THE HISTORY OF RADEK "MAGIC FINGER": HOW TO TRAVEL FOR SURFING WITHOUT MONEY FROM PRAHA TO LISBON. ONE NEW DELTA FROM CESKI REPUBLIK

Last semester I spent on erasmus in Lisboa, Portugal. And when I was leaving I already decided that I have to come back soon. Well since I am from Prague not really having a lot of money the question was how to get there. Well, let me think. To fly there, the fastest and with low-cost airlines also not very expensive way how to get there but for me still too much. So there were pretty much two options. First to go with friends by car. But I didn´t really managed to do that cuz finally there were no friends to go with me that time. First I estimated my trip to take place at the end of May but after some circumstances I went at the second half of June and the style transportation was hitch-hiking.

My first big experience with hitch-hiking was last summer when I and my 2 friends went for a trip to Balkans using this particular way of transportation. And I liked a lot. Was very interesting. So I decided to go to Portugal like that as well. Why not? It is „just“ approximately 3000km. And there is suppose to be difficult hitch-hike in Spain. So what. Cannot be impossible. So I went.

I left my house with my parents to go to the gas station which is on the main highway around Prague. From there I went with my friend who was going by truck to London. They were actually 2 so for first 7 hours I was going with them. Except that little problem that the traffic jam just crippled Prague that day and we had to go way around to not get stuck in there for hours, the way was good. Talking with them in Czech language about things we have in common, no stress, easy. The first night I was going to visit my friend to Frankfurt in Germany. With these Czech guys going by truck I got pretty close to there. They left me some 100 km from Frankfurt. The way they left me, well we were going pretty close to the exit from the highway I thought I have to take to get on other highway going to Frankfurt. We were passing the last parking before that and talking about some gas station that should be there just before the exit.

And there was none of course. So they simply left me on the highway and so I decided to go back some 4 km to this last parking lot we met. After some time I got there I started to talk to the truck drivers who were just standing there but of course no one of them was going my direction. So I was just asking the regular coming there to take a piss. I usually started my conversation with words: „Hallo, excuse me, do u speak English?“ cuz I speak no English (Ich spreache keine Deutche how my croatian/germen friend later on told me). The advantage of Germany is that most of the people actually do speak English and they are willing to talk with u using this language.

And than this car stop there cuz the driver wanted to piss. There were 3 in the car. I started to talk to first passenger since the driver just rushed to toilet. And nice, he told me that they are going there and that I should ask driver for the ride. In a mean time I continue to talk to this guy. When driver came back I ask him and he was absolutely unsure what to do. So this passenger started to talk to him, in German something and so finally he said yes. But that was his last word to me. After words I was talking just to this passenger. The funny thing was that he was not going with them the hole way as well, he was some kind of semi hitch-hiker.

When I got to Frankfurt I tried to call my friend. There I realized that I don’t have a roaming on my phone. So I asked at gas station were these people left me how to get to his house since I had his address. After some struggles I finally got there.

Have to say that we had a great time. I met with Maikel´s family in their family restaurant where I was treated as a king. I mean wow, so much great food I haven´t been eating in a long time. Next day morning we went for seight seeing in Frankfurt, I got to see Kaiserstra§se and than we headed to Paris. Cuz Maikel promised me to take me to first gas station on the main highway which goes direction Paris. Well finaly he gave me a ride for some 120 km, till firs gas-station J. Than I said good bye to Maikel and started searching for next ride. After maybe half an hour I talk to one young guy from Romania as I later finded out and he had no clue what so ever what I want. I had to explain to him what I’m doing. And so he took me with him to Paris. That was great. Cuz on Maikel’s computer I founded out that the best way how to get to Portugal is to go over Paris. And so I wrote some emails to people who I knew in there.

When we got to Paris that young Romanian guy kick me out in Paris near to some web-café in not so good neighbour. On internet I found out that I am not gonna meet my friends there so I decided to spend the night by seight-seeing. Well I saw Chaimse-lise, Le Arc de Triumph and Tower de Eifel and had enough. Was 2 in night and I was kind of tired. So I founded this little park in calm neighbourhood for a place to sleep.

Next day I haded to Bourdoux. It took me the whole morning to get out of Paris. It was a lot of walking and 3 cars before I finaly reached the right highway just out of Paris that was going to Bourdoux. The last guy actually safed me. I was on wrong highway and I didn’t know. But he was nice and quite a traveler as he told me after so he gave me a ride to my highway even so he was going opposite direction. Thnx man. Than I appeared on a big gasstation again. Many people were having lunch there but it took me nearly an hour to get another ride. I was just walking around talking to that people like “ Excusez-moi, monsier, Je woudrais a Bourdoux, oui?” (that means something Excuse me sir I would like to Bourdoux, yes?) Not very good for someone who studed French language for one year but I truly forgot nearly everything cuz after I started to study Portuguese and simply overwright my memory..

