"Every day of my life is a challenge," says Parvinder Chawla, who he has been living like this since he was 22, but that hasn't stopped him from traveling around the world in a wheelchair. He's been to 59 countries, where he's had all sorts of adventures: parasailing in Taiwan, snorkeling Australia's Great Barrier Reef, ziplining in South America, and kayaking in Udupi. "When you travel, you forget the pain," he laughs.
She was born in Ludhiana, the daughter of a hotelier and a housewife, Chawla began to show the first signs of rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 15 , when she, on occasion, she couldn't open her jaw to eat.
At her sister's wedding, she had to squat for a dance move and suddenly she found out that she couldn't bend. And she was getting worse and worse. "I couldn't sleep or turn around in bed. I tried various treatments, but nothing reduced the pain. That's when I decided to use a wheelchair."
Parvinder Chawla in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Chawla was bedridden for almost two years, until her condition began to improve with medication. This 52-year-old woman, who now lives alone in the Bandra neighborhood of Mumbai, she began to make life little by little and to travel by public transport around town in a manual wheelchair, and later she got a job as a call center operator. And one day she felt the call of adventure.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Chawla's college friends were planning a trip to the Vaishno Devi temple in the Jammu and Kashmir region, and she decided to join: "People asked me many times: 'but how are you going to get to the temple?'" When he arrived at the shrine, there was no wheelchair ramp: "Four people picked me up and carried me up the stairs. There were a lot of people, but when they realized what was happening, they made way for me. And so I arrived at Vaishno Devi ", bill.
After her trip to Kashmir, she accompanied an actor cousin of hers to Dubai for a shoot: “ Dubai is one of the most wheelchair-friendly places in the world. . An organization called Wings of Angelz makes sure that almost every place is accessible.” She spent her days in the city's shopping centers and cafes: "I was never at home. Experiencing these things made me feel more and more sure of myself."
ONE DAY SHE WAS ALONE
"Why would anyone want to come on a trip with me?" She asks herself. "It is not convenient for me or for those who have to accompany me." And it is that Chawla has already known first-hand what it is like to travel in a wheelchair with a person who walks.
"Once I traveled with a friend and it was very troublesome, because there were long distances that I could do perfectly well in my automatic wheelchair, but she would need to take a taxi. And I couldn't get a taxi because my wheelchair wouldn't have fit. It's not as simple as it sounds," she says.
Parvinder Chawla maneuvers her wheelchair on the slopes of Istanbul, Turkey.
So she decided to take the plunge and travel alone to balinese: "I stayed in the center of Seminyak and Ubud, to be able to reach everything with ease. The island is not the most accessible place for wheelchairs in terms of public transport, but I managed. I was in a hotel without room service, but on the other hand the receptionist helped me carry my wheelchair when I entered. You have to think about these things."
And how do you manage? With the help of some kind strangers : “When I was in Rome, which is only wheelchair accessible to a limited extent, one afternoon I wanted to get on a bus. The driver told me that he couldn't get on without help and a Turkish tourist who was passing by on a bicycle stopped and said: 'Let's go together, I'll help you'”.
"If you ask for help, people are usually nice. Of course, there were times when I was told no (in China), but I didn't let that put me off. I just assumed it was a communication problem and they weren't understanding what I was asking for. From what I've seen, people are very keen to help: There have been times where a person has circled around and taken detours just to tag along with me."
Parvinder Chawla diving in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Now Chawla travels a lot on her own: "People often ask: 'How do you travel alone? Aren't you bored?' I tell them: ‘When you go on a trip, do you see things with your own eyes or with those of your companion?’. I love to travel alone, I meet many different people with very different stories. Traveling alone has made me feel more confident about myself."
Not even the moments of greatest impact of the pandemic prevented him from traveling last year. Since she couldn't catch a flight, she drove from Mumbai to Delhi for 16 days. Although a friend of hers was with her, she was the one who drove all the way. If we ask her which is the most accessible city in India for wheelchairs, she answers: “ Definitely, Agra. It may not be fully accessible when it comes to public transportation, but most of the tourist spots are, including the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort”.
"Kevadia in Gujarat, where the Statue of Unity is located, is the perfect place for people in wheelchairs who want to explore India. The Delhi metro is excellent, and I hope it will be the same in Mumbai when it starts operating." over there".
Parvinder Chawla in Budapest.
THE WORLD, SEEN FROM A WHEELCHAIR
According to Chawla, Dubai is the ideal destination to travel in a wheelchair alone for the first time . "Of course, activities in the city are limited. If you want to be close to nature, I would say Australia would be my first recommendation."
Chawla has spent months in melbourne. She visited the zoo, the beaches and various restaurants: "The trams, the buses, the tube, everything is accessible by wheelchair. Another great example is, of course, London. And in some parts of the United States, such as New York, Free public transport tickets are offered for people with functional diversity. Even the companion benefits, because she only has to pay 50% ".
