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Jun. 24th, 2018 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsI've had some great postcards lately. Thank you so much spasticat, all the Camp Sparkle people, dine and frausorge ♥
Some good news. James has had a work issue hanging over him since before our holiday. He had to attend an official meeting earlier this week with his big boss, where they went over all his time off. He took someone from the union in with him, and while we were always sure he'd be covered by the disability act in terms of going off sick lots, knowing that and actually having to go into the meeting and fight his corner were very different things. They brought up all his absences since he's worked there, and conclusion was, nothing is going to happen His job is safe for now, but it was close, and he's on a warning until December.
While he was doing that I was meeting up at mam's with Kayleigh to meet the matrons who are taking on her care. They're pretty much senior nurses with their fingers in many pies, and can push through appointments etc and be the central contact person for people like mam who have complex medical issues. That took a couple of hours, and then I stayed at mam's for a while as I needed to take her cat to the vet.
And now, our holiday.
First the bad. When we got there the pool in our hotel was out of commission, and was just about to reopen the day after we left. As it was something we should have been informed about we've got an official complaint in about that as we specifically chose that hotel because the pool had a ramped access that would mean James could get in and out himself. The rep was great, and was in fact the person who told us to complain, but we didn't get to see her until we'd been there for four days. Just along from the hotel was a private pool area called the Beach Club. Pretty much two big pools surrounded by sun loungers, big beds etc, and restaurants with men going around serving drinks. Included in the cost of going in there was a drink and meal, and the rep said to go there and the company would reimburse any costs, and they did. Sadly the day we went was overcast, and I just didn't enjoy being there. It wasn't hot enough to just lounge and swim, so once we ate we left. The rep also paid for hiring sunbeds on the beach. We did swim there one day, but again it wasn't ideal. The sand was so hot James had issues moving on it once his leg was off, and we couldn't swim together as someone always had to stay with his leg, something that wouldn't have been an issue at the hotel pool.
Disabled access wise. All I can say about Puerto Rico is, they're trying. We stayed on the sea front so things were mostly flat, but as the Canaries are in a volcano/mountain region, away from the front it was hilly, and even on the front, there were steps to get from the boardwalk to the shops. Ramps were available, but man, were they steep. Anyone in a wheelchair would have had serious issues, I honestly don't think I'd have the strength to push James in his wheelchair up or down them. And more serious for us, while disabled toilets were available, unlike here, they were in either the male or female toilets, which meant I couldn't go in to help James. Saying that, the people were really friendly, and helped always. We went on two boat trips and on both the staff on the boats were great with James, helping him board, holding onto him until he was safely sitting and on the dolphin trip, bringing drinks.
On our week away we went on a dolphin spotting boat trip, to a zoo, to another market town, and did a lot of walking and hanging in the sun. We had a cocktail most nights, and Nigel the barman always put the peacock decorations in my hair, so now I have quite the collection. We walked in the sun, and met many stray cats, and just generally enjoyed a relaxing time.
We both enjoyed flying, though discovered we weren't in the behind each other aisle seats we expected, but in the window and middle seat, which in the end worked out perfectly. The wheelchair assistance was excellent, especially on the Newcastle departure where neither of us had an idea what we were doing, and the man pushing James in the wheelchair explained everything we needed to do. On the outward journey, the people needing assistance waited in a dedicated room and went in a special vehicle that lifted us and the others direct to the plane door. Arrival was a little more chaotic and we were last onto the transfer coach due to the vehicle picking up from a few planes, but still went well enough.
Okay, this is getting long, so some photos behind the cut
This replica pirate ship was docked in the harbour opposite our room. It was used as a party ship, and many nights we sat and watched the party goes sail back, laughing and clapping. And on one occasion, one guy decided to dive into the water and swim to shore.
Our room, it was small and basic but perfect for what we needed.
This shows nicely how while we were on the level, other hotels went up sharply.
Yet another cocktail.
The view from our balcony.
We got quite the taste for mojitos. This guy crushed his own sugar cane.
We took the glass-bottomed ferry along to Mogan for market day. It had much more of an old town feel than where we were staying.
The water was so incredibly clear.
Our sad pool.
When we went to the zoo you could get your photo taken with parrots. We'd just seen a parrot show so of course had to do so.