Another ride were two young elementary teachers speaking english That was good cuz I spent some hours with them. One of them was actualy and artist as well and he gave me a cd of his alternative music and a badge. After they left me on a small gas station in Bourdoux. There was nothing but few trucks. And one was Portuguese! Nice but he was not really going to take any hitch hikers but I just talk my way in his cabin since he had still 15 min left of breake. I am realy proud of my self that I was abel to persuate him to give me a ride in my poor Portuguse. You know, I’m just that good J

Than night came and I was a gasstation near borders with spain with many trucks. I had 3 hours nap and started to bother drivers again. And so first ride with an spanish truck driver came. He gave me a ride early in morning for just one hour to a borders on a good spot were I found polish trucker who gave me a ride next 4 hours. He was funny. Talking about his great life he has in Spain, about spanish piczkica (putas) for just 20E and so on. Was nice but than he left me on toll place on highway were was police making troubles to some drivers.When those cops left I started to wave on drivers again. In an hour 3 stoped me but all of them went to Madrid where I didn’t want to go. And started raining.. I was quite unhappy with my situation since it was another hour when I was getting wet and unsucessfully waiting for a ride. Than finaly this spanish trucker took me. Probably he was sorry for me when he saw me in the rain ton the side of highway. But he was going to Madrid as well. “Whatever, I’m going out of here” I thought. He was realy nice except one thing. He couldn’t talk anything else than fast spanis with strange axcent. I thought that he as to have some roots in Bask(have no idea about spelling this word, it is region north of Spain where is ETA from). So he took me to Madrid, somewhere. I was about to leave but somehow I understood that he is gonna give me a ride to center from this middle of nowhere near Madrid just on the other side then I need to be. Finaly he showed me the way through the whole Madrid.

And I was on the gas station again. Well one hombre gave me a ride to there from a side of a road where this nice truckdriver left me. There were suppose to be many trucks there but the reality was quite different.. But then this homber. I couldn’t believe it. In Spain which I knew from before that it is gonna be the most difficult place to hitch-hike and it was indeed I got ride it the middle of night just by standing the side of highway. He was local and just gave me a ride to nearest gas station. There asking people for some time. There was some portuguese black man going to lisboa but was an ignorant. And than another highlight.

I asked to spanish driver of abulance if he can gave me a ride. He said no so of course an ambulace doesn’t usualy take hitch-hikers but than I saw this 3 letters on his plates and thought that it is may be the sign for beeing from the city which was on my way to Lisboa. And so I asked him:”isto numeros aki” I pointed to his plates on the back of the ambulance” isto de Badajoz?” Well he said no but than he told me to wait, brought me a coke and nuts and took me for 100km. Cool

Again night on gas station sleeping for 3 hours. Than spanish trucker, speaking easy spanish, young man, so we talked about many things. I was using my poor portuguese again and we was speaking spanish of corse. But most of what he was saying I understood. And if not I pretend. Then he was leaving highway going to interior. I had to choices. Stay on this poor gasstation or go over spanish village where at the end was suppose to be a big factory with many trucks going to Lisboa. Factory was there, trucks were not.

That was the starting point of the worst time I had on the way to Portugal. I spent hour and half waiting on the enterenc to highway where most of the drivers were showing me that they are going just to next village so I got really mad and decided to walk to nearest gas station which lay in front of me. Big mistake. Started raining again and I was walking for 10km swearing a lot till I made it to a restaurant near highway. It was about lunchtime so I thougt that it should be good place to be for now. Close enough. One guy gave me ride to next exit of highway. I thought that he gonna left me on better place. I couldn’t belive it but hey that is something u have to deal with when u don’t speak their language.

Furtunately I was lucky this time. 2 young guys, 2nd car going by, gave me a ride to nearest gasstation. Pretty big with many portuguase trucks. After 10 minutes one very cool driver gave me a ride all the way till Lisboa. We had one hot moment in the middle of way. Going already in Portugal on freeway doing 90 down hill in his fully loaded 40 tun truck suddenely car get just in front of us and stoped. We bearly missed him. Good for him anyway. If the truck would strike I to this car that driver down there would be dead for sure. I am not sure about us in truck.

And than. Finally. I get of from truck in Lisboa near Campo grande. I was living quite close to this place. It was sunny, hot afternoon. And I just get in huge exstasy just because I was there. I haven’t feel so happy ever since I can remember. I was laughing like crazy for half an hour. It just made my day. At this moment I was feeling that it was really worth of these 5 days in discomfort. Just because of this feeling. I was realy HAPPY. And on top of that I spent just 5 E during this entire 5 days. That is good, isn’t it?