"Make the best of it"

2020-02-24T05:39:51.565Z

Wheelchair user Andreas Pröve (62) travels the world - and reports on this in a lecture at the "Wunderfalke" festival in Tölz.

Bad Tölz - In a wheelchair a good 6000 kilometers along the Yangtze River in China, and for the most part alone: Andreas Pröve (62) did that. At the “Wunderfalke” festival in Bad Tölz, Pröve, also a professional photographer, will report on this on Saturday, March 7th. Pröve is believed to be the first wheelchair user to reach the source of the river in Tibet, which is difficult to access. Before this tour of China in 2018, Pröve had already made many other extraordinary trips, for example through India, Jordan and Iran. In an interview with the Tölz courier, he reports on what it is like to travel as a paraplegic.

Mr. Pröve, you have been in a wheelchair since a traffic accident in 1981. How did you fare after the diagnosis and how did your thirst for adventure develop?

The accident was, of course, a severe blow to fate. I am a trained cabinet maker and after the motorcycle accident, nothing was the way it was. I had to give up my job and apartment and was very depressed. What helped me a lot during that time was the close contact with my family and very good medical care. I was in a clinic where paraplegics were encouraged and challenged right from the start. I learned a lot in the eight months of rehab. Shortly before the serious accident, I traveled through India with a backpack, this was my first long-distance trip. I was 22 years old and I really wanted to see more of the world. When I saw my backpack again, I swore to myself that I would find a solution on how to travel with the wheelchair.

Please describe what the wheelchair you are traveling with looks like.

(smiles) A lot has changed in the past 40 years! Luckily. Today the wheelchairs are much lighter because a lot more carbon is processed. I had come up with something special for the tour in China: I mounted a handbike with a crank and hub gear at the front. At the back I attached a motor that pushes me, because with the power from my arms I couldn't have made the long tour. The hand bike enabled me to take bike panniers for my luggage.

You must have worked on the construction for a long time. What did people say about it in China?

Yes, I built everything myself. In Germany, the TÜV would probably not allow it (grins). It wasn't easy in China either. As a precaution, I sent the engine separately to Shanghai, the starting point of my tour, and then assembled everything on site. The police officers in China were mostly very irritated because they did not know whether to classify me as a wheelchair user or a motorized vehicle. In China, tourists are not allowed to drive a vehicle. I was repeatedly stopped by police officers and had to argue.

How did you communicate?

With the help of a voice app on the smartphone. The sentence is spoken on the cell phone and it is immediately translated. The Chinese have the same app and are used to communicating with tourists that way. You can also photograph and translate street signs in this way. It worked great everywhere.

How did you prepare for this tour as a wheelchair user?

I was able to clarify some things in advance, and I had to react spontaneously to others. Finding the way was a big challenge. My navigation system was one year old, but already out of date. China is growing rapidly. Where there was a country road yesterday, there is already a freeway today. And of course I don't use a wheelchair to drive on motorways, it is life-threatening. And I don't drive in the dark either. Sometimes it was not easy to find accommodation. Then I stayed in hostels for truck drivers because they don't have many steps. I converted my wheelchair into a multifunctional toilet. But I couldn't take a shower in the hostels. When I was back in a city, I looked for a good hotel and always found something.

Is accessibility in China even public awareness?

There is a big difference between city and country. There are lowered sidewalks in the cities, and you can usually take the elevator to the subway. Public toilets are also picobello clean. In the country, however, it is not so easy. Still, it can be done. The willingness to help is very great.

Andreas Pröve: "I am curious to see the world"

What experiences have you had on all your travels as a wheelchair user?

In general, I have had very good experiences everywhere. In the 40 years of my travels, I haven't even experienced violence, I have never been mugged or robbed. Helpful people are everywhere. In China, for example, all the temples have steps, and when I stood in front of them, there were several men in no time to carry me up. It was a matter of course for them.

When do you reach your limits?

With the wheelchair I can only drive on paved roads. That means I cannot drive across a meadow, through the forest or through a desert. This is a pity. So I came up with something. I now have a drone, which I then let fly to see the region from above and to take pictures. I rented a car and a driver in the Gobi Desert. I treated myself to luxury. I wanted to feel what it was like to be in the desert.

Where do you get your motivation from?

I'm just curious to see the world and get to know people. A lot is so different from what we imagine. I want to gain my own experience. I am now 62 years old. One day I won't be able to travel anymore. And then I don't want to sit there and find that I've missed something.

Where are you going next?

I do not know that yet. Let's see how the global political situation will develop by 2021. If possible, I would very much like to go to Iran again. They were the most hospitable people I have ever seen.

What would you advise other wheelchair users who would also like to make such trips?

It is not an easy question to answer. Because every wheelchair user has their own needs, each disability is individual and not easily comparable. But I would give everyone a sentence. It comes from the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson: "In life it is not important to have a good hand in hand, but to play well with bad cards." 'Don't hang on, live intensely. "

Information about the lecture

Andreas Pröve is a guest at the “Wunderfalke” festival in Bad Tölz on Saturday, March 7th and reports on his journey along the Yangtze River through China. It starts at 1.30 p.m. in the Kurhaus. Entry costs 14.50 euros, children (up to 14 years) pay 8.50 euros. All ticket agencies in the region are listed on the Internet at www.wunderfalke.de. More information about Andreas Pröve can be found on www.proeve.com