ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL IN THE YUCATAN
2010

My husband Kim and I are prompted to finish an article we started to write in the spring of 2008 after spending a month at a small, totally accessible hotel in Mexico. We wanted to share our story in hopes of encouraging more people with SCI to travel. The name of the hotel/RV campground is Freedom Shores and it is located in the little fishing village of Isla Aguada on the Gulf of Mexico in the Yucatan. No, it is not near Cancun and Cozumel (8 hours away); there are no high-rise condos and no glittering lights (but you can see the stars at night from the beach); there is no swimming pool (but the lagoon has a nice, clean beach and I have use of a beach wheelchair for exploring and swimming. Before my bicycle accident in 2002 when I suffered a C6/7 injury, I loved to travel, swim, jog, ski, and play tennis - just about any activity Kim and I could do on 2 legs. Most of that life ended abruptly; but I probably don’t need to tell you that part if you are reading this article.

So now it is 2010 and this was our third year to spend a month at Freedom Shores. This year we added a twist by renting a car and spending 2 weeks looping the Yucatan Peninsular. Is it easy to travel in Mexico using a wheelchair? As you would expect, it is not nearly as easy as the US or Canada, but definitely possible. Unless you are extremely strong, independent, or a little crazy, you will need an able-bodied assistant. My husband of 43 years and my 60-year old brother, along with his wife, gave me the needed muscle-power to have a great adventure. Kim switched my wheels from the standard hard rubber tires to the heavy-treaded, large bicycle tires. I had purchased these wheels several years ago anticipating use while traveling, but never used them. You would not want to try travel in a manual chair on sand or gravel paths without them. We even had some regrets of not spending the $500 for the special front wheel we found on the Internet (http://gofreewheel.blogspot.com/). Another travel chair option is the Landeez (http://www.landeez.com/) that is featured in a great travel website, “Disabled Travelers Guide to the World” (http://www.disabledtravelersguide.com/index.htm). The website and book are an inspiration to any disabled traveler. It is well done, sincere, and FREE!

After spending the first month at Freedom Shores (described later), we were getting itchy to spread our wings (well, tires) and begin rolling. When renting a car, it is important to actually go with your wheelchair to make sure you can transfer into the passenger seat and that your wheelchair and all accessories will fit. We needed to rent a vehicle with enough room for my brother and sister-in-law and their luggage. We ended up with an 8-passenger Mitsubishi SUV. We got a pretty good price since we went to three kiosks at the airport and compared prices.

The first day out we pushed through a driving rain for 5 hours and stopped in the small town of Izamal just as it started to clear up. Kim had done his Internet research and found a small hotel, the Mecan Che B&B, (http://sanghavedanta.com/macanche/) that had an accessible room. Unfortunately, it was already rented, but the owner had another large room, down a gravel path about 30 yards from the restaurant. We checked it out and the doors to the room and bath were wide enough for the chair. The gardens were lush, sweet smelling, and beautiful and the price was right at less than 700 pesos (about $55) including breakfast for two and internet access. With the large bicycle tires, we could make it from the to the room to the restaurant. Once settled though, after a long tiring day of travel, we just had them bring the enchilada dinner to the room, which they gladly did.

The way we usually find a room is to consult a travel guide and then email several hotels in a city. Here is a sample email: Do you have a room large enough for a wheelchair? The doors need to be 75 - 80 centimeters wide including the bathroom. Is the hotel entrance accessible? Have you had a person using a wheelchair stay there before? The bathroom must be large enough for a wheelchair to turn around (about 120 cm.) and can have a tub or a shower. If you do not have a room for a wheelchair, can you recommend a hotel with an accessible room? This short, simple request worked great for us. Most hotels wrote back and said simply, “not accessible”. But for some cities, we got a positive response. Either they had a room that met the requirements or they knew of a place. For example in the small, isolated, beach town of Mahaual near the Belizean border, we got an answer from the owner of the Maya Luna Hotel. She had built an accessible room for her father to come visit from Holland. Unfortunately, he never got there so we got to initiate the room! It truly was accessible – large with a roll-in shower, hand-held showerhead, and plenty of hot water! We stayed there 3 nights only 75 feet from the Caribbean Sea. The bad news is there was no paved path to the restaurant only 25 feet away so this is where the bicycle tires came in handy. The staff shoveled enough sand to make a ramp to the cabana’s porch and soaked it with water, which worked pretty well.

