May 5th, 2008

Happy Cinco de Mayo! My flight is on Continental Airlines (www.continental.com) to Geneva is at 5:55 on 5/5, quite the interesting coincidence of numbers. My girlfriend drove me to the airport, as usual with a tear in her eye. What can I say, she hates to see me go. It is good to be missed though… I have to say I really do love being on the road --or in the air as it may be. I love going different places and meeting new people along the way. My friends tell me I’ve never met a stranger.

I’ve got a long trip ahead of me this time. Around the world in 31 days! One small trip, one giant step for cripp-kind…

Getting on the flight to Geneva was a breeze as usual. Just a quick hop in and out of an isle chair and I am on board. Also, following suit with their killer service, the flight staff for Continental rocked once again! Like always I, feel like the rock star that I am. Everyone treats me so well.

While on my flight of over 7 hours I noticed a Middle Eastern couple with an infant not too far from me getting there carry-ons stored and getting seated. I am forever people watching so it was no surprise that I zeroed in on them. I noticed that the man of the couple set the woman up in her window seat and the baby in its carrier in the isle. As more and more passengers loaded I realized he wasn’t sitting with the rest of his family. As the doors close he takes his jacket and slips up to the First Class cabin, leaving the wife and child in Coach. This guy got to be lavished in First Class while the rest of his family got leg cramps and stale peanuts! I may not be a foremost expert when it comes to knowing and understanding other cultures but I still don’t understand the male arrogance in some areas. I will never grasp the idea that some people believe they are better or are in the same way more important than others! Ok, enough of my rant. On to the rest of the trip…

Getting off the plane went as easy as getting on. Geneva Airport has a great system with their skycaps and these trucks fitted with lifting cabins in the rear and ramped entries. As I was getting off the plane I struck up a conversation with a wonderful lady from Brooklyn, aka Virginia Beach. (hahaha. She claimed she grew up in Brooklyn but now lives in Virginia Beach.) My schedule had a bit of slack in it, as I always tell people to do, so I ended up taking the train with her to meet her daughter in Vevey for coffee.

I learned the train system pretty well when I was using a friend’s place in Switzerland as a base camp for about 6 moths. In Geneva I quickly bought a ticket for the next train heading to Vevey and met my newfound friend at the platform. I had not given proper notice to the train station to have someone waiting with the lift. So we threw our bags on the train and I hopped myself up the stairs and brought my chair up behind me.

Just like I remember it, the ride to Vevey was so beautiful with the wine grape terraces on one side and Lake Geneva in the other. On the trips we were able to get our life stories out-- the short and sweet edition, at least. Getting off the train they had a ramp ready. The person who checks your tickets on the train talks to the station ahead usually and lets them know. Just make sure you are clear with them of any assistance you may need at the other end.

Again, I tell you, leave slack in your plans and always be open to the new people and experiences that present themselves to you! You really never know what might happen.

After a great lunch and a bit of wandering around Vevey, I hoped another train back to Geneva Airport where I was able to talk the ticketing agent to push my flight up and make it that day, rather than finding a hotel for the night to catch my flight out to London the next day. British Airlines is cool for stuff like that.

Once I arrived in London I made my trek from hell around Heathrow Airport. Anyone who tells you that the new terminal for British Airways is a great addition is out of their freakin’ mind!!! I had to have a porter take me in an airport chair down and around that terminal. Then he had to take me on the tram to get my luggage and my chair then across another terminal because I was changing airlines for the next flight. HOW USLESS and poor time management for their employees!!!! I grabbed a bunch of food in the Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge and relaxed for just a bit. I had a zipper totally blow out on my Swiss Gear backpack. That’ll teach me for buying cheap luggage! My flight from London to Hong Kong was great as usual. Cathay Pacific is always top notch! The head flight attendant Amy and her crew were on top of things. Then, just a short layover and I was on to Melbourne. I had a blast with one of the porters there, racing thru the terminals having a good laugh.

I hailed myself a cabbie and headed to St. Kilda for $62.00 AU. Not bad at all… I had a smoothie at Boost Bar in St. Kilda on Fitzroy Street while I was waiting for my buddy to get home from work. I ended up sleeping the rest of the day and then next recovering from 2 days of flying. That is a rough trip for sure! It is 4 days in the air and traveling for me, now landing in Melbourne on the morning of the 8th.

May 10th

Saturday I headed out to my buddy’s shore house out in Flinders. He has a killer little cabin as a rental out there. The drive out is a lot of fun as well, getting to cruise thru a bunch of vineyards along the way. Apparently, the Mag Pi’s are pretty tame around there. They would pretty much eat right out of our hands. And, oddly enough, they are really pretty birds. Maybe I am just a silly tourist, but I thought they were cool.

