Sendero Group Travel Blog
Follow Sendero travelers on their adventures using accessible GPS.Thursday, November 29, 2012
Japan, Osaka and Kyoto
Since the United flights to Bangkok route through Japan, it
only made sense to stop over on the way home for a couple days. It is about a 6
hour flight to Osaka and then another 10 hours flying to San Francisco from
there.
We were in for a bit of an unpleasant shock when entering
immigration in Osaka. I passed through with no problem but then Gena was held
up. Her passport was flagged so they took us into a holding room while they
sorted it out. Being a holiday in the US as well as in Japan, everyone was
concerned that no officials could be reached to figure out the problem. Because
of the language barrier, it was a very upsetting interchange with us having no
clue when and if anything would be done.
In case we were not allowed into Japan, we started looking
into flights back to the US but the last one was gone for the day. There was only a flight to Guam, about 4
hours from Japan that was leaving an hour and a half hence.
Finally, Gena was called to the phone and got an earful from
Mr. Brown at the US embassy in Osaka,
telling her she was in big trouble. Once she explained she was blind he
lightened up. Turns out that Gena was using a passport she thought was active
but was in fact one she thought was lost and replaced. Hard to figure out why
she had been through 6 passport checkpoints prior to Osaka without issue.
Finally, after being detained for 2 hours, we were hugely relieved to be
allowed into Japan although I was a bit disappointed not to be going to Guam.
Our time in Osaka was mostly around the two hotels where we
stayed, the Ritz Carlton and Swissotel. We were duly impressed by the heated
toilet seats in both hotels. One even had a push-button panel with Braille
labels.
Outside the hotel, there was not much English Spoken; I did
not have GPS maps so navigating was a challenge. A lovely young woman in the Ritz,
who was from Kyoto, wrote down directions to the train and to various places to
visit in Kyoto. We used this and the points of interest aspect of the GPS to
find our way to Kyoto and back on the train as well as going to the castle inOsaka. The train stations were huge and packed with lots of people. It wasn’t
easy but we managed between all our alternative tools and techniques to get
where we wanted to go.
On our return trip, we came out of the wrong exit and found
ourselves taking a very long way around. We made it in time to check out and
catch our shuttle back to the airport.
I have always said that “the people make the places” and
that was true of Japan. Our favorite was our friend Mutsuki from the Ritz. Our
waiter at the Italian Cantina was wonderful, not to mention another waiter,
Tomach, who was actually Hungarian. We had fun with a few folks who didn’t
speak a word of English like one of the guards at the Osaka Castle, who ran up
6 flights of stairs in search of us. He really wanted us to take the elevator.
We enjoyed the ladies in a women’s clothing store called Scream. They even let
us feel the super high heels and leggings they were wearing.
We had a good time despite the problem entering the country
because of the warmth of the people. Next time, we will make sure we don’t go
there on a holiday, which made a very crowded place even crazier.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
World Blind Union in Bangkok Thailand, 2012
The purpose for attending the WBU, held every 4 years, was
to keep Sendero on the international stage and to emphasize, even in developing
countries, the importance of independent wayfinding using GPS and other alternative
tools and techniques. Cheng Hock Kua from Singapore and I walked around the
Imperial Queen’s Park hotel to establish points of interest because the
Thailand maps were quite sparse. There was a beautiful park with playgrounds, a
stage and jogging path. We were close to a major shopping mall and to a train
station. Sukhumvit Road was a very busy artery stuffed with shops and massage
parlors. There was no shortage of places to establish as user Points of Interest.
The interesting thing about a WBU verses most conferences we
attend, is that it is dominated by developing countries. There was a strong
contingent of blind Africans from Togo to Mozambique, from Malawi to Ghana. It
was fascinating to talk with these blind folks over breakfast or a drink. Most
had little interest in let alone the resources to acquire a GPS system. Hence,
we had few takers for our GPS tours around the hotel. We did have a decent
turn-out for our formal presentation.
There were about 1000 people registered for the conference.
I would guess half were blind. There were 300 volunteers omnipresent in their
orange shirts, easy to find for low vision folks. With almost one-to-one
sighted assistance around the hotel and even to walk to nearby restaurants or
massage parlors, it was a rather unreal situation for navigation. We don’t
typically have cheery college age volunteers in our lives at our every beck and
call. I couldn’t help but be a bit philosophical about this form of
accommodation at a conference of the world’s blind leaders. Sure it was
convenient and very hospitable. However, what kind of message does it say about
independence with full time sighted assistance?
We did take one day to get outside the hotel area of
Bangkok, well other than my two specific taxi trips to and from James Tailor,
where I had some custom suits and shirts made. Gena and I visited the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. We took the train, then a boat and then walked to the
Temple. We had a guide for the day that explained everything to us and showed
us her favorite lunch spot. From there, we took a 3-wheeled vehicle called a
Tuc Tuc to a flower mart and a pedestrian shopping street. There are copious
sidewalk food stands. People, scooters and Tuc Tucs were everywhere. We wrapped
up with a taxi ride back to the hotel and capped off the day with Italian food
for a change from Thai food.
After researching various side trips, we opted for a private
guided 3 day 2 night tour to Pattaya, about 100 miles from Bangkok. We stayed
at a hotel called Birds and Bees, Cabbage and Condoms resort. The highlight of
Pattaya was an afternoon at the botanical gardens featuring an elephant show
and rides. There is nothing quite as unique as being picked up by an elephant
trunk. The elephants danced, bowled and shot basketballs at a hoop at least a
full court away. They were such amazing creatures up close. There was various
other Thai dancing and rituals as well.
I could not get over the price of a full hour massage for
under $10. So, I had one a day while in Thailand including at the airport as we
waited for our flight to Japan.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
exploring Kyoto Japan without the benefit of GPS maps
Mike May is making the most of exploring Kyoto
Japan without the benefit of GPS maps.
He recorded an audio file from the Yasaka Shrine.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
using GPS even when maps aren't present
Happy Thanksgiving back home.
We just arrived in Osaka Japan from Bangkok. I had maps
in Thailand but not here in Japan.
However, I still had the Braille Sense OnHand fired up
and helping out.
I had no clue how far our hotel in Osaka was from the
Airport. Even when there are no maps, the World.poi and the City.POI files come
in handy. I found the city of Osaka, which was about 40 Kilometers from the
airport. I could then gauge that the taxi driver wasn't taking the long way
around.
I also had the Nav Aids file loaded and could see buoys
and lighthouses a click to our left.
I of course recorded the hotel as a POI which will go
into the collective World POI file for all to share. I'll add lots more over
the next 3 days of touring Osaka, Kyoto and Nara.
Boy are the prices here a shock after Thailand and the
weather is 40 degrees cooler.
I can definitely give thanks for accessible GPS, just one
more alternative tool in my travel bag of tricks.
Mike
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
more forms of transportation
It seems a bit incongruous using GPS while being transported
by an elephant in Pattaya Thailand.
Nothing like being swept off your feet by an elephant.Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Tuk Tuk in Bangkok
Getting through Bangkok traffic is difficult almost anytime of
day. In fact, the traffic is so slow, a blind guy could easily drive a popular
form of transportation, the Tuk Tuk, kind of a 3-wheel golf cart.
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