A vivid narrative Vamshi, got totally engrossed in it while reading! Thanks for sharing. Thanks and Congratulations to Bat Travels for their successful venture in tourism sector with blind community.
On 6/14/18, vamshi vamshi <[email protected]> wrote: > 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/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > 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.. > -- Thanks and regards Himanshu Sahu Reach: 09051055000 Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] 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..
