cottage has been adapted for wheelchair users. It provides a ramp from the parking lot, a large bathroom with a handheld shower, a queen-sized bed and a gas fireplace. Learn more at
http://www.philoapplefarm.com/

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3. BEIJING: WILL IT BE READY FOR US?

The New Year is fast approaching, and for many wheelchair users it will include a visit to the 2008 Beijing Paraolympics. But will that venerable city be ready to accommodate thousands of disabled athletes and spectators? Several recent web postings detail the current state of access in the ancient city.

The first is an eye opening pictorial blog written by a Canadian visitor who has been documenting Beijing access for three months. See “A Canadian in Beijing: Accessibility, If You Roll When You Stroll” at
http://www.gadling.com/2007/06/29/a-canadian-in-beijing-if-you-roll-when-you-stroll-beijing-is-t/

“Mainly for Show,” from “Ouch! …It’s a Disability Thing” was written by BBC China Project Director Stephen Hallett, who is writing a series on the state of disability in China. In this essay, he ponders whether Beijing’s new access is designed to create a favorable opinion of the government rather than increase function for disabled people.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/closeup/china/280206.shtml

This recent “Christian Science Monitor” article discusses how the city is working overtime to adapt the subway, public stations, malls, museums and more. This will not only increase access for the upcoming sporting event, it will also (finally) allow Beijing’s disabled residents greater freedom than ever. Their increased presence in public may also improve the current attitudinal barriers in China that are also in dire need of adjustment. If you’re contemplating a trip to Beijing in 2008, check out these sites first.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0821/p01s01-woap.html

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4, NEW ZEALAND HOTEL SUGGESTIONS

Susan M, Daniels, PhD,, of Washington, DC, recently returned from a visit to New Zealand and submitted the following list of accommodations that she found wheelchair accessible: The Southern Cross in Dunedin, the Waterfront Apartments, 126 Esplanade, Kaikoura and the Novotel Hotel in Hamilton.

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5. OUTER MONGOLIA … NO LONGER A FANTASY

Jeanne May’s childhood fantasy was to visit Mongolia, but in reality she had limited strength and was wheelchair dependent with significant breathing problems because of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Her book, “Outer Mongolia... no longer a fantasy" details how she turned her dream trip into reality. To experience Mongolia, she and four friends flew eight times, travelled on the Trans Mongolian Railway, drove through and over the Gobi Desert in a bus, slept in tents on the steppes of Mongolia, touched the Great Wall of China, slept in a yurt, and saw a yak. They visited countries, saw places, met people, and experienced things they never thought possible. According to May, if you truly believe in doing something, and if it is meant to be, then anything is possible. whether you are disabled or not. Jeanne May is currently living in Australia.

“Outer Mongolia... no longer a fantasy" is now available from Synergebooks as an eBook: for $5.98 US or a CD-ROM for $8.50 US. Those living outside the US, add $3.00 for S&H on CD-ROMs. All proceeds will go to the people of Mongolia. For more information, see http://www.synergebooks.com/ebook_outermongolia.html
or contact Jeanne May via e-mail at jmay247@gmail.com
or visit her website at www.aspirationsplus.com

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6. ITALY: FLORENCE, AMALFI COAST, ROME & POMPEII

John and Krista Steedman recently journeyed through Italy. They traveled to Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast, then back to Rome, with side trips to Positano, Orvieto, Siena, Orvieto and Pompei. Share their explorations at http://www.globalaccessnews.com/italy%20steedman07.htm

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Global Access News welcomes your travel reports, tips and comments at clearpath@cox.net Thanks for sharing!

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