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Tilo Kruse, a 20-year-old German backpacker who’s been making his way across the world, shot to attention in Trinidad and Tobago when he announced that he’d be walking from Toco to Icacos on the island of Trinidad, relying only on the kindness of locals.
Since then, several questions about Tilo have come about, including why he felt the need to embark on such an arduous journey and what he hoped to accomplish.
@thepilgrimageoflife Day 6 of walking across the entire Country of Trinidad without money. #walkingacrosstrinidad#Trinidad#nomoney♬ Originalton - thepilgrimageoflife
Loop News caught up with Tilo on Friday just before he arrived in Biche, and here’s what we learned about him.
Tilo entered Trinidad legally
Despite coming on a boat from Cape Verde, Tilo assured us that he did, indeed, go through immigration in Chaguaramas upon arriving in Trinidad.
“Of course, I went through immigration!”
He said from there, he camped out in the bushes in Chaguaramas before a confrontation sent him packing to Port of Spain.
“There was a guy in the jungle where I slept in Chaguaramas and he found out I was sleeping there and he said, ‘This is my jungle, you can’t sleep here!’ so then I ended up sleeping at the Scout place (Scouts Headquarters on St Ann’s Road, Port of Spain),” he said.
He didn’t expect this level of attention
While he’s been steadfastly documenting his journey on TikTok, and he initially reached out to local media houses, Tilo said he didn’t expect that this much interest would be placed on his walk.
“My idea was totally different; I did not expect anybody to know about the videos. I am happy if a few hundred people know about this, but I don’t know, now it looks like everybody knows,” he said.
Tilo’s going to Venezuela next
The German has been a nomad since he was 18 years old, making his way from his homeland to Spain, France, Gibraltar, Cape Verde, and now Trinidad. Next on his list is probably Venezuela.
“What I think I’ll do is taking a fishing boat to Venezuela, I’ll go to Ciudad Guayana, I’ll get in contact with a missionary and I’ll go to a remote village there. I want to experience the Amazon Rainforest, I guess,” he explained.
His journeys have an expiration date
While most of his journeys have cost him little money, Tilo does have to return to Germany at some point. More than that, he says he’ll need to find some stability to fuel his travels.
“In five years, my medical insurance will run out and then I’ll need enough money to buy one of the medical insurance (plans) that lasts longer than five years and that’s kind of expensive so in five years I need to find a way to make enough money to make a living and all that,” he said.
5. What does Tilo need?
Trinidadians have been showing up for Tilo all along his journey. He’s never been short of food or water because those who recognise him always offer whatever they can. Despite this, Tilo says what he’d really appreciate is some insect repellent or protective gear. Walking through all the bushy areas usually leaves him susceptible to bites, which could lead to more serious infections.
As of Sunday, May 5, Tilo was in Rio Claro, having cleared the Northern part of his walk. It's unclear what his exact path to Icacos will look like, but he is likely to take at least another week to get there.
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