Ottumwa man shares travelogue at Fairfield library

Fairfield Public Library hosted a presentation and book signing by local author and Ottumwa resident Hans Frischeisen on Saturday, Jan. 28th, attended by nearly 30 people.

In 2022, Mr. Frischeisen published his travelogue “Pedaling, Paddling and Pedes,” a chronicle of his travels around the world on foot, by bicycle, and kayak. In the first installment of programs featuring Mr. Frischeisen at Fairfield Public Library, the author shared stories of his kayaking trip through Siberia where he narrowly escaped death on the Yenisey River.

When Mr. Frischeisen was asked what the greatest danger he faced in his travels was, the author shared the harrowing story of when rapids overturned his kayak on the Yenisey, where he nearly drowned and could have easily frozen to death. Following this incident, he attempted to find a village where he could procure dry clothes and shelter—only to find the closest village deserted.

“I had two options to consider. The first option was to break in, leave a note and $50 or whatever for damage costs. But I still felt I wasn’t done kayaking yet,” he says.

Instead, he traveled to a village further down the river where he found hospitable people to take him in.

“The guy said ‘come in!’ He gave me food, warm clothes and vodka. I needed to warm up inside,” the author said. “There’s a kind of love and helpfulness in the world that people need to know is there. The world outside the United States does not hate us. It’s not against us.”

At a book signing in 2022, Mr. Frischeisen was quoted in the Ottumwa Courier as saying, “Wanderlust and the sense of adventure might be the overall thing people might find in my book, but then next to that is the call for peace. I consider myself an ambassador of peace. I think that the platform for peace must be understanding. We’ve got to know each other.”

The next installment of Mr. Frischeisen’s narrative at Fairfield Public Library will feature his continuing travels by bicycle though Iran.

The date for the next presentation by the author is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. For questions or more information, please contact Fairfield Public Library at 641-472-6551.