Have walking stick, will travel

For the last eight-and-a-half years, a walking stick has been my constant companion if I leave home, the result of a serious car accident.

We had already booked a trip to Vietnam, and the trauma team at St George gave me the go-ahead to travel five months after the accident. I made use of airport wheelchairs and was first on and last off. The
only trouble was at Danang, where I was put to one side and almost forgotten. In other places in Vietnam the airport staff were most solicitous. Older Vietnamese women crowded round as I got into a car in Hanoi, eager to assist and take my arm. I did an afternoon tour of Hoi An in a rickshaw.

Since then I have travelled to Europe twice. There are many photos of me resting on park benches or in cafes. Catching a train was an adventure, though the Eurostar provided assistance. I am used to trains in Sydney leaving from much the same platform and found the late announcement of departure platforms in Europe a difficulty as I tried to sprint in a crowd with my husband managing the suitcases.

Our river cruise on the APT AmaVerde catered for my difficulty with a lift between decks and provision for less taxing on-shore tours. In many places we were able to amble at will.

It was a red-letter day when I was able to take the Intercity train to Sydney and meet a friend for lunch by myself. Travel around Sydney is not as easy as travel in Asia, as people are not as considerate. I am not above telling someone to vacate the seat for me, particularly on lurching buses. However, a young woman will usually vacate her seat before it comes to that.

Interstate travel in Australia is usually straightforward, whether by long-distance train or plane. There is assistance available if asked for. I have even been offered a ride on the cart that does rounds of our local shopping centre, and once got a ride with the local lifesavers across Jones Beach.

Friends have been concerned wondering how I would cope with the state of footpaths as I travelled in Asian cities. While having to keep an eye out, I found only consideration. One of my standout memories is walking round the Arab Quarter in Singapore just after Friday
prayers. A group of men were drinking coffee at a sidewalk cafe and had blocked the footpath. Seeing me coming, they stood up, moved the chairs and chatted to us, asking how we were enjoying our holiday.

My walking stick has often provided opportunities I may have missed if I wasn’t using it.