Final booking made and paid for

After a week or so of back and forth with hotels in Singapore trying to confirm the existence or otherwise and circumstances of any wheelchair accessible shower area ...

• Novotel - no but have a good day
• So Sofitel - yes but there's a marble bench
• Ibis - yes but it's in a single-occupancy room

Rendezvous Hotel, Singapore

... we finally made a booking today. We'll be staying at the Rendezvous Hotel on Bras Basah Road. It's central, near the art gallery and museum, not far from Raffles if Spike insists on another Singapore Sling. I'm hoping it won't be too far from a Singapore Chilli Crab dinner which I missed out on last time we were in Singapore (my mother sought out more familiar fare).

This booking means we've arranged wheelchair accessible showers at every stop on our trip: Tokyo, Prestwick, Belfast, Kirkwall, Edinburgh, Manchester, Weymouth, London and Singapore. That's nine towns or cities in five countries. Ten years ago, maybe more recently than that, I doubt if I could have arranged that. Thirty years ago, when I first started travelling between continents, it would have been impossible. 

So we're moving ahead. There is some way yet to go but all one can ask is that we keep moving forward, keep making progress. The Dougie Herd who boarded that flight to Hong Kong back in 1988 would be impressed how far we have come. And he would be pleased to know he would play his small but important part in kicking along greater inclusion. For sure, though, he'd tell me to keep up the work because we've not yet reached the end of the road.