El Trucho on the roadtrip to Portugal

My name is Trucho and I am a car. I am also known as Zucho. Oh, many names during my lifetime and I forgot many of them. I am 36 years old and I come originally from Germany. At that time the Germans did a great job and still today I can drive a long way like theres no tomorrow. Actually I just went on a trip which took me almost two months and 9000 km. I really wanted to learn surf and see the beautiful breaks, beaches, bitches and boobs from Portugal. :) Here is my story.

Streets of Guatemala

Aaaaaaaaa..traditions and Mayan cultures combining..many colors, loads of people with a great culture, great stories, unfettered development, a lot of problems, many people without a smile, tourism spoiled, naturally beautiful, these are some pics of one of the greatest countries I visited. Now I see why the Mayans lived here and all the cultures later that combined. I am wrestling in my mind thoughts about how some of these people look at us foreingerns, but in the end it is not important if you are concious, travel smart, leave no big footprint, have respect, smile, do good and walk around with a pure soul. :) 

We all bear some responsibility, but those whose money supports the ruinous ways bear the most. It’s not the volume of travel that matters, but how that volume is handled.

Nicaraguan markets

So, who doesn't enjoy shopping? :)

One of the first things I do on my trips is locate the best local markets to check out the food scene and what’s on offer.  It’s the place where you can learn the most about people and their culture. While traveling, you get stimulated in many ways. The first is eyes, then you hear something new, then you smell something funny, well, whatever. Markets in developing countries still have this wild way and functioning like an organism itself. It is the place to get by cheaper, but also, you have the feeling that the whole village is there. Maybe this is almost true, and for hours everyday the markets are full and everybody sells something. You can get breakfast or lunch, go wild and overdose yourself on vitamins and fruits, witness slaughter of chicken, get dirty, enjoy the wonderful world of spices and herbs, buy special herbs, chat with the locals, meet a culture and in this time of instant traveling and gringo pollution have a feeling that you actually traveled somewhere.

Puerto Viejo and roots

Everyday I left the forest, before I cross over to the road and head towards town, I want to say a blessing for these woods, for monkeys growling and birds singing, for the trees and leaves and mushrooms and crocs, when the sunlight touches the leaves, through each branch, a stream of light, these paths have taken me in. And you listen to the sound, feel the presence all around, a graceful flight of a butterfly and it takes your breath away. Remember your place among all living beings, embrace with joy the changing seasons, for each yields its own abundance.

Bocas del Toro

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea in northwest Panama. It's a Caribbean tropical paradise with perfect beaches and world class surf breaks, coconuts, crabs, party and sandflies. 

Christopher Columbus visited Bocas del Toro in 1502. During the 17th century, the archipelago became a haven for pirates. The buccaneers repaired their ships on the islands, built others with wood from their forests and fed upon the many sea turtles that nested on the beaches. The pirates are said to have buried treasure on a number of the islands, but to date none of this loot has been found. Later the islands became a Chiquita banana production hub.

The point in Santa Catalina

I must admit “surfing is like nothing else”. Wave after wave, none are the same. It brings you to the edge of all emotions, depending on the day, it sucks, it pulls, till you are drained, but it fills you up with all of that again, even better and more. "Surfing is being local yet still searching.” Surfing draws many parallels with life itself. In the swarm of the “maybe generation” of our time and in my life, something I never learned really good, making decisions, is unforgiving while in the surf. You have to make up your mind, will you go, or wont you, but second thoughts and decisions rarely bear good and end up in a wipeout.

Panama City

I never saw a skyline like this. That was my first thought. And, I actually never saw a skyline like this. :)

The city of Panama was founded in 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Dávila. It was the starting point for expeditions that conquered the Inca Empire in Peru. It was a stopover point on one of the most important trade routes in the history of the American continent, through which passed most of the gold and silver that Spain took from the Americas.
Well, it loooooooks like this now and it is the home of the ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. :) The Panama Canal is being expanded now and Panama City is becoming a mecca for foreign business and banking.

Tajikistan

Let your branches grow so they can feel the wind and carry the snow. :)

Life goes as it goes and there was a great country to visit and discover again, Tajikistan. Tajikistan is a presidential republic and is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It was part of Persia and the Soviet Union and today it is a developing country with amazing 93% of the land covered in mountains!

They had a great problem with deforestation and some parts of the country miss around 70 % of the trees. To heat and cook they need electricity or firewood, and spend sometimes hours of trying to find it.