When I first get in touch with Thomas Bauer, he is in Ontario, Canada, preparing for what is sure to be an eventful kayak tour. Even during the written exchange by e-mail, you quickly find out that you are in contact with a cheerful and balanced person. Character traits that were certainly also shaped on his numerous impressive journeys.
Whether by recumbent bike through Turkey, on his very own Tour de France by post bike around our neighboring country or on foot from Florence to Rome. Thomas Bauer is a travel professional and professional adventurer.
His current book “Curiosity about the World” (ISBN 978-3-95996-205-6, periplaneta Verlag) takes the reader to unique places around the globe in 80 short stories, some of which are funny, but also thought-provoking. The special thing about it: The reader is in a riddle and can guess in which destination the story takes place.
Due to the brevity of the individual short stories, the book is ideal for taking a break from work every now and then and satisfying your wanderlust a little.
We are pleased that Thomas Bauer was available for some questions about his book and current projects.
You are currently in Canada on a kayak tour across the Rideau Canal to the capital Ottawa, via Montreal to Québec. Afterwards, you will want to hitchhike back to Toronto. A trip that also serves to find out whether the people and their hospitality have changed during the Corona pandemic. What are your first impressions and experiences?
The extent of the hospitality here in Canada simply blows me away: The people are extremely helpful – even if a sunburned, soaked and not exactly Chanel-scented kayaker stands in front of them. It is warmer than I thought; snakes and snapping turtles cavort in the Rideau Channel. Every now and then a cloud front rushes through; then I quickly jump ashore and seek shelter under a tree or a house roof. Once, in a hurry, I caught a private villa with a presentable yacht and a private plane parked in front of it. After a minute, the owner came running. I thought that she was going to chase me away from her property now; after all, I had just hoisted a kayak onto her private property. Instead, she offered me coffee and cookies! Corona does not seem to detract from the sociability and helpfulness of the people here – thank God.
What other adventures do you want to experience this year? Where is your next trip going?
My next trip starts just three days after my return from Canada. I have a lot to catch up on after the Corona forced break! Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are on the program. Before Corona, I had visited Georgia and Iran, now I’m heading further east on the Silk Road. I am curious – to the magnificent cities of Samarkand and Bukhara as well as to the plateaus of Kyrgyzstan, where I will spend the night in a yurt.
When you look back: Have you found a favorite place for yourself during your numerous travels that you would like to visit again?
Not just one, but several! The wanderlust doesn’t get any smaller when you travel – on the contrary. I would love to see how Buenos Aires, which I visited several years ago, has developed. Australia has even more to offer than I experienced in my eight weeks down there. The Arctic, which I was allowed to explore in a dog sled, impressed me very much; I definitely want to return there. And India is a country that you can’t really get to know and explore in a lifetime. So I don’t get bored …
Can you just lie on the beach for a week on holiday or do you always have to have a little adventure and culture with you? Or to put it another way: Is an “all-inclusive” holiday even conceivable for Thomas Bauer?
I have to admit that I’m a fidgety. With my excess energy, I sometimes annoy my fellow human beings. It can stand it on the beach – one or maybe two days. But then I would set off again. “All inclusive” is not for me: I have found my way of traveling.
You have already met countless people and cultures in your life. Cycled around France. Walked through Italy . Where have you experienced the greatest hospitality so far? For example, I have noticed that although French people are initially more distant than many other Europeans, they are all the more cordial once you get closer to them.
That’s right; The French thaw out at the latest when you have cracked the language barrier. My rustic way of traveling means that I have to rely on help on the way. I got them everywhere – along the Danube as well as in Japan and South America. I don’t believe that there is such a thing as a “most hospitable country”. It’s more about what you radiate yourself. If I get involved with a country, speak at least a little of the language there and approach the people openly, I am usually richly rewarded – no matter where I am.
If you look around on your website, you will be curious about your readings. What is special about your performances and when can we see you live again?
I’m lucky to have found several good musicians. My performances are therefore always a mixture of readings, pictures and live music in several languages. I believe that this allows me to bring a country closer to my listeners in a particularly good way. I’m still romping around the world a bit, but right after my return in September you can see me live: for example on 7.9. in Penzberg, on 14.9. in Munich, on 20.10. in Frankfurt am Main and on 5.11. in Knittlingen.
More info: www.neugier-auf-die-welt.de
