Finally, it was time to go back. As all the delegates from Malaysia were catching the same flight back, a non-step bus as assigned to shuttle us and a few other delegates from Europe to the airport. The wide window of the bus gave us a better view of the scenery of the trip. It was an uneventful journey. There was nothing interesting about the scenery as the airport highway cut across relatively uninhabited terrain.

When we checked in, I confirmed my request for low-protein meal. The first thing after I went through the immigration was to look for a toilet. I knew that Malaysia Airlines would be using the same plane and there would not be an on-board aisle chair for me to go to the toilet.

I have to empty my bladder every three hours but the journey was more than six hours. I controlled my fluid intake since I woke up and hoped that my diapers could hold whatever my bladder had to release. Cutting down fluid intake and not emptying my bladder periodically could be dangerous. Insufficient fluid intake may cause urinary infection. Not emptying my bladder on schedule may cause a reflux of the urine back to my kidneys. Both could damage my kidneys further.

When meals were served, I discovered that my low-protein meal had a full portion of fish fillet. I had to leave most of the meat uneaten. With a half full stomach, I could not do much but try to catch some sleep. To add insult to injury, the sandwich bun served later had chicken fillet filling. I removed all the chicken and ate the bun. I was annoyed and made a mental note that I would send a complaint to Malaysia Airlines when I reached home.

Red bridge somewhere between Seoul and Incheon.

Pine trees lining the airport highway.

Toll plaza along the airport highway.

Accessibility symbol used widely in Korea.

Toilet at the Incheon International Airport.

Boarding lounge at the Incheon International Airport.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH67 Incheon to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Airlines low-protein meal that was not.

Do not be fooled by Malaysia Airlines’ low-protein meal label. It was not!.

We reached the hotel at about 4.00pm. As it was still early, Peter wanted to attend mass at the Myong Dong Cathedral. After checking with the concierge, we took the shuttle bus to Westin Chosun Hotel in downtown Seoul where we could then make our way to the Cathedral by foot.

In downtown Seoul, the traffic is fast and furious. One cannot simply walk across the road. There are no pedestrian crossings. There were underground crossings in all directions for that purpose. Each of the major entrances were equipped with stair lifts. We had to get the assistance of some friendly Seoulites to page for the attendant to engage the lift. These underground crossings are brightly lit and are lined with shops.

We had to weave our way through crowded streets of shoppers and roadside stalls selling everything from cuttlefish snacks to apparels to souvenirs. Myong Dong Cathedral was situated on a hillock. The effort getting up there was worth it as it gave us a good view of the surrounding areas. Having made our way up, we rested a while waiting for Mass to conclude and attend the next one. The main facade of the Cathedral was under renovation.

The interior of the Cathedral totally blew me away. The sight was simply awesome. There was even a huge pipe organ inside. Mass was conducted in Korean. Although the structure of Mass was slightly different from those in Malaysia, we could follow it without difficulty.

After Mass, we mad our way downhill and wandered around the streets taking in the sight, sounds and smell of Myong Dong. This area was full of street vendors, shops selling anything and everything, restaurant of all kinds and was packed to the brim with shoppers even at around 11.00am.

Accessible taxi that charges half the fare of ordinary taxis in Seoul. Such taxis are
equipped with lifts and can accommodate one wheelchair.

Westin Chosun Seoul.

Downtown Seoul.

Entrance to underground pedestrian crossing in downtown Seoul.

Stair lift with attendant.

Going down the underground pedestrian crossing on a stair lift.

Sogong Shopping Centre and underground pedestrian crossing.

Myong Dong Cathedral - the main facade was under renovation.

View from the Myong Dong Cathedral.

Information board on the history of the Myong Dong Cathedral.

Bust at the Myong Dong Cathedral.

Pipe organ inside the Myong Dong Cathedral.

Altar of the Myong Dong Cathedral.

Statue of Jesus with open arms facing Myong Dong shopping district.

One of the streets in Myong Dong shopping district.

Korean street food - caramelised sweet potato.

This was the first morning I woke up feeling as light as a feather. It was the last day of the 7th DPI World Assembly. No more hectic shuffling between concurrent workshops and I had delivered my two presentations to an international audience of my peers. I was still up there somewhere in between the clouds.