After picking up my brother and his wife in Cancun, we headed down the coast to Tulum where we did not have any reservations and no research since we were not sure where we would stop. After checking two hotels that had easy accessibility at the hotel entrance and into the room, one was full, and at the second one the bathroom door too small. A quick reminder, take a tape measure with you. That is now on our essential packing list at the end of the article. We asked the manager if he would take off the bathroom door and got a quick, “No, Senor!” The third try was a winner. We had to bump up one step to get into the hotel – no big deal in the manual chair – easy access into the room, and the manager along with my brother quickly took the bathroom door off the hinges. The chair slipped through barely and the shower was plenty big. When there is no hand held showerhead, we have to be very careful. First, Kim showers, to learn exactly how the controls work. Once I get transferred to my portable commode/shower chair and get settled under the shower, we place a towel over the showerhead. Next we turn on the water so that it comes down in a steady stream (not on my head) and get the temperature right. Remove the towel and, voila - a shower just like everybody else. It helps if the shower head swivels. This hotel was almost in the center of town so getting to restaurants was easy and we just carefully kept the chair in the street and used side streets as much as possible. It is nice to have a couple of people running interference and checking traffic.

Tulum has an excellent, historic Mayan ruin built right on the Caribbean Sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulum). This beach rivals the beautiful sands of the Florida Panhandle. At first I was prepared to sit outside in my chair and wait for the others to visit the ruin. But when we asked, they assured us it was “accessible”. Amazingly, they have done a really good job of creating two ramps to get inside. Granted, the ramps are definitely not ADA - about 100 feet long at 45 degrees. But with Kim and my brother providing the horsepower, we zipped inside and I could see most of what the TAB’s (Temporarily Able Bodied) could see. One woman tour guide even took off her hat, curtsied, and said, “My respect for your courage!”

After Tulum and the beaches of Mahaual, we headed inland to the small town of Bacalar (http://lagunabacalar.com/), which proudly claims the Cenote Azul (Blue Cenote). A cenote is a sinkhole or a cave formed during the ice ages in the limestone. Many are open and available for people to swim in for a small fee. The restaurant at the Cenote Azul has an excellent ramp, again, not ADA but very easy to use. With a little effort we could have gotten me into the cenote to demonstrate my mean backstroke, but it would have been a ‘public spectacle’ so I just watched Kim and the others have fun in the deep blue waters. Swimming is free, but they do like for you to have lunch as we did.

We needed a room for the night and what better place than out in the middle of the jungle! We had seen a sign to the Ecotucan Lodge (http://www.goodtravelcompany.com/hotels/central-america/mexico/villas-ecotucan/) and figured, let’s just see what the place looks like. Situated a few kilometers off the road, the 5 cabanas were easily accessible and one had a bathroom with only 2 steps, although small. Kim was confident that we could “make it work” although getting under the mosquito nets did present a bit of a challenge. We stayed 2 nights but decided to forgo the shower – it was just a bit too risky and I did get to swim in the lake. The lodge is situated on the biggest inland lake in Mexico, Laguna Bacalar. The lake is down a big hill about a 100 yards from the lodge. It took a major effort to get down there in the chair so we took our lunch and decided to ‘make a day of it’. We rented the canoe for half a day. My brother and Kim did a two-person lift and got me in and we had a great morning on the lake. It was a perfect time for bird watching. After the canoeing we hung out on the dock with a palapa (thatched-roof, open sided structure), ate lunch, drank beer, and relaxed. Later in the afternoon it was time to get me into the lake for a nice cool swim for about 30 minutes. I have to say this was one of the most pleasant days of the trip.

Our final destination on the two-week odyssey was the delightful town of Valladolid, almost midway between Merida and Cancun and near the famous ruin, Chichan Itza (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valladolid,_Yucat%C3%A1n). Here you will find an accessible, peaceful, city square next to the Cathedral of San Gervasio, beautifully lit up at night. They have even made great curb cuts out to 5 or 6 city blocks so getting around is better than average. Even though we had researched several hotels we had not finalized one since none seemed really accessible. Again, it took three tries before we found a hotel that would work with a little effort. The hotel San Clemente had 3 steps at the entrance, but once inside it was accessible. The price was right at $38. The room was large, the bathroom big enough but the door too small. I generally shower every other morning. So with lots of thought, we decided to take off the wheels and just use the tip bars to get through the bathroom door. I transferred into the chair as Kim held it by the canes and off we went. It was a bit hilarious, since we discovered that the front wheels would not go straight without the back wheels. So we were banging into the beds, walls, and suitcases. So he finally reversed and pulled me through the bathroom door. After a quick uphill transfer into the shower chair, everything worked.

After we dropped my brother and his wife at the Cancun Airport, we were heading back to Freedom Shores, about an 8-hour drive so we needed to break it up. The old walled, Colonial town of Merida is about half way so that became our destination. With our adventurous spirit sagging and our helpers gone, we decided to take the easy way out for this last leg of the trip. We confirmed a nice, fully accessible room at pretty luxurious Holiday Inn. Needless to say, it was ‘just what the doctor ordered’. Even though it was about double the price of local Mexican hotels, the full accessibility was a pleasure. The next morning we packed-up, left our luggage in the room for safe keeping (although we never felt unsafe, ever) and headed downtown for breakfast on the square. Just like Valladolid, Merida has made an excellent effort to make the immediate town center pretty accessible with curb cuts and ramps at every corner. We toured the City Park and did the last of our souvenir shopping.

