Patrick and Ali Knox wanted to
visit South Africa as the final leg of their Wicked
World Tour. They both have Friedreich's Ataxia,
a degenerative condition which means they are
confined to wheelchairs, but their soaring imaginations
had already resulted in travels across America
and Australasia. They were very keen to see animals
in their natural environment and to experience
a taste of Africa.
Initial contact with Epic Enabled convinced
me that our trip to South Africa would be exciting
and that they would help us to overcome obstacles.
I felt I was dealing with people and not just
a company. Phone calls and emails began a relationship
at a distance, and I looked forward to meeting
these people who were encouraging us to pack
our bags and head for the country which they
love.
Apart from providing good information about
the trips they organise, they know how to whet
your appetite before you even arrive there by
telling stories on their website of other satisfied
visitors. They answered detailed questions about
meeting the specific needs of the two disabled
travellers in our party and had obviously given
a great deal of thought to the variety of demands
that might be involved.
Although our initial approach to Epic Enabled
was with a view to joining them on an 8 day
Kruger Park Safari we soon started discussing
our other plans for our trip to South Africa.
To our delight Alfie Smith, the safari leader,
otherwise normally based in Cape Town, was able
to meet us on our arrival in Johannesburg. He
and his sister Bernie had tried to find us disabled
accessible accommodation within our very low
budget but when this was impossible they did
all in their power to improve the backpackers'
hostel that we chose to stay in. Alfie unloaded
his ramps for us and provided a bath seat and
shower that he fitted for us.
During our week in Johannesburg Alfie provided
a 'taxi service' in the huge Mercedes truck
that was more suited to the un-tarred roads
on safari. He introduced us to local music,
made a tour of Soweto possible, and generally
filled a huge gap that is there because there
is no accessible public transport.
For the Kruger tour our party of seven was
increased by the addition of two older travellers,
Betty and Terry, who used a wheelchair as a
result of a stroke. We were soon to appreciate
the amazing planning and thoughtfulness that
helped make this such a fantastic experience.
Bernie was in charge of mealtimes and provided
plenty of food for us all. Our pre-dawn game
rides were always followed by a welcome breakfast,
lunch was usually sandwiches and fruit, and
the evening meals were varied in an attempt
to meet our tastes.
Wherever we stopped hygiene was simple but adhered
to so that nobody got tummy bugs. Cleaning up
was done communally and jokes and story-telling
brought us all together. The campsites all had
wheelchair accessible tents or cabins and toilets
that sometimes even had roll-in showers. The
truck had a hydraulic lift and it took us a
while to get the 3 wheelchair passengers on
board and secured, but its height made viewing
the animals much easier than we had expected.
Alfie's knowledge and experience meant we were
often close to big game and he knew how to keep
a bull elephant in his sight while trying to
take up a position that afforded the best view
for all his passengers.
At the end of the safari we stayed in the hotel
they usually book their tourers into and were
again overwhelmed by the extra lengths they
went to on our behalf. Alfie and Bernie delayed
their departure for Cape Town in order to drop
us all at the airport for our trip to Durban.
While we were out on safari, Sabine, Alfie's
wife, had managed to track down a group of disabled
people in Durban with whom we could make an
arrangement about transport. She put us in touch
with the Quadriplegic Association of Kwa-Zulu
Natal and they met us at the airport with their
wheelchair accessible minibus, providing a taxi
service for us over the next few days. Without
this extra attention to our needs we would have
had a very different experience while we were
there.
Our final destination was Cape Town and once
again we were met by Alfie at the airport. The
sense of relief we experienced just knowing
he would be there was incredible. He took us
to our hostel and during the rest of the week
tailored trips around us. Over and beyond his
provision of such a flexible service he and
Sabine recognised our need for accessible showers
and even welcomed us in their own home for this.
It was a treat to be able to celebrate over
a meal with them in Mama Africa's Restaurant.
Our trip to South Africa was undoubtedly very
dependent on the generous service provide by
Epic Enabled. They recognise that disabled people
have a desire to see wildlife, visit markets,
understand history, and are prepared to face
physical discomfort and take risks to experience
life fully. They also pay attention to the needs
of carers and do this all in a respectful and
un-patronising way.
We would not hesitate in recommending their
company to any disabled travellers and will
cherish the memories we hold of our month in
South Africa.
Margaret Bremner,
Company Secretary - Wicked World Tour
44a Prestongrange Terrace, Prestonpans, East
Lothian, EH32, Scotland
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