| Having a disability
doesn’t mean you can’t
enjoy the holiday of a lifetime, as
Devon Link reader and occupational
therapist Heather Manktelow discovered.
Here Heather shares her account of
accompanying her disabled friend on
safari in South Africa... |
|
I am an Occupational Therapist working at North
Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple.
Last year I accompanied Christa, a brain-injured
friend who is a wheelchair user, on her dream
safari holiday to South Africa. We travelled with
Epic Enabled, a company specialising in safaris
for people with disabilities. Very well organised,
they carried a range of adaptive equipment. There
were seven people in our group — two non-disabled,
including myself, three wheelchair users and two
with reduced mobility. We were looked after by
the driver/owner, Alfie, and his helper, JB. We
soon became a “happy family” —
working as a team.
We travelled in a large adapted vehicle which
had a hydraulic lift, roll-up polythene windows
and elevated comfortable seating areas, giving
us great views of the animals. Alfie had designed
and adapted the vehicle himself, and named it
“Impy” — the Zulu word for
warrior. There was room inside for Christa to
remain in her wheelchair and I could position
her at either side of the vehicle to have the
best views.
For the first three days we stayed at Tshukudu
Game Reserve. Marajite, our Dutch ranger and
guide drove an open-topped vehicle, stopping
at suitable places for us to watch the animals.
Early on we came across four elephants drinking
at a watering hole. The female, Becky, had been
hand-reared and saw humans as family. She gently
put her bristly trunk into the vehicle to say
hello, and we stroked it. Her baby followed
but the two male elephants didn’t look
so friendly and kept their distance!
The next day we went in search of Savannah,
a hand reared cheetah. On the way we saw helmeted
guinea fowl and blue Vervet monkeys. Marajite
stopped the vehicle as we saw the beautiful
Savannah slinking towards us. She came right
up to us so that we could pet her, purring loudly
the whole time. She seemed at home in human
company, even jumping onto the lap of the front
seat passenger and across to sit in the empty
driver’s seat.
Visiting Shangaan cultural native village was
an amazing experience. The villagers sang us
a song of greeting, showed us how they wash
and pound corn meal and make rush mats. The
village exists to educate young South African
children about their roots – the traditional
villages are diminishing as people move to the
towns.
We ate a traditional meal of corn-meal, cabbage,
and tomato and onion sauce with our fingers.
Chicken was available, but the native villagers
only eat meat on special occasions. Then they
took us to a shady spot outside and treated
us to a display of dancing and singing.
We were looking forward to getting into the
Kruger National Park – where the animals
would get really wild! In no time we saw male
Kudu (which have long twisted horns), zebras,
wildebeest, impala, giraffes, monkeys and elephants.
We stopped at a waterhole where two pods of
hippos were wallowing – only their eyes,
ears and part of their backs were visible; the
rest of their bodies submerged.
That evening we ate in the open air right next
to the camp perimeter fence. It was dark and
hyenas patrolled the other side of the fence
hoping to be thrown some scraps. It’s
not recommended so we didn’t give them
anything, although one lay behind us looking
longingly at our spaghetti bolognaise!
The next day we spotted Maribou storks, then
a lioness snoozing, and a troop of about 30
baboons,including babies and watched them playing
for a while. Next we saw a herd of about 200
buffalo, which was an awesome sight! We could
see red-billed Oxpecker birds on their backs
cleaning off the ticks.
Having so far stayed in thatched huts with
en-suite bathrooms, we were wary of the next
two nights in a tent, but we needn’t have
been. Considering it was a tent, it was a very
comfortable one, with a wooden balcony, proper
beds and electric lights! This was luxury camping.
The toilet block wasn’t far and Alfie
provided metal ramps to get the wheelchair up
to entrance level. It was a little steep, which
meant a bit of an adventure every time we entered
or left the tent – all good fun!
The last night was spent in a comfortable hotel
room in Johannesburg, where we met up with the
rest of the group in the bar that evening. It
was a lovely ending to a wonderful holiday.
Christa coped admirably with the intensive
safari schedule – she was adamant she
wasn’t going to miss out on anything!
I was inspired by my fellow travellers; by their
courage, determination, positive attitude and
spirit, particularly those with physical disabilities
who were travelling independently.
The trip gave Christa a great boost and has
accelerated her physical rehabilitation since
our return. I’ve helped Christa to compile
a photo album and travel diary of the trip,
and we have also given a presentation of the
trip to the Headway group that she attends.
People with disabilities often have routines,
adaptive equipment, and physical and emotional
support from others. The thought of coping away
from their environment can be very daunting
and may extinguish any idea of a holiday, especially
overseas.
However, when you push back the boundaries
of the familiar, new experiences and exciting
things can happen. It can be frightening, all
may not go to plan, and you may not be certain
that you will cope – but you will learn
about new cultures, grow as an individual, and
meet fantastic people along the way. Happy travelling!
/
/
/
/
/ / / / / / / /
/ / / /
/ / 
