[Blindtlk] international cane travel

Thu Oct 6 23:20:19 UTC 2011

in Spain the sidewalks and streets are pretty well maintained.

Nikki wunderlich
sent from my iPod

On Oct 5, 2011, at 6:27 PM, "T. Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com> wrote:

> That's not terribly unusual in cities like Portland, but Portland is nothing compared to, say, Tokyo!  In such cities, my only other advice is mind your wallet!  Pickpockets love crowds.
> 
> Joseph
> 
> 
> On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 08:10:45PM -0400, Cindy Handel wrote:
>> Yes, that could be, but she said there are a lot more pedestrians than
>> vehicles.
>> 
>> Cindy
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "T. Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com>
>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 6:35 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel
>> 
>> 
>> Sounds like most cities to me, with the exception of the lack of
>> sidewalks.
>> 
>> Joseph
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 06:06:31PM -0400, Cindy Handel wrote:
>>> My niece is in Malawi in southern Africa right now.  She says there are few
>>> sidewalks and drivers are crazy.  Most people walk, but pedestrians do not
>>> have the right of way.  When a car is coming, the driver does not slow
>>> down;
>>> it's just up to you to get out of the way.  Sounds crazy to me!
>>> 
>>> Cindy
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "T. Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com>
>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 4:52 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I've never been to a developing country, but urban areas in such
>>> countries have got to be a combination of urban traffic as in the US,
>>> with rural roads and pathways.  That is, expect a lot of broken
>>> pavement, poor or non-existent sidewalks, and tons of people in and
>>> out of cars.
>>> 
>>> Proceed with caution, and don't get distracted.
>>> 
>>> Come to think of it, I can name urban places here in the United
>>> States that are fairly similar in description.
>>> 
>>> Oh, you may want to ask about different traffic laws (and traffic
>>> realities, legal or otherwise) wherever you are going.  Even in the
>>> US, the traffic laws vary a bit.  Here in Oregon, right turns (and
>>> even left turns on one-way streets) are legal on a red light.  Cars
>>> may not cross a lane of traffic to do it, however.  The traffic
>>> reality is that the part about not crossing a lane of traffic gets
>>> ignored often enough to be a concern.  Good to know if you're coming
>>> to Oregon!
>>> 
>>> It'll be hard to give specifics without knowing where you're going.
>>> But the general travel skills apply with very slight variations for
>>> specific circumstances pretty much everywhere you go.
>>> 
>>> Joseph
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 12:34:42PM -0400, John Davis wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>> 
>>>> I'm thinking of traveling abroad with some friends soon for a few
>>>> weeks. I've never left the country before, but our plan is to see
>>>> parts of Asia and Europe.
>>>> 
>>>> First, I use an NFB cane with the standard metal tip for travel
>>>> everywhere I go. I do use a combination of touch and slide technique
>>>> depending on the situation. I had never thought to ask this question
>>>> until a friend who went to Africa over the summer told me that, being
>>>> in a developing country, the roads and sidewalks look completely
>>>> different from the suburbs and cities of the US! With that, I'm
>>>> wondering If I'll have any trouble using a cane in some foreign
>>>> countries? From what I've heard a lot of sidewalks can have huge holes
>>>> and cracks everywhere and the like which might make using a cane hard
>>>> abroad. especially in more developing countries ... apparently it's
>>>> quite chaotic and a total mess in some places even for people who can
>>>> see! I ask because the NFB metal tip can succumb to rough spots and
>>>> cracks and the like here on occasion, so I'm suddenly wondering If
>>>> I'll have trouble abroad. I will be with a group of friends so maybe I
>>>> won't need to use my cane too much on my own, but I thought I'd ask
>>>> before I leave anyway. Apologies if these are silly or the wrong lists
>>>> to ask these questions on.
>>>> 
>>>> Thank you
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> blindtlk:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/tjcarter%40spiritsubstance.com
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> blindtlk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/cindy425%40verizon.net
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> blindtlk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/tjcarter%40spiritsubstance.com
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindtlk mailing list
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindtlk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/cindy425%40verizon.net
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindtlk mailing list
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for blindtlk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/tjcarter%40spiritsubstance.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> blindtlk mailing list
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for blindtlk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/nikki0222%40gmail.com