They're not the best quality as they're photos of a photo. It makes me laugh as the man in charge of the parrots moved people around to get them in the position he thought best. Which is why our heads are stuck together, and James has a parrot hanging off his finger.
James meeting a friend.
The zoo had a dolphin show. I enjoyed it, and loved seeing the dolphins as I'd never seen one up close before. But the thing is, after seeing them in the wild the day before seeing them in the pool felt wrong. I don't regret going to see the show, but I don't think it's something I want to see again. Plus, getting to that show really frightened James. The zoo was set right up in the mountains, mostly he managed the paths, but the one to the dolphin area was really steep, and as he can't flex either of his feet he ended up having to cling to a rail and inch down sideways. A man did stop and ask if he could help, which was lovely, but really all he could do was keep going down slowly. It meant we missed the bird of prey shows as it would have meant climbing back up, but I wasn't about to make him do that.
The pirate ship at night.
This photo was taken by the dolphin spotting staff when we stepped on the boat.
I loved seeing the wild dolphin so much. These photos don't begin to capture how amazing the sight was, so so many dolphins leaping out of the water. I liked that each boat could only stay 20 minutes before moving on so the next one could take their place, giving the dolphins as much peace as possible.
Stray cats were everywhere and were looked after by people who came along and left food and water. They were so friendly.
One of the little parks near where we stayed.
One of the main beaches. I really liked how chilled people were in terms of what they wore. I saw bodies of all different shapes and sizes, and all seemed confident about stripping off and exposing skin.
We got on a plane!
The thing that took passengers that needed assistance onto the plane.
Man, I loved that place.
Dolphin spotting.
Proof I swam in the sea.
A monkey at the zoo.
Cocktail time.
The apartments had this communal book area that I liked. I guess people started leaving the books behind that they read, so I did the same. And picked up a few to read while I was there.
I'll end it there and say in conclusion. Our first holiday abroad was great, and I totally understand why people say once you travel you'll never want to stop.
spasticat, all the Camp Sparkle people, dine and frausorge ♥Some good news. James has had a work issue hanging over him since before our holiday. He had to attend an official meeting earlier this week with his big boss, where they went over all his time off. He took someone from the union in with him, and while we were always sure he'd be covered by the disability act in terms of going off sick lots, knowing that and actually having to go into the meeting and fight his corner were very different things. They brought up all his absences since he's worked there, and conclusion was, nothing is going to happen His job is safe for now, but it was close, and he's on a warning until December.
While he was doing that I was meeting up at mam's with Kayleigh to meet the matrons who are taking on her care. They're pretty much senior nurses with their fingers in many pies, and can push through appointments etc and be the central contact person for people like mam who have complex medical issues. That took a couple of hours, and then I stayed at mam's for a while as I needed to take her cat to the vet.
And now, our holiday.
First the bad. When we got there the pool in our hotel was out of commission, and was just about to reopen the day after we left. As it was something we should have been informed about we've got an official complaint in about that as we specifically chose that hotel because the pool had a ramped access that would mean James could get in and out himself. The rep was great, and was in fact the person who told us to complain, but we didn't get to see her until we'd been there for four days. Just along from the hotel was a private pool area called the Beach Club. Pretty much two big pools surrounded by sun loungers, big beds etc, and restaurants with men going around serving drinks. Included in the cost of going in there was a drink and meal, and the rep said to go there and the company would reimburse any costs, and they did. Sadly the day we went was overcast, and I just didn't enjoy being there. It wasn't hot enough to just lounge and swim, so once we ate we left. The rep also paid for hiring sunbeds on the beach. We did swim there one day, but again it wasn't ideal. The sand was so hot James had issues moving on it once his leg was off, and we couldn't swim together as someone always had to stay with his leg, something that wouldn't have been an issue at the hotel pool.
Disabled access wise. All I can say about Puerto Rico is, they're trying. We stayed on the sea front so things were mostly flat, but as the Canaries are in a volcano/mountain region, away from the front it was hilly, and even on the front, there were steps to get from the boardwalk to the shops. Ramps were available, but man, were they steep. Anyone in a wheelchair would have had serious issues, I honestly don't think I'd have the strength to push James in his wheelchair up or down them. And more serious for us, while disabled toilets were available, unlike here, they were in either the male or female toilets, which meant I couldn't go in to help James. Saying that, the people were really friendly, and helped always. We went on two boat trips and on both the staff on the boats were great with James, helping him board, holding onto him until he was safely sitting and on the dolphin trip, bringing drinks.