After a night on the shore, we headed back to St. Kilda. That week we headed out on the town and decided to catch dinner and a movie at the Village Cinema with a killer cheese pancake dinner and baked apple dessert at the Pancake Parlour Restaurant in the shopping center that the cinema is in. This was high class for a movie theatre!!! Plush red theatre seats in a steep stadium-style auditorium with number seats even. There really is nothing like watching an action-packed movie like Iron Man in high style. I felt like I was a king or something royal for a moment there.

The next morning I strolled around the corner from my buddy’s condo to my appointment at VooDoo Ink (www.voodooink.com.au)for Avi to lay down some ink on me. VooDoo Ink is right in a downtown area of St. Kilda with a bunch of trendy cafes and stores. I just had to hop one step in after getting in the door to the shop and the rest was pretty accessible. The bathroom wasn’t, though… After 6 and a half hours of tattooing on my ribs I was all done and a bit dizzy rolling to the chemist to get my ointment for the ensuing aftercare. All is good though.

That night I went to Sapore (www.sapore.com.au/) for a great meal in the midst of a not so hip crowd. The wait-staff were on top of things and the food was great! I give it 2 thumbs up. We must have just caught them on an old and frumpy customer night. Hahahaha!

May 16th

Jim and I fly to Sydney (www.shangri-la.com/) from Melbourne on Qantas to stay at the Shangri La Hotel (www.shangri-la.com/). The room has a killer view of the harbor, opera house and bridge. After getting checked in and drop our bags we go down to the wharf area and take a water taxi ride around harbor. The driver was really cool and had a lot of knowledge of the harbor and its surroundings. Jim had to piggy-back me up and down maybe 7 steps to the boat deck, but could have maybe hopped down it in my chair if I were feeling brave. The ride was great! I recommend anyone going for it. It is worth the challenge. We motored around for maybe and hour and it was about $150.00 AU.

May 17th

Today we met another friend, Greg, at the hotel and drove out to the Taronga Zoo (www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/) on the North Head in Sydney. This place was GREAT! The whole zoo is situated on the side of the hill down to the water. There were concrete paths everywhere and elevators to the different levels, and tons of animals all over. I even got to roll thru one of the wallaby areas as they were just hopping all around me. Greg had it even easier with his Quickie X-Tender motorized assist wheels, but he is a quad so I forgave him for cheating.

Once we had our fill at the zoo we went our separate ways and Jim and I took the ferry boat across from the bottom of the hill at the zoo right into Darling Harbor near the hotel where we were staying.

May 18th

After a bit of a late start we make our afternoon flight back to Melbourne. Following an easy flight was a posh limo ride back to St. Kilda. The rock star has arrived!

Back in St. Kilda Andy, Jim, Matty, Garry and I all met up at Jim’s place and headed out for dinner and drinks. We wandered down Fitzroy Street passing by all the restaurants at least once before we finally agreed on Barney Allen’s for the first step.

Matty and I starting chatting up a couple girls on the café part as our table is getting cleared. The rest of our crowd joins us with the first round of drinks as the rest of the girls’ party joins the now overflowing table. We chatted for sometime before they came and told us our table was ready. We said good night to our new found fellow partiers. Our waitress Bonnie showed up with a big smile and after some suggestions from her we all ordered a ton of shared plates, because no one could really decide on one thing, we figured we would just try everything.

Fully stuffed and loaded up with another tip from our favorite waitress on where to go next. We all head up the street to a club called Traffik. We get the quick and raw low down from the bouncer, pay our entry fee and head into the magical world of loud music, smoke and flashing colored lights. We spend the night like dancing like fools, drinking, jumping on stage, and ending the night with forgotten keys to get back in the house. So, we take a cab to Crown Plaza Hotel (www.ichhotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/160/en/home) and get an impromptu room with, subsequently, a killer view. After and hour of sleep in the chair of the hotel room for me, we all get up and separate. One goes to the airport and 2 go back to St. Kilda to try and get into the condo.

May 22nd

Today I flew to Canberra on Qantas to meet up with a few more friends and go to a rockin’ little handicap expo. I took the short flight to Canberra and dropped bags at the Park Hyatt Hotel (www.canberra.park.hyatt.com/) in my gigantic Scullin Suite. I had to go in thru the rear entrance because there was no ramp in the front, but that wasn’t a big deal seeing the drive up entrance and automatic doors. I felt like I was at the front anyway. The suite I had was in the wing next to the Prince of Tonga and was recently visited by Pink and her live in chef, if that gives you any indication of the glam spot it was.

