Article 1/3
Published in the DMSG "contact", in issue 1/1996
The planning and preparation of my first trip as a “wheelchair driver”
Before I became handicapped, I used to travel quite extensively. Even when I had symptoms in December of 1982 which were diagnosed as MS in August, 1983, I traveled as usual by all means of transportation, like car, airplane and railway. When my symptoms became more severe however, I stopped driving my car and traveling by railway became very difficult, if not impossible. I also stopped trying to travel by air. The only place I felt comfortable and secure was in my apartment and the surrounding area because I knew how everything functioned and was familiar with everything.
At the time, my sister lived in Cairo, Egypt. She had asked me for a long time to visit her and since she was familiar with country and people, she told me that she would be able to arrange everything so my stay there would be as comfortable as possible. Still, I found a million excuses for not being able to go. Then, my sister and her husband came for a visit to Germany and we discussed the subject again.
We made a to-do-list for things that had to be taken care of before my departure. I also made a list of the sights I planned to visit in Egypt. My sister would check if they were wheelchair accessible.
I asked my family-doctor, who himself is a world traveler, about possible medical risks. In retrospect, I think that I secretly hoped he would advise me against the trip. Contrary to this hope, he was very enthusiastic about the idea and offered to help me get vital information and recommend medication.
Soon after, he informed me that October-November would be the best time to travel because temperature and humidity would be at the lowest of the year. The only possible medical risk would be hepatitis for which he vaccinated me. The other health problem I could possibly encounter would be an amoeba infection for which he gave me pills.
I had to grin at the thought of being struck with intestinal problems in Egypt, for it all ready was difficult enough for me to reach the toilet in time when I was at home. He advised me to eat fresh cooked food only and drink only boiled or bottled water which was opened in my presence. Furthermore, he mentioned that ice-cubes in drinks and salad should be off limits. Mineral or cooked water were also to be used for brushing my teeth.
Shortly after came the OK from my sister. She had checked everything on the list and everything was taken care of. She informed me that Cairo has a big International Hospital and that most tourist sights were wheelchair accessible. She also had lined up people who would help us/me. Since I now had run out of excuses for not going, I booked my flight and arranged for wheelchair service.
After I arrived in Egypt and was sitting comfortably together with my sister and brother in law I asked myself why I had caused so many problems and delayed the trip for so long. Everything was perfect.
During many discussions with other MS-patients, it became clear to me that we all have the same problem. Without experience, we don't trust. Without trust we can't gather experiences. Therefore, the motivation to get us out of the house needs to be strong.
Traveling to a country like Egypt requires detailed preparation. Egypt is not prepared for people with handicaps. They are very friendly and helpful if perhaps only to receive a little tip. In the beginning , I was a little shocked and felt stressed but then I realized that somehow, everything was going to be fine. In summary, the positive experience of my trip to Egypt encouraged me to again become the world traveler I was before I had MS.. I learned that if you plan well, and don’t expect the comforts you have at home, everything will turn out positive. Since this trip, I visited Egypt 2 more times and in addition traveled to other many other places.
In my opinion, getting out of the house to gather new impression and come up with new ideas is essential for the physically challenged to gain self confidence. In addition, being “seen” improves the understanding and acceptance of the handicapped by the general public.
Article 2/3
Published in the DMSG "Contact", in issue 2/1996
With the wheelchair in Egypt!
In my first article I wrote about my personal problems and how I solved them. Now I want to report about my beautiful experiences.
On 11/22/1991, 10 days after the great earthquake in Cairo, I started my trip. The earthquake did not worry me. On the contrary, I always had the wish to witness one. My friends and especially my parents, tried everything to stop me from going. At 6.00 am a friend picked me up and brought me to Erding where “Franz-Joseph-Strauß” airport is located. The plane took off at 9.30 am.
Check-in and boarding were no problem; the airport wheelchair-service was very helpful. While in flight, I felt that the flight-personal paid special attention to me. The weather was clear and calm and after 4 hours, punctually at 2:30 p.m., we touched down in Cairo, Helios Airport. All passengers left the plane, only I was asked to stay in my seat until the wheel-chair service would come and pick me up. I was prepared for a long wait when all of a sudden and to the surprise of everybody, my sister, her husband and two airport security officers appeared. My sister told me that Cairo airport has no wheelchair-service and therefore, the security officers came to help us. They lifted me into my wheelchair and off we went. The officers were authorized to take care of all formalities. They quickly checked my luggage through customs and took care of my visa.
It still could not quite believe that I indeed was in Cairo and when it sunk in, I was proud of myself for having taken on the adventure. I had started in Munich where temperatures were near freezing at +1°C and where it had rained. Here in Heliopolis, the weather was sunny and clear with temperatures of about 35° C.
On our way to my sister’s apartment, we drove through downtown Cairo. The traffic in Cairo was, to say the least, scary. Every driver seemed to be an anarchist and the city seemed to have no traffic rules. If they did have rules, nobody obeyed them. Driving is a question of nerves. The driver with the strongest nerves and loudest horn has the right-of-way. Much to my surprise, this circus seems to work and during the three weeks I stayed there, I did not see a single serious accident. Driving like this would be impossible in Germany where rules and traffic laws are strictly enforced.
We arrived at my sister’s apartment Building.She lived on the 3rd floor. Since the building had no elevators, she had hired two human lifts named Saben and Fati. Both of them were already waiting for us. I believe, these people had never seen a wheelchair before in their life and they had no idea how to operate one. My brother-in-law translated what I said and showed them how to operate my wheelchair. They then started to carry me up the staircase. You need very strong nerves to survive this ordeal but somehow, we made it up to the third floor. During the next few days, I was carried up and down the stairs up to 3 times per day and my “lifts” developed the necessary routine which made things much easier. I had to pay 3.00 € for this service for both men. For us, this is dirt-cheap, but for them it was a huge salary.
