“A Big Adventure” Traveling While Disabled (Part 3b):

Last week, we discussed our adventures in the first week of navigating Cuenca’s sidewalks and streets in a wheelchair. This week, we will continue. I will share pictures because, as the adage goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Kurt and I have moved into a new apartment on the opposite side of Cuenca from where we were during the first month (from El Vergel neighborhood to Puertas del Sol/“Gringolandia”). This apartment has a view because it is in a condominium building near the Tomebamba River. Kurt has been enjoying sitting by the window watching birds, the river, people exercising, airplanes landing and taking off, and storm systems moving across the Andes mountains. All this interesting activity has led him to suggest that we “go for a walk,” which means that we both push his chair and navigate any obstacles we encounter. Luckily, we have a plaza right next door with restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and more. Even getting there presents some challenges, though. The destination is below; ice cream is always a motivating factor for us! ☺

These cobblestones are actually pretty good, although the step up into the ice cream shop is a bit too much for Kurt, so we had our ice cream next to the standing table. Getting to that table and the shop had several obstacles, including a garbage can, which a kind worker moved for us when we arrived, but I had to move as we were leaving. Luckily, he had emptied it; otherwise, we’d have had to wait for another customer to finish their ice cream and exit through a parking place.

This is an example of new cobblestones (older cobblestones present their own issues). There is a gutter on each side of the street, but a heavy vehicle has waffled the main corridor. If Kurt didn’t have mobility challenges, I would probably not take notice of it, but these type obstacles become a challenge when you are in a wheelchair. Granted, some wheelchair users are adept at wheelies and curb hopping, but with Kurt’s strokes, this is not a skill that he has mastered due to balance issues.

Here is evidence that the builders of this new plaza were considerate of accessibility. There is a lift for the second floor. We will be using it soon to get another yummy pizza! We enjoyed our ice cream and had a pretty easy time navigating to this plaza due to its newness and thoughtful design.

The sidewalks in our new neighborhood are another story; sidewalks can change from building to building and block to block. As shown in this picture, the sidewalk is fine until we reach a concrete power pole in the middle. That makes the sidewalk impassable for Kurt’s wheelchair, so we have two options: either turn back or step into the street until we can get back onto the sidewalk. On some streets, there are bike lanes, such as the one on the right in this picture. These can be used to avoid otherwise impassable obstacles, but we try to avoid those unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Today, I scouted the route to the doctor’s office where we need to go for routine blood tests, etc. By carefully planning and crossing the one-way side street a few times, we should be able to reach it. I’ll let you know how it goes in another article.

Ultimately, where there’s a will, there’s a way! We try to view each challenge as an adventure. I will add that Cuencanos are incredibly helpful to disabled strangers, and we have been fortunate to experience this multiple times over the past month. We feel lucky to be on this “big adventure” and hope you’ll continue to join us as we explore this beautiful, ancient city.

What are some obstacles that you have encountered when going for “a walk” in your city? How did you deal with them? I’d love to hear what you have to share, and it might help other people in our community, too.

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