On our week away we went on a dolphin spotting boat trip, to a zoo, to another market town, and did a lot of walking and hanging in the sun. We had a cocktail most nights, and Nigel the barman always put the peacock decorations in my hair, so now I have quite the collection. We walked in the sun, and met many stray cats, and just generally enjoyed a relaxing time.
We both enjoyed flying, though discovered we weren't in the behind each other aisle seats we expected, but in the window and middle seat, which in the end worked out perfectly. The wheelchair assistance was excellent, especially on the Newcastle departure where neither of us had an idea what we were doing, and the man pushing James in the wheelchair explained everything we needed to do. On the outward journey, the people needing assistance waited in a dedicated room and went in a special vehicle that lifted us and the others direct to the plane door. Arrival was a little more chaotic and we were last onto the transfer coach due to the vehicle picking up from a few planes, but still went well enough.
Okay, this is getting long, so some photos behind the cut
This replica pirate ship was docked in the harbour opposite our room. It was used as a party ship, and many nights we sat and watched the party goes sail back, laughing and clapping. And on one occasion, one guy decided to dive into the water and swim to shore.
Our room, it was small and basic but perfect for what we needed.
This shows nicely how while we were on the level, other hotels went up sharply.
Yet another cocktail.
The view from our balcony.
We got quite the taste for mojitos. This guy crushed his own sugar cane.
We took the glass-bottomed ferry along to Mogan for market day. It had much more of an old town feel than where we were staying.
The water was so incredibly clear.
Our sad pool.
When we went to the zoo you could get your photo taken with parrots. We'd just seen a parrot show so of course had to do so.
They're not the best quality as they're photos of a photo. It makes me laugh as the man in charge of the parrots moved people around to get them in the position he thought best. Which is why our heads are stuck together, and James has a parrot hanging off his finger.
James meeting a friend.
The zoo had a dolphin show. I enjoyed it, and loved seeing the dolphins as I'd never seen one up close before. But the thing is, after seeing them in the wild the day before seeing them in the pool felt wrong. I don't regret going to see the show, but I don't think it's something I want to see again. Plus, getting to that show really frightened James. The zoo was set right up in the mountains, mostly he managed the paths, but the one to the dolphin area was really steep, and as he can't flex either of his feet he ended up having to cling to a rail and inch down sideways. A man did stop and ask if he could help, which was lovely, but really all he could do was keep going down slowly. It meant we missed the bird of prey shows as it would have meant climbing back up, but I wasn't about to make him do that.
The pirate ship at night.
This photo was taken by the dolphin spotting staff when we stepped on the boat.
I loved seeing the wild dolphin so much. These photos don't begin to capture how amazing the sight was, so so many dolphins leaping out of the water. I liked that each boat could only stay 20 minutes before moving on so the next one could take their place, giving the dolphins as much peace as possible.
Stray cats were everywhere and were looked after by people who came along and left food and water. They were so friendly.
One of the little parks near where we stayed.
One of the main beaches. I really liked how chilled people were in terms of what they wore. I saw bodies of all different shapes and sizes, and all seemed confident about stripping off and exposing skin.
We got on a plane!
The thing that took passengers that needed assistance onto the plane.
Man, I loved that place.
Dolphin spotting.
Proof I swam in the sea.
A monkey at the zoo.
Cocktail time.
The apartments had this communal book area that I liked. I guess people started leaving the books behind that they read, so I did the same. And picked up a few to read while I was there.
I'll end it there and say in conclusion. Our first holiday abroad was great, and I totally understand why people say once you travel you'll never want to stop.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-25 07:20 am (UTC)I've swam with dolphins in Miami, and it was a delight. If I remember correctly they were able to go back to sea if they want. Dolphins are so much fun.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-25 05:04 pm (UTC)I'm very jealous you've swam with dolphins. They're so amazing, and so powerful up close. I could have had a photo taken with one, but it was 20 euro just to touch and the line was like a conveyer belt, each photo taken in seconds, so I passed. Your experience sounds so much better.