I did not follow the programme of the morning as it was all speeches, speeches and more speeches. As it was the last day of the World Assembly, I took the opportunity to take some shots with friends that I made over the course of the four days, not knowing when we could meet again.

After the closing ceremony of the World Assembly, Shoji-san had organised a meeting of leaders of the Independent Living Movement of the Asia-Pacific region. We discussed how we could cooperate and take the local and regional movement o a higher level through cooperation and sharing of resources. This multi-lateral cooperation would be under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Network on Independent Living Centres (APNIL).

One thing that I like to do every morning on the way to KINTEX is to count the number of church spires. Seoul is a city full of those. Everywhere I turned to look, there was bound to be at least three spires sticking out from the amidst low rise buildings. As we were going back early today, I counted the spires on the way back to the hotel and lost count after thirty. I believe there could be more than 50 spires along the way.

Yes, I have a fascination for these non-step buses.

7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly Wall of Dreams where we put down our dreams
and aspirations for a world without barriers and discrimination.

One for the memory - on the stage at the 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly.

Fellow Independent Living advocates - Lin Chun Chieh (Taiwan), Abner Manlapaz (Philippines),
Edwin de Villa (Philippines) and Peter Tan.

One for the memory - on the stage at the 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly.

Performance before the closing ceremomy.

Song Jin-Seok - Official photographer of the 7th DPI WA.

With Ko-Kwan-Chul - one of the leaders of the Independent Living Movement in Korea.

APNIL Meeting conducted by Shoji Nakanishi after the conclusion of the 7th DPI WA.

Seoul - Land of church spires.

Seoul - Land of church spires.

Seoul - Land of church spires.

After two days of trying to get a good shot, I finally managed to take several decent images of one of the non-step buses with its ramp deployed. When picking up or dropping off passengers in wheelchairs, the height of the bus is lowered. The entrance/exit side is then “kneeled” to match the height of the kerb and the ramp is deployed. A wheelchair user can then get into the bus with little effort.

We arrived at KINTEX early again. With time in hand, I decided to explore the vast ground outside the complex. When I say vast, it really is. I was also pleasantly surprised by the abundance of accessible parking at the car park. I was in for another pleasant surprise when I caught sight of Ai-Chan getting off one of the shuttle buses. She was scheduled to speak in one of the workshops on that day.

The day passed quickly as I attended one workshop to another. In between, that, I managed to squeeze some time to visit a few of the activities organised on the sidelines to keep delegates entertained while they are not attending any of the workshops. There were clowns sculpting balloons, caricature artists and day tours to the DMZ and other places of interests around Seoul.

The day did not end at the conclusion of all the workshops for the day. Many of us stayed back to attend the Global Summit on Independent Living. Among the highlight of the Summit was the unanimous support by all the delegates present to the proposal by Shoji Nakanishi to establish the Global Independent Living Network. He had earlier this year established the Asia-Pacific Network in Independent Living Centres (APNIL).

I was also one of the speakers at the Summit on IL in Asia-Pacific presenting the development of the Independent Living Movement in Malaysia similar to the presentation I did the day before. My fellow speakers were Udomchok Churut from Thailand, Muhammad Shafiq-ur-Rehman from Pakistan, Abner Manlapaz from the Philippines and Ko Kwan-Chul from Korea.

Although I have conducted trainings and spoke in many seminars on Independent Living, I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Before me were my peers who have experience working in the movement for decades. Compared to them, the two years of my involvement made me feel like a kid on his first day of school. I am grateful for Shoji Nakanishi for giving me the opportunity to address such an esteemed audience.

The last event was a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Summit where all delegates grouped together before the stage as a sing of solidarity. Sitting there on the stage watching camera flashes going off in all direction and the seeming chaotic celebration of so many disabled persons gave me a sense of hope that we can accomplish great things if we put our hearts to it.

Non-step bus with the ramp deployed.

Boarding the non-step bus in my wheelchair.

KINTEX.

KINTEX.

KINTEX.

Accessible parking at KINTEX.

Aiko Tsutsumi, Peter Tan, Hiroaki Furihata and an unknown person outside KINTEX.

