Kate’s Peruvian adventure on wheels

When Kate finished her Bachelor’s in Psychology it was an exciting time to celebrate. Not only because of her accomplishments with her education but because this was the time that she and her boyfriend, Jessie, had been waiting for.

The excitement had been mounting over the past six months, as they researched, planned and booked the different places they wanted to explore when they went on their adventure, backpacking in Peru.

For many people, backpacking involves spontaneously travelling day-by-day. But for Kate and Jessie, they had to employ a little more organisation. This is because, at the age of 18, Kate was involved in a tragic car accident that left her reliant on her wheelchair for mobility.

Yet, though the accident may have taken away the use of her legs, and some of the movement in her arms, it certainly hadn’t taken away her thirst for fun and adventure!

Kate had been dreading the flight but was pleasantly surprised by how helpful and supportive the airport and flight staff were. So, despite a grueling 19-hour trip (including a stop-over), they arrived in the city of Lima without any real issues.

They decided to start their adventure in an apartment that they booked online. It was listed as ‘wheelchair accessible’ and included an airport pick up. This gave them peace-of-mind knowing they had a place to acclimatise themselves to the new time zone and culture with ease.

The only drawback to the apartment was that the balcony was too narrow for Kate’s chair, and the ensuite was smaller than a broom closet. However, the views from the glass doors were stunning, and the main bathroom was both accessible and fully equipped, so they managed quite well.

After a day of settling in, they were ready to go out, starting with a bus tour to explore the city. The bus had advertisements across some of the windows of the lower (wheelchair accessible) level, which obscured their view a little. But they were still able to explore all the stops, along with everyone else, so they didn’t mind.

Over the next couple of weeks, they went out exploring different museums, galleries, parks and monuments, as well as enjoying as many different restaurants and cafes as they could. The food was incredible!.

Aside from the odd set-back, the city itself is quite accommodating to people with disabilities.

One of the main obstacles they faced on their trip was getting around. Though the city boasts free bus fares for people in wheelchairs, very few buses were actually wheelchair accessible. This meant they often used Ubers. The upside was that all the cars they had were both clean and air-conditioned. The drivers were also very professional, and none of them minded transporting Kate’s heavy-duty fold-away chair.

Another issue was the traffic and trying to cross the road in a wheelchair proved a little risky at times. At one point they had started to cross the street, only to get to the island half-way and realise there were no curb cuts in the centre. This meant they had to quickly turn around and go back before moving on to find a different crossing.

Kate missed the company and assistance of her support dog, Mr T. Yet she was continuously amazed by the way Jessie had considered almost every single obstacle (there were a few bumps along the way, but what holiday doesn’t have bumps?)

Jessie even surprised her by speaking a little Spanish that he remembered from high school. This came in very handy when asking for directions and talking to the Uber drivers.

Kate often found herself looking at him in admiration and thinking that he seemed very much in his element.

They even practised yoga asana (stretching) and pranayama (breathing), together each morning, whilst looking out over the magnificent city of Lima. On the last weekend of their holiday, they had booked a four-day tour of Machu Picchu. It included a pickup from their hotel, an English-speaking guide, and all rooms and transportation accommodating for Kate’s needs.

For Kate, this was the main attraction. Machu Picchu had been on her bucket list since she first read about it, and was everything she had imagined and more.

There were a few parts of the hike that still weren’t accessible in a chair, but they got to explore The Sacred Valley of the Incas, see the Citidel, and take endless photos of that iconic view of the awe-inspiring mountain top ruins.

The most incredible part was yet to come. Positioned high on those mountains, looking out over that incredible view, Jessie got down on one knee and proposed.

Kate felt as though her heart might explode. Needless to say, she said “YES!”

The remainder of their trip was spent relaxing and enjoying the city vibes. Kate couldn’t have imagined the holiday any better.

The flight home was as easy as the trip over.

They are already making plans to go back in a few years to celebrate an anniversary. Who knows? Hopefully, by then there will be even more wheelchair accessible places to visit and explore at Machu Pichu.