We were now back in the little Gulf shore town of Isla Aguada at Freedom Shores. What is the draw to Mexico and Freedom Shores? Certainly, the climate is quite different from Michigan, our home the rest of the year. For example, our Continental flight took off on January 27th in a light snow from Grand Rapids about 6:40 a.m. (after getting de-iced). By 9:00 we were changing planes in Houston, and we ate lunch on the restaurant patio in the 80-degree sun before 2:00 p.m. Besides the great weather, if takes less than a day to have the stress level of life in a chair drop to near zero. Our meals are provided and excellent; the staff is friendly and knowledgeable; and the rooms are large and totally accessible with shower/commode chair provided with lifts as needed. If you come without an aide or spouse, the owners can provide one for a very reasonable daily fee.

Freedom Shores is a work-in-progress and a labor of love for Bill and Thelma Bussear. They have purchased a beautiful site for their RV Camp and Accessible Hotel/Resort (http://www.isla-aguada.com/). It is a great place for people with disabilities to come without worrying about whether they will be taken care of and comfortable. The first thing you will feel is the family atmosphere and this is the greatest aspect of Freedom Shores. Bill and Thelma will work hard and tirelessly to make sure you are comfortable, safe, and cared for. Since Thelma has been Bill’s caregiver for over 45 years, there just isn’t any situation that she has not dealt with while caring for a person with quadriplegia. It doesn’t take long to get into the truly relaxed mode; to watch the fishing boats go out in the morning and return as the sun sets against the palms in an array of pink clouds. As I sit for a bit by the beach, I often see dolphins swimming off shore. And yes, the rooms really are fully accessible with roll-in showers and plenty of space.

If you want to see a Mayan ruin like Edzna, which is about two hours away, you can rent the full-size Ford 250 accessible van with a driver and they will send along a picnic lunch. Or you can hire a local fisherman to take you out in his boat to go fishing. We had him take us to see the dolphins up close; visit shell island and go see “bird island”, a rookery where hundreds, if not thousands, of birds are settling down to roost against the setting sun – a spectacular sight. Are the boats accessible? No, but this is Mexico. They just lift you and the chair and put you in the boat (and give you a life jacket). Even in a power chair, but it takes four strong guys.

The second best thing at Freedom Shores is the food. Once you taste the food prepared by ‘Chucho’, the head chef and the other kitchen staff, you will be anticipating dinner all day. We had fresh fish, garlic-buttered grilled shrimp, steak with French fries or shrimp and chicken shish-ka-bob. When we asked about pasta, the other chef, Jorge, or George, came up with a delicious ‘green pesto spaghetti’. Next we asked for a stir-fry and the kitchen crew provided us with great fresh veggies and grilled chicken. Sometimes we ordered dinner from the menu and other times we just let them surprise us. You want a pizza for Friday night along with a beer? They’ll make you a pretty good one and our favorite was ham and fresh pineapple. Don’t think that all you get are American meals. If you want Mexican fare the guys are elated to fix you some tacos, enchiladas, or burritos for lunch or dinner and huevos rancheros for breakfast. We found that the Mexican meals were not as ‘spicy’ as we are used to but they have plenty of hot sauces for you to use as needed.

Here is a typical day: we wake up between 7:00 and 8:00 and go through the regular ritual that all of us wheelers have to do each morning or evening. What’s next? Well, you can wheel out under the palapa (an open air-thatched pavilion next to the beach) for coffee and then back to the restaurant for deseyuno (breakfast). Whatever you want, starting with fresh squeezed orange juice straight from the orange along with a plate of fresh fruit! Add eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, French toast, or even waffles or cereal. Do you want banana on your cereal? If they are out of bananas, you hear the rear screen door slam. Someone has used the golf cart and zipped to the market 2 minutes away. So what’s next? You might read, work on your Spanish, take a trip into the village, check your email or work on the computer.

In the afternoon Kim and I take the beach wheelchair into the water deep enough until I float off. For safety we use one of those swimming noodles, and I do the backstroke in the lagoon for about 30 minutes. He stays close enough to give me the noodle for a breather. Sometimes I like to get onto a float and relax in the sun and watch the pelicans overhead. To get out we just reverse the process and he wheels me back out and onto the beach.

Anyone who has spent any time on the road traveling will tell you that the best thing about travel is the people you meet. You see cathedrals, ruins, castles, but some of the most fun comes from the characters you come to know and hear their stories. So the third best thing about Freedom Shores are the other people you meet while staying there.

