Written by Paul H. Smith. Posted in Media
I recently came across an author who’s been somewhat off the radar a decade or so, Werner Bausenhart. Curiously his works have also been absent from anything but direct Google searches, even though he’s written four good books on international adventure motorcycling.
Book reviews are almost impossible to find, too. It’s actually a pity that the publisher seems to have done next to nothing to promote these books, let alone make them available only any of the prevalent eBook formats. If it wasn’t for the recommendation of a friend and fan of the author, it might have been another decade before I discovered 8 Around the Americas on a Motorcycle, and dug in.
Bausenhart happens to be a German philology professor, a world traveler who took up motorcycling the world after retirement. Given that, one of the pleasantly surprising aspects of the book is his informative, youthful and energetic storytelling style.
8 Around the Americas is the detailed riding account of Bausenhart’s ambitious figure eight-shaped route of the North and South America segment of his world journey—including the extreme northerly and southerly “end of the road” destinations of these continents—back in 1997. Every author who tackles similar topics has his/her own approach. In this author’s case, it’s very much a solo journey, but written in a humorous and informative manner loaded with useful information intended to educate readers as well as aid riders who follow. Particularly for the Central and South America regions.
But, most of all, this is an account of a scholarly man’s solo journey who obviously loves to be away from the comforts of home, testing his mettle in an exploration of the world. His book is very much a “helmet story” mixed with insightful points of view into not only his own life, but those he encounters along the way. Werner is one of the more literate and linguistic authors of this genre, with a comfortable and humorous style that captures every nuance of his travels.
Don’t be put off by the amateur book cover design, this is a well written and a fascinating read. Despite the dearth of information on Werner Bausenhart and his books, my suggestion is to put him on your reading list. Especially if you’re planning on “doing” the Americas. Even though it’s relatively old, it’s filled with information and insights that’ll be helpful to your trip. Again, it’s a mystery as to why this author isn’t more readily available. More, please.
Author: Werner Bausenhart
Publisher: LEGAS
ISBN: 1-894508-02-5
Where to Buy: Amazon
Three other books by Werner Bausenhart:
- Into the Den of the Bear and the Lair of the Dragon on a Motorcycle —from London, England to Vladivostok via Moscow, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Islamabad, Teheran, Ankara and Istanbul.
- Africa against the Clock on a Motorcycle —from London England to Cape Town South Africa along the west coast of Africa and back to London along the east coast via Cairo Egypt.
- From Nordkap to Cape York on a Motorcycle —includes a side-trip to Nordkap Norway—the furthest north one can travel by road in Europe—a 10,000 km detour from the southern Russian border to Turkey, and a trip up the Australian “Telegraph Road” to the extreme north eastern tip of that continent. Werner’s first RTW motorcycle adventure.