My lifts name was Saben and Fati
The day I arrived in Cairo, we spent at home. We had so much to talk about because we had not seen each other for a long time. I was very curious about the “tourist program” they had arranged for me. Among other things, they told me that they had booked a very good hotel in Hurgada at the Red Sea, where we would spend the second week of my visit.
At the pyramids of Giza
The tourist program began the next day. Since I did and saw so much during my 3 weeks stay in Egypt I can only very briefly describe what I saw. The most impressive sites were the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. I visited both sites several times. I also saw the step pyramids of Saquara and the bend pyramid in Maydun. Furthermore, I visited the Egyptian Museum, went to the Citadel and to Khan El Kgalili which is the bazaar in old-town Cairo.
Since my brother in law is a native Egyptian, I had the opportunity to visit sites which cannot be found in regular tourist programs. He took me to “Cemetery City”, where around 1 million poor people live in tombs on the cemetery. I also saw “Dump “City”, where another 1 million people life who recycle the rubbish. I also had the chance to see the normal Egyptian life with his family and his friends.
I also experienced my first earth quake. The strongest lasted 30 seconds, was 4.7 on the Richter scale and was scaring!
The one week we spent at the Red Sea was a very special experience, because we were the first guests in a brand-new 4-Star-Hotel. The hotel was fully staffed even though only a few guests stayed there and we were treated like royalty. The hotel had an animation team with young people from all over the world. We formed a special friendship with this group because my sister, her husband and I speak several languages and they were very happy to be able to converse in their mother-tongue even if it was sometimes only a few sentences.
The weather was marvelous and the water temperature was like in a bath-tub and I braved going swimming several times. I very fondly remember this one week and I will never forget it. All in all I can say that this vacation was very special. The weather was very good. Temperature averaged between 20° up to 30° C with very low humidity at about 30 to 40%.
I was even swam in the Red Sea
I saw and experienced so much and it was a big adventure for me because Egypt is not wheelchair-prepared. But, since everything turned out very well anyway, this trip inspired me to travel again.
Articel 3/3
Published in the DMSG "Kontakt", in issue 3/1996
Handicapped people in Egypt
I was very interested in how handicapped people in Egypt live. Compared to Western Europe, I saw drastic differences. Very often, you see them begging in the streets. I was told that many belong to a “begging mafia” and that parents very often intentionally cripple their babies because they have a better begging chance. Sometimes you see handicapped people with shocking disabilities. One can almost feel the pain they are enduring.
You also see many war disabled men from the “6 days war”. You can recognize them because they have 3-wheeled motorcycles.
You also see disabled people with very simple but fantastic aids. For instance, I saw a man who had both legs amputated. He was sitting on a skateboard and pushing himself forward on the ground with gloves on his hands.
I learned that the Egyptians are very eager to help. On one side they are very poor and need every tip they can get, on the other hand, I very often experienced that they denied taking money which made me understand that they helped me in solidarity.
I visited some shops and workshops were they produce and sell aids for the disabled. They were very proud to show me a catalog from Germany with aids for the disabled which they tried to copy. They were very interested in my wheelchair because of its remarkable design and color and also because it rolls and navigates so easily because it has indoor sports tires.
Egyptian sidewalks have no lowered curbs. On the contrary, the curbs are unusually high to protect pedestrians from cars and therefore, it is impossible to cross the streets with a wheelchair.
The disabled do receive some “social” benefits without special proof. The entrance fees for many events and points of interests are, for example, reduced or even free if you sit in a wheelchair.
I was entitled to special privileges wherever I went. In the Egypt Museum, for example, someone escorted me wherever I went and I was allowed to use the freight elevator. When we visited the Citadelle, we were permitted to enter the grounds by car which is usually not allowed.
I also learned that the big 4 or 5-star hotels are best prepared for wheelchairs. They often have a few rooms set aside which are wheel-chair accessible. This is extremely helpful especially concerning the bath-rooms. I found this out when I checked into the Montazah-Sheraton in Alexandria. I was the first guest bound to a wheel-chair and therefore, they only charged me half-price for the room.
She was very pretty but not a great dancer
which did not matter to me (see the big grin on my face?).
We often went out for dinner or just for a drink and watch belly dancers.
Since alcohol is prohibited in Egypt, the only place one can have a drink is in an international hotel. We usually went to the same place when we just wanted a beer and watch belly dancing.
The bartender always paid special attention to me.
She was also very pretty!
My brother in law is a professor at Giza University. When we went out, he was the one who pushed my wheelchair. I was wondering why he made sure that everyone we met knew who he was. When I asked him about this, he told me that he found out that people believed that I belonged to European nobility, was very rich and that because of my special status, I was wheeled around so I did not have to walk. He made sure that people knew who he was because he did not want them to think that he was my slave. People must have made up this story because they never saw a tourist in a wheelchair, which I believe is true because during my entire stay in Egypt, I did not see a single tourist in a wheelchair. If an Egyptian is handicapped and bound to a wheelchair he is usually so poor that he would not be able to visit the hotels and venues I visited. My wheelchair, expensive clothes and self-confidence did not coincide with the general image of local disabled people. Therefore, people formed the opinion that I was very special. I found this very amusing and must admit that I also appreciated my unusual “status”.
Since my first trip, I visited Egypt three more times and every time I went, my confidence grew. In summary I learned that even though things could be very strenuous at times, my trips would be successful and I would not want to miss the beautiful memories I made for anything.