Great narrative! Enjoyed reading it! -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of vamshi vamshi Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2018 10:00 AM To: accessindia Subject: [AI] Independent tour: Sikkim tour with Bat Travels!
Dear friends, I had just taken one more step in the direction of independent living for blind, a tour alone to Sikkim, Indochina border with Bat travels. Now I am in euphoria for not just completing my first tour alone, but finding a new way of happy living with new bunch of friends! I took off alone from Banglore airport having all the apprehensions as it was my first time tour without family, friends or known people. How should I find the cab at Bagdogra airport? What if other sighted tourists are not ready to help me? Will I be left out on a few spots on the tour? How will I have lunch in a new place? What if I need to go to wash room? What if other sighted tourists are not interested in talking to me? Will it be risky to depend purely on my white cane in hilly places? Will I enjoy the picturesque beauty of Sikkim as a blind tourist? Many more like this. But then, I thought its worth giving a try. After all, life is all about trying things new. Isn’t it? Day 0 Getting bonded All the group of 8 arrived at Bagdogra airport. Two of us were blind and others being sighted. Pleasant surprise was that Bat Travel team of Divya and Ritu were there a day in advance to receive us! Couple of hours after introductions, we found ourselves cracking jokes at each others and pulling each others legs. We started to Gangtok comfortably seated in two SUVs, good old bollywood music playing and I humming some songs , more to show that I knew them than to sing well (smile). River Teesta was along side us as if was showing us the way. A river is the best friend for blind in nature as it makes sound to make us feel it. Bat Travel team was describing the nature around us, the size and shape of trees, height of mountains, how far and low is the river, the depth of valley, colour of monkeys, a fox that we sighted etc. It was as good as seeing everything. By the night, we checked into the hotel at Gangtok and rested after dinner. And yes, each blind was accompanied by a sighted in the room to orient us. Day 1 We enjoyed a water fall, Sprinkled water on each other and had a few snaps taken. Then we went to Enchey monastery, with Divya or Ritu describing sculpture and paintings in detail, even letting us have a tactile feel of the Buddhist sculpture, rare leaves, flowers etc. Contrary to our personalities and the tour, we remained silent in praying before lord Buddha with a monk chanting beside us. After that, was the time for the most exciting part of the tour, a rope slide between two mountain clifs, with a water fall beside us and water flowing below us! A part of me was hesitant but the stubborn side of me wanted to do it. I was carefully guided to the clif and was explained how it would be functioning. Even the staff there ensured all safety measures. But still, to be harnessed to a rope, and sliding from one clif to another by holding the rope was one heck of an experience! They even stop in the middle where we can leave the rope and wave in the air. At that moment, it was a sense of achievement to think, what if I can’t do certain things like sighted, here I am doing an adventure which many sighted wouldn’t have done! After having a Sikkimmese lunch with pasta, bamboo shoots, etc., we returned and rested at hotel. Day 2 Time to touch China! Natulla pass! 14,000 feet height! It was all the more tantalizing when we had to wait twice for permits to reach there. With every passing mile up, the temperature kept dropping and air freezing. I deliberately refrained from wearing jacket till we reached there to see how it will be like, but only to loose the battle with the weather as by then my hands also started paining. It was a hike to the top, with either of the bat travel buddies or sighted friend holding one hand and my white cane in the other. There were steps, treacherous passes, snow passes, other tourists and what not, but it was a great experience to use the white cane at such a place and reach the peak. We could see Chinese buildings, flags at the other end. My impish side got better of me as I poked my cane beyond Indian border and was duly cautioned by the army person against it. After saluting the army friends, on our way down, we had hot tea, jilebi and popcorn. We had a few pics and shouted Jayho to India at the border! On our way down, we stopped at beautiful Tsomgo lake to have a yak ride. Ritu went so far to walk ahead of me, or rather the yak to take a video of my ride. Day 3 From east to west of Sikkim. We visited Temi tea gardens on the way to west of Sikkim. It was planned that we will have lunch in the middle of tea bushes! But nature had different plans as it rained. However, it was no less an experience with having lunch at top of a building of 50 feet height with the entire tea garden below us, mountains around us and clouds along side! We visited the factory and got the entire process of producing tea explained. We even handled one or two machines to get hands on. Then we proceeded to Okhrey, visiting the golden colour 130 feet statue of Lord Buddha on the way. Day 4 Wooden Home stay in a Sikkimmese village, and disability etiquette of a village boy Putting up on second floor of the wooden building was a rare experience. A few humming birds woke us up in the morning. We argued amongst ourselves for guessing the name of the bird that is humming, obviously with no one knowing it correctly! It was a loving family that served homely food in the village. Then we went through a forest trail, and I have met a special person. Ashish, a twelve year boy. He kept all others away from me and guided me all the way through the trail across patchy ways, streams, rocks, trees etc. He went so far to step on the ground ahead to check the firmness and then place my cane. After sometime, he took the cane away from me saying the path is smooth and my hand would pain for holding it for long time. I took the risk of giving up the cane and prepared for an injury for the love and concern he had for me, but his confidence took me through. I thought Corporates and governments need to be sensitized with prolonged campaigns and agetations, but a village boy from a north eastern village just had the right attitude towards a blind whom he met for the first time. Hatss off to him! The day ended with a Sikkimmese music and dance performance, again with Divya and Ritu describing the steps. I even tried my hands on the instrument and Sikkimmese dance, which was followed by Anthakshiri sitting around bond fire. Day 5 Good bye Sikkim I travelled all the day, in a car to Bagdogra airport, in flight to Chennai, RTC bus to tirupati, and finally a auto rikshaw at 1 in the night to my home. See? I am confident of independent travel! Follow up I received all my pics and videos taken with detailed description as to who are all there, our poses and the background. Isn’t it inclusive tourism at its best? About Bat Travels; Ritu and Divya It requires great passionate hearts to give up jobs and start something like Bat Travels. And great professional minds to run it. But their uniqueness Lies in the fact that they get sighted tourists on board with blind after duly sensitizing them about blind etiquette. See how a village boy from north eastern village helped a blind man from tirupati to have a life time memory! It was my first innings with the “Bat”. And given my experience, I will surely have more, and longer innings with them. Would surely recommend to all my friends, blind or sighted, to go with bat Travels! -- G. Vamshi Mobile: +91 9949349497 Skype: gvamshi81 WWW.VIBEWA.ORG EQUALITY AND DIGNITY Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