May 23rd

For the Friday of the expo one of my friends and I went early to see what was going on and get their stuff set up. The expo was staged at the Queenbeyan Conference Center. Then we had dinner and drinks with the IDEAS (www.ideas.org.au/) people, the organizers of the event, at the Rugby League Club. After connecting with 2 more friends and a good night we all headed back to the hotel to crash out—people pretty much slept where they fell… on the couch, the floor, just about everywhere but the kitchen counter.

May 24th

The next morning we got up early and had breakfast at the hotel. It was a pretty nice buffet-style set up and the restaurant had a nice view out all the windows. After breakfast we headed out to the expo again. This time we had a chance to wander around the show a bit and see what all was there. There were maybe 30 booths with all sorts of different things from wheelchair manufacturers to travel destinations that cater to people with disabilities. My friends Matty and Andy both did demonstrations on their respective motor bike and go kart, even letting me get some seat time in the kart driving around on a coned course set up in the parking lot of the convention hall. Once the show was over that afternoon we loaded everything up and drove to Sydney, meeting up with Greg again and crashed on his couches for the night.

May 25th

Jim heads out on his way for Brussels and I stayed back to hang with Matty and Greg for the night. It was just a slow night hanging out around Greg’s house. Nothing really to report.

May 26th

Matty and I flew from Sydney to Melbourne and rented a car - thanks Avis. Got to the house and dropped bags, took a quick shower, checked emails and out. Bar Roy’s on Fitzroy rocked! Matty played chess with a foreign diplomat of some sort in the café part of the bar. Then we headed off to the Prince of Whales Bar for a beer… only one beer. Then we rolled on to the Espy where we had to come in thru a back entrance thru the bathroom, which reeked, and had a few more drinks at the Espy Bar with some new friends before heading home for the night. I gotta get some sleep. I have a flight in the morning, early!

Off on another flight back to the states…

May 27th

Flight to Los Angeles was tough, woke up late. Luckily flight was delayed, tried to check in and they couldn’t find my ticket, sales counter straightened it all out and I got on the 14 hour flight. Joe Soares was on my flight. We landed in Los Angeles and our chairs go to baggage again. My stuff came out late but unscathed- can’t say the same for Joe’s, his wheels were toast and has missed his flight to Tampa. It just goes to show you… Don’t be a Jerk! Not to mention, he is still flogging Murderball which is good and bad. Good that he brings notice to it and bad that he seems to think he is still cool two years later.

We all really need to do something about Qantas, their rules are all backwards. We really need to come together to get Qantas to change their policy on wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are not allowed at all on the plane in the closet or otherwise. And they take NO responsibility for any damage during the flight. It is written right in the fair rules for the ticket. So you have to put it in cargo and if heaven forbid, anything should happen to it you are S.O.L.! Most airlines are nice enough that if you ask politely they may put your chair in one of the coat closets in the actual cabin on the plane.>/p>

Coincidentally I got in 2 hours before I left. You gotta love crossing the International Date Line.

After all the baggage got sorted out I hoped a bus to Avis (www.avis.com/) . These people actually gave me a MUSTANG!!! Are they ill? All in all, the tab for the car was $340 for two days! That sure hurt the wallet but it was worth it.

First things first, cruise up the PCH, then to Hermosa Beach and Scotty’s for lunch and a stroll. I love this place! A comedian once said “…this place is full of fake tits and real assholes” and I agree but it’s fun to sit back and watch either. Here I am on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) right on the water under LAX's flight path watching the waves and planes cutting thru the clouds as they take off.

After a bit of shuffling cars with my buddy Ian- too much luggage-- to the Marriot (www.marriott.com/) we go. Nice room with a huge California King bed and a tasty restaurant in the lobby. It has great food but a small selection to choose from.

The weekend was spent across the way at the Anaheim Convention Center for the Abilities Expo (www.abilitiesexpo.com/) . There are tons of vendors and all sorts of exhibitions going on. This expo really rocks! I give em 3 thumbs up and a glowing recommendation any time.

After the expo was over I headed out to Long Beach to hang with a good friend of mine. A night spent each at the Paradise Restaurant , the Mineshaft, The Brit, and at The Pike in the Mai Tai Bar. All equally great for food and drink but the Mai Tai was my favorite of the bunch. One day I even got the chance to race go karts on an indoor track near Riverside at a place called Pole Position with some friends. They had one kart already fitted with hand controls. We just had to call ahead to they could get it all out and ready to roll.

After a long week and a half of sleepless nights and hung over mornings I take my flight to Newark Airport to end my trip, landing to very happy girlfriend and a great big hug. Home at last…