Friday 19 July 2013

Thinking outside the box…


Our plane touched down in Alicante on Sunday 30th June at 09.30 approximately. So, you’d think we’d have the whole day to enjoy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. We didn’t actually get to the villa until about 14.00 due to a few minor issues that were dealt with.

Firstly, the car-hire desk was extremely busy so we had to wait for a couple of hours to pick up the keys. I put down my sunglasses and shut my eyes because it was hurting to keep my eyes open (I had been awake since 15.00 the previous day). Then, the Fiat Scudo we were renting was a manual so my dad had to get used to it because he is used to driving an automatic at home (he found it difficult all holiday). The seats were so comfortable that as soon as I got in, I fell asleep.

When I woke up about an hour later, we were only 15 minutes from the villa according to the Sat-Nav but somehow took the wrong turning and ended up lost (a family tradition when away from home). Eventually, my father stopped being stubborn and rung the villa owner to ask for directions. Luckily, he knew where we were so drove down so we could follow him back to our accommodation.

Pulling up on the drive was brilliant for us all. My parents were relieved we had finally arrived at our home for the next ten days and I was just taken back by the breath-taking view of Moraira. My little brother, sister and I were all excited as the swimming pool looked very inviting. So, after having a little rest on the sun lounger and beginning my tan, I was hoisted into the swimming pool. This became a regular set of events.

When I used the shower that evening, I had to transfer into a plastic seat because they did not have a chair on wheels. This proved difficult because the bathroom floor was quite slippery when wet. The next day, I took the cushion off and went in the shower in my actual wheelchair, which again was a pain because it would have to dry before we went out. Therefore, we needed a bit of a quick fix.

That’s what we found in Javea. A sunbed on wheels (see picture below). Far from ideal but it worked as a good shower chair and done the job. I don’t think it was designed to carry a human from A to B because the wheels were beginning to buckle but it certainly solved a problem. The Shorey family could patent that ingenious invention for other people. It only cost €30 but that is quite cheap considering it made our holiday a lot easier and less stressful.

Especially when you compare it to travel shower-chairs which cost over $1,000. It’s a lot and they only sell them in America. However, I’m going to get one shipped over because it will make staying at hotels simpler. I love going to away games with the Arsenal so it will probably come in handy loads of times as most budget hotels have basic disabled facilities. I’m hoping to go abroad for a European fixture this season so it would help if I have it for then.

Enjoy the pictures and I’ll be back next week for more holiday stories.

Bye for now!






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