The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Grandfather´s house
Even though I am born in Finland, I never liked the cold at all. People here in Finland have a saying; “It is not cold; you are just not well dressed.” I have my own saying; “no matter how nice you color coat it, no matter how well you dress, it does not change the fact that it is freezing cold.”
As a child, I would say to my mother that I was born in the wrong country. I should have been born in the tropics.
Before the stroke, I just did not like the cold. When I became paralyzed, it became worse. Since I cannot move anymore, I always have it cold. Living in a northern country does not make it any easier.
No wonder that my favorite destination points are always sub-tropic to tropics. I love the paradise island scene; the sun warming my face and the sound of the ocean in my ears.
Get Kati’s autobiography; “Living Underwater”
One of my favorite places is Bali, Indonesia.
On one of our visits, we came to hear about a well-known Balinese healer that lives in the mountains. He was so famous that even the Discovery-channel made a documentary about him. They called him; “grandfather,” and it was said that his healing massage could do wonders.
Even though the doctors said that I would stay Locked-in forever, I did not give up hope. I had to try; “grandfathers healing hands.”
It was a four-hour drive through the jungle into the mountains where the acclaimed mender lived. An off-road experience I will never forget. We were driving through a thick jungle, and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. You could hear all kinds of sounds of animals and birds. We even saw some sweet little monkeys in the trees.
At a specific moment, we started climbing up a narrow and winding muddy road through the clouds. The car engine was screaming so loud that you could not hear yourself think. The wobbling of the vehicle made me feel like almost throwing up. When the clouds dissipated, we found ourselves on a volcano.
The driver stopped in what seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and said, “We are here.” He honked, and a few moments later, a figure appeared from out of the jungle. It was “grandfather.” A small and skinny sixty-something-year-old man that did not know one word of English. His house was down a very steep slope, which could only be reached by a narrow path. We looked at each other thinking that there is no way in the world that the wheelchair can make it through.
Our guide explained this to the healer. He answered; “no problem.” The little man was incredibly strong. He just took me in his arms and carried me down. Everyone was in awe.
Grandfathers one-hour long massage was intense and painful, but worth it. All though it was not a miracle cure it made me feel so good that I returned to Grandfather a few more times before returning to Finland.
Kati
Get Kati’s autobiography; “Living Underwater”
(Kati & Henning van der Hoeven)
Ihania muistoja, eipä noitakaan olisi jos et niin rohkeesti lähtisi joka paikkaan,
Muistatko kun se isoisä kiipesi vielä lopuksi tosi korkeeseen puuhun hakemaan sulle avokaadoja
mukaan hotellille 🙂