We’ve met Dan MacLellan who is an expert IT guy from Nova Scotia and spent 4 months at Freedom Shores in 2008. He eventually bought his own hotel in Costa Rica (http://www.tranquillityhill.com/) and we dropped by to see him last year there (that’s another story). There are the various RV campers from all over the world. We’ve met a French family with 5 kids in a pretty small rig who had been on the road for 6 months and would eventually tour the USA. Our last week there we met a guy from Upstate New York who is bicycling all the way to the tip of South America. Then there was the guy we called, “Canada Bill” who could fix anything – he and his wife, Marilyn, spent months camping at Freedom Shores. The last weekend we hired a fisherman to take us out to Shell Island. In the past I have just stayed on the boat and watched the others gather shells. This time, I went in the beach chair so I was able to get out and explore the island – what a treat! And after coming to the same place for three years, the locals recognize us on the street and wave or stop to say, “Hola”. They get to practice English and I can try some Spanish. Another good adventure was to have Bill Bussear, the owner of Freedom Shores who is fluent in Spanish, take you on a walking tour of the village.

Finally, like me, many of you may have chronic, neuropathic pain. In the last 8 years I have tried just about every combination of drugs, chiropractic, acupuncture, diversion through movies and books, gardening, massage, and swimming. That said, when we are in Mexico my pain is at least 50% less. After our first year in Mexico, we had to go back to see if the pain reduction would happen again. And then we went again this year to make sure (2010). Maybe it is reduced stress or sleep? All I know is the pain is greatly reduced and I love it!

NOTES:

We will have a website for people to go to and see pictures of our trip – particularly the ones specifically dealing with the events described above, like getting in and out of the water to swim, the day by the lake, etc.

Some pictures of the trip are at:
http://public.fotki.com/ksfbop/k_l_albums/mexico-2010/best-of-yucatan/
We are working on a website that will have mostly pictures of the disability / wheelchair aspects of the trip.

Travel Packing List for possible sidebar (note: On our first big trip in 2003 after the bicycle accident, it literally took us days of preparation and then we still delayed the departure 3 days. Luckily we were not on a timeline like an airline flight and we just kept calling our friends and saying, “Didn’t leave today!” For our overseas trips, we start planning and preparing a month ahead of time and are totally packed one full day before scheduled departure. We have also traveled to France and Costa Rica. Before the accident, we visited about 30 countries and lived in Germany and Japan for 11 years.


NECESSITIES (Pre-Pack)
*Examples*
Portable Shower chair / towels / pads
Bed strap
Plastic trash bags
Plastic food bags
Pads
Catheter & all supplies (back-up)
Gloves
Vaseline / H-2-0 gel
Wet wipes
Washcloths – 10
Draw sheet
Extra seat / seat cover
Spare batteries / Charger
Scissors / Swiss Army Knife
Hat(s), Sunglasses
Night lamp + Flashlight
Dirty clothes bag
Bandages + Band-Aids
Rx + notes or pain diary
Flashlight
Travel essentials - Directions to destination,
Tickets, Passport Visa, Travel books. Etc.



Packed Morning of Departure
*Examples*
Boards-long & short (ALL THREE)
Urinary / Bowel Prog supplies (bags, straps,
catheters, Clorox sol. etc.)
Alcohol
Pillows for turning (1 or 2)
Toiletries Bag (kp & lp)
Cell phone w/ charger(s)
Non-script Meds and extras (laxative,
ibuprofen, etc. timer, bad strap,
Extra Chair / Chair-bag / seat cover

Snacks (if needed)
Examples*
WATERS!
Nuts + Crackers + pretzel mix
Chips
Lunch etc.
Wine (cork screw)
Coffee / drinks
Mug / Thermos
OPTIONAL
*Examples*
Pillow Chair
IPOD and Cord
Book/Magazines
Thermometer / Blood Pressure Cuff
Lotion
Hotel Survey (Lula)
Computer & accessories
Camera + accessories
Weights
Gifts
Sports equipment if needed
Life Jackets, beach shoes, Croakies, etc.
Binoculars
Towels – beach or specialty
Games (ex. Travel scrabble)
Knitting or activity
Pack / Backpack / spare pack
Car Rack if needed
Bathing suit
Grabber


DEAPARTURE LIST
*Examples*
Heat Down
Turn down hot water
Turn off washing machine hoses
Trash Out
Compost out
Cash/credit card
Keys
Bird feeders filled
Clear snow
Leave emergency nos.
Lock doors
Close garage
Water plants
Lights on in strategic locations
STOP MAIL / NEWSPAPER or have pick-up
Pay Check for Cleaning or other service
FORWARD HOME PHONE TO CELL

Special Items for This Trip:
*Example*
Spanish study materials, dictionaries, etc.
Pesos