Chawla has visited 32 European countries. Although some places are wheelchair-friendly to a certain extent, there are others where he encountered more difficulties than usual: "For example, in countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia there are no ramps in many places, which makes it very difficult to that people in wheelchairs can move comfortably".
Parvinder Chawla in Budapest.
EVERYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG WILL GO WRONG
With enough money, any place becomes wheelchair accessible Says Chawla: "You can afford to take taxis everywhere and book hotels that offer 24-hour assistance. The real challenge is planning a trip that fits your budget."
"With enough money, any place becomes wheelchair accessible. The real challenge is planning a trip that fits the budget."
On his trip from Beijing to Guangzhou, Chawla had booked a hotel in advance, which he had closed by the time he arrived. It was late and the driver did not understand what she was trying to communicate: "He told me to get out of the taxi. In the end a local took us to another hotel. When I got to my room, I had a high fever and, guess what, there was no water in my room. When I called the receptionist, she also didn't speak English and Google Translate doesn't work in China. The problems came one after another."
Parvinder Chawla explores the caves of Ellora (India).
Everything has happened to Chawla: in a hostel in Rome she had 400 pounds sterling stolen from her wallet; On her road trip from Mumbai to Delhi, she had difficulty finding wheelchair-friendly toilets: "Many places still don't have Western toilets. I had to use disinfectant sprays before I could use the toilets." She has lost her passport, she has fallen from her chair while getting on a bus... But she has always gotten back up. "These are things that happen and you have to learn to take it with humor."
The key to planning a trip when using a wheelchair is to call and find out all the details. According to Chawla: "I call hotels and ask every little detail, from the number of steps to the height of the bathroom fixtures, to see if I can get there. Platforms like MakeMyTrip and TripAdvisor often have some details about whether places Tours are wheelchair accessible, although I wish it was more organized. And there are tour operators like Planet Abled that help people plan these trips."
THE HEALING POWER OF TRAVEL
There is something special in Chawla's voice when she talks about her travels. "I'm happier since I started traveling. Doing what I love makes me feel free like the wind; it's the healing power of traveling. I don't know when, where or how it happened, but suddenly I realized that I no longer "My body hurt so much. I guess if you're happy, everything goes better; you can even get the medication to work." But the biggest benefit, says Chawla, is that he has gained confidence : "The key to living with a disability is to have confidence. If you have confidence in yourself, anything is possible."
“I am happier since I started traveling.”
What are your next destinations? "Right now I have Russia and Brazil as a priority. There are 195 countries in the world, and I have only seen 59, that is, a quarter of the world. This is just the beginning."
Parvinder Chawla in Doha, Qatar.
TIPS FOR TRAVELING IN A WHEELCHAIR
- Invest in a good wheelchair: The change to the automatic wheelchair allowed Chawla to have a much more independent life. In her own words, her GM Lite wheelchair, which costs around €1,700, is light (it weighs 23 kilos) as well as strong and robust. The battery is not very heavy, but it does have power, and it can be opened and closed in a few seconds.
- Research and ask even the smallest detail: Chawla calls hotels and asks for details such as the number of steps in the hotel, the height of bathroom fixtures, is there a ramp for a wheelchair, and more. Knowing all this helps you plan your trip and know how accessible the accommodation is going to be.
- Have your wheelchair safe transportation certificate handy: Power wheelchairs come with a safe transport certificate as a guarantee that the battery will not be dangerous during transport by plane. Have it on hand, because they will ask you to present it at the time of billing. Although some airlines force you to change wheelchairs in order to check in yours, you can always request to use yours until you reach the boarding gate before checking it in for the flight.
- Take the battery with you: Airlines have not always treated Chawla in the best way: "On a trip to the Bahamas, a part of my wheelchair arrived broken. It took me a day to fix it," he says. "To be safe, I usually take the battery and the remote control in the cabin with me."
- Stay in touch with your wheelchair service provider: "If there's a problem with my wheelchair, I can call my provider for help, even if it's two in the morning."
- Charge the batteries and always carry the charger : "I charge the wheelchair at night and that's usually enough for the whole day. If I run out of battery, I'll go to a coffee shop or the nearest outlet I can find and charge it. Always carry the charger with you."
- Download Google translate: If you are going to visit a country whose main language you do not know how to speak, it is good to have an automatic translator to get you out of trouble. And, in general, it is always advisable to hire a good data rate for your mobile.
- Bring a backpack instead of a suitcase: When Chawla travels alone, she doesn't carry a suitcase: "Accommodations don't always have staff that can help you carry luggage, and if they do, it can be quite expensive. I have found an alternative: I have fixed hooks on both sides of the chair and I carry backpacks that can be carried like this".
- Do not wet the control of your wheelchair: Find a way to protect it when it rains or snows so it doesn't get damaged.
This article was published in December 2021 in Condé Nast Traveler India.