Peter Tan at KINTEX.

Jung Woon-dae of Ablenews and Peter Tan at KINTEX.

Jung Woon-dae of Ablenews, Hiroko Fujimoto and Peter Tan at KINTEX.

Disability Film Screening during the 7th DPI World Assembly.

Posing with the caricature artist. Unfortunately I misplaced the caricature.

What I had for lunch everyday - low-protein meal Korean-style.

Dr. Glen White giving a presentation on the management of Independent Living Centres.

Speaking at the Global Summit on Independent Living.

Celebrating the conclusion of a successful Global Summit on Independent Living.

The Korean Organising Committee for the 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly had arranged to ferry participants to KINTEX in 3 types of vehicles – lift vans, non-step buses and lift buses. Lift buses took the longest time to board. This morning, I was in line to board to a non-step bus. I wheeled into it from the walkway with little effort. My wheelchair was secured by an electrical wheel clamp and a safety belt. There was also a foldable grab bar for me to hold on to.

The journey was uneventful. The sky was overcast. It has been like that since the day we arrived at Seoul. We arrived at KINTEX early. Peter and I had sandwiches for breakfast at one of the food outlets at KINTEX. We still had some time left after breakfast and before the programme of the day began and took that opportunity to visit the Korea Senior Life Expo 2007 that was being held at the adjacent exhibition hall. Many of the booths showcased items such as wheelchairs, adjustable beds and assistive devices that can make life easier for senior citizens and those with mobility impairments.

Throughout the day, I attended workshops by leaders of the Independent Living Centres from the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan. It was an eye opener to listen to the speakers talking about the activities of their respective Independent Living Centres. The Independent Living Movement has just begun in Malaysia. Through those talks I learnt about the development in other countries and how those examples can be best applied in Malaysia.

On the same day in the afternoon, I presented a paper on the Independent Living Movement in Malaysia. I talked about the challenges that we face here as we work on supporting severely disabled persons living in the community. My focus was on disabled people in the Klang Valley who needed such services. I was also glad that I made a few friends who generously offered to assist us here in Malaysia.

The schedule for the day ran smoothly and ended right on the dot. Vivek and I shared the same bus on the way back. We decided to get the bus driver to drop us off at the shops near to the hotel for us to have our dinner and buy some groceries. There were six shops there and all served only bulgogi which is a popular cuisine in Korea.

Bulgogi is beef slices grilled over a charcoal stove and then wrapped in lettuce together with raw garlic, sliced onion, kimchi and other pickled vegetables. As I could not take beef, we also ordered pork and ate it with rice. It was nice but not something that I would want to eat everyday. Having filled our tummies, we went back to the hotel for a well deserved rest.

Peter having his breakfast at the Messe Snackbar at KINTEX.

The unmistakable pink coloured Mammo Bus offering breast cancer tests
at the Korea Senior Life Expo 2007 at KINTEX.

Exhibits at the Korea Senior Life Expo 2007.

Posing before the congratulatory floral arrangement with fellow participants.
(L-R) Vo Thi Hoang Yen, Director of Disability Resource And Development, Vietnam;
Dr. Glen White, Director of Research & Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas;
Peter Tan; Sainbayar Samdanjamts, Chairman of Mongolian Federation of Disabled Persons, Mongolia.
(Standing) Assistant of Mr. Sainbayar.

Peter and Peter posing before the floral tributes at 7th DPI World Assembly.

Peter Tan speaking at the 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly.
The other panelists at the workshop were Marica Miric, Manda Knezivic and Ljubica Lukacic
of the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities; Udomchok Churut,
Chairperson of Thailand Council for Independent Living;
and Sang Ho Lee of the People Love Yangchoen Center for Independent Living.

Peter Tan speaking at the 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly.
(L-R) Shoji Nakanishi, Executive Director of Japan Council on Independent Living Centers;
Peter Tan and Udomchok Churut.

Dr. Glen White, Park Chano, Director of Seoul Center for Independent Living, Korea; Peter Tan; and
John Lancaster, Executive Director of National Council of Independent Living, USA after the workshop.

Dinner - Bulgogi - Korean beef BBQ.