Part 3: Days 11-15 of the Camino
Day 11 Sahagun
46km
The hostel was the worst, and
freezing. However, I spoke with the volunteer before I left, and he was nice.
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| Breakfast with Sion from South Korea |
I took a lunch break. I got the news that my sister gave birth. Upon hearing that, for some reason, I couldn't help but feel that my endeavor to walk the Camino was not so important. And that we are in totally different places in our lives.
I walked to Sahagun. I hoped to meet some more people. I didn't. So, I watched part of a movie while walking. I realized I could do that! It was even with subtitles! I was walking on flat terrain, so it was easy to walk a lot. I saw that there was a massage place right next to the hostel where I was staying. I asked him when he was closing, and he said 7pm. It was 6:30. So I checked in, showered quickly, put a load of laundry, and then ran to the massage place. I made it just in time! It was a great massage. He used so much cream! He must have used a whole bottle. Yet, even after the massage my feet still hurt...
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| A pilgrim statue at Sahagun |
I looked for a supermarket and
couldn't find one. So, I went to have pizza. I decided to sleep at 8:30pm to
wake up at 4am, because tomorrow will be the biggest day: 56km! But my plan
failed. The hostel had a big hall where everything was, including the beds, the
kitchen, and the bathrooms! There was a high ceiling, so one could hear
everything. First, I heard people shouting. They could just talk, but they were
shouting. So, I asked them to speak more quietly. Then, I heard people doing
dishes for 40 minutes. Finally, I heard the sound of a hand dryer, and it was
so loud! My ear plugs were useless at this point. There were paper towels, so
there was no need to use a hand dryer. In any case, I must have slept at
10:30pm
Day 12 Leon
62km
I got less than 6 hours of sleep, thanks to the noisy people at the hostel. It's hard to wake up at 4am as I wished because of hostels like this. I slept through my alarm, and started walking at 6am. There was a lot to cover, so I wanted to start as early as possible.
It was the flattest day of the Camino! This part is called "La Meseta" which means the plateau. Many people skip it by taking the bus because they find it boring. It happens to be a good time to reflect. I heard from someone that the first part of the Camino is about the body. One is getting used to walking a lot and experiencing aches in the body. Then, the “meseta” is about the mind. And finally, when getting closer to Santiago, it’s about the soul. I thought that was cool.
I challenged myself to break my record of walking in a day, which was 56km. I'll be walking about 56km, and then walking maybe 5km more in Leon to discover it. I hope to arrive at 6:30pm so I can catch a museum. It closes at 8pm.
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| Pilgrims made a heart made out of stones, literally |
In the morning, I felt so bored and lonely because I didn't meet anyone for 4 hours!! I saw a few people at the café when I stopped at 10am, but they were already there for a while and they left shortly after I arrived. Then, I ran into Kayla. She is also doing around 55km a day because she's on a bike, so we decided to meet in Leon. She was also talking about taking a day off tomorrow. We would have to see how much it costs to rent a car, and then go to a national park nearby with beautiful mountains. That way, I can rest after my 60km-day, because then I have two more 50km+ days in a row. That's the next challenge. Kayla was telling me about issues in her family, and how she was thinking of stopping and going back home. But then her brother told her she has to continue. We planned to stay in the same hostel. I like doing the Camino one way or another, but I enjoy it more with people. So, I don't mind slowing down a bit to spend time with friends. It's better than being bored on the Camino. I may finish in 21 or 22 days instead of 20. Later in the day, I met some people from the states, but it was very brief. I got very bored.
I had the flu starting in the afternoon. I arrived at the hostel and Kayla called me. We agreed on a meeting point. We were supposed to stay in the same hostel, but I didn't get her message because I didn't have Wi-Fi, and I had already checked in another hostel. But this hostel had no curfew, and I can arrive past 10pm. I showered and went downtown.
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| Leon Cathedral |
We went to the main square with the cathedral. Kayla had gone in already. It was 7 Euros and they were renovating it, and it was dark. So, I decided not to go in. We walked around for a bit, and then we sat at a restaurant right in front of the church. I made sure they had vegetarian options. Kayla was nice enough to order something vegetarian as well, and we shared. We got pizza, pasta, and a salad. We talked about many things, like our past, spirituality, philosophy, and how she's lived in many countries. We really enjoyed our fancy dinner, probably the only one on the Camino. It was 44 Euros, so each person paid 22 Euros. But that's not so bad considering that it includes tax and tip, and that I had leftovers for tomorrow. I was uncomfortable because I had to blow my nose every few minutes. My nose was running. I walked Kayla to her hostel, where I should have stayed because it's in the historic centre. It was a monastery. I walked back to my hostel. It's 20 minutes away from Santiago. But the benefit was that I walked 20 minutes less earlier this evening. I hope I will meet people tomorrow. Today was boring and lonely. I'm sleeping late, which means I will start late tomorrow. It will be another 50km+ day. We'll see how it goes. I may not make it all the way. I will try to go to Astorga to meet with Kayla. I may be successful because it has been really flat lately.
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| Exploring Leon with Kayla from th USA |
I broke my record today! I walked more in Leon, so the total for the day was 62km! I feeel great, despite walking so much, probably because it was all fat.
Day 13 - Villares de Orbigo
40km
It was freezing in the morning! So, I had pizza and pasta leftovers for breakfast to pass time. I also didn't sleep well at all because of my runny nose. When I turned on my stomach, my nose dripped and I woke up. I was supposed to wake up at 5, but I slept in until 6. I was going to leave at 7, but I saw that it was freezing outside.
I met Fernando from Brazil. We spoke for 3 hours. He's a very interesting person. He's traveled and lived in many places in the world. He's doing the Camino for the second time. After 3 hours of walking, I couldn't take it anymore, so I sat down somewhere, apparently on the steps of someone's house, because there was no restaurant in sight. Then, we walked a little more and there was a restaurant. I decided to stop and he decided to keep going. I wanted to get something to eat, but there was a line. I waited for a bit, but the line stayed the same. I wasn't about to wait standing up because the whole point of a break was to rest, sitting down, not standing for ten minutes. So, I got something from the vending machine. I didn't know why I was so tired, but when I sat down in the restaurant, I fell asleep. On a highway. Without ear plugs. That's how tired I was. I figured that it was because I had barely slept last night.
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| Fernando from Brazil |
I kept walking. I met Charlie from Bristol, UK. It was a very motivating conversation. He told me about his life and his family. Later, he arrived at his hotel. I then met Anne-France from Montréal and Siri from Minnesota. I told them the long distances I’ve been doing, and they were very impressed. Then Anne-France shared that she was doing the Camino because five years ago, she did part of it because God told her to do it, and she had a lot of synchronicities leading up to it. Siri did it because she was having a burnout at her job. I walked with them for an hour or 1.5 hours. We stopped at a place and I had macaroni and cheese. They left and I took another nap! The macaroni was good, but I got so tired after eating it! And I couldn't sleep well because the TV was blaring in the restaurant.
I only made it to Villares de Orbigo. It's 15km short of my target, Astorga. This was probably the hardest day. I really struggled to make it, and it was mainly because I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep, not enough, and the flu. I was healed from the flu, but I was lacking restful sleep. Also, it was a hot sunny day, and I had to walk next to the highway without any shade.
I was told there was a community
dinner, so I said yes. It was rare, and it was great! I paid half price because
I was only going to eat salad, soup, and dessert. I had an amazing conversation
with Anna from Brazil, and Genie and Scott from the states. Anna had lived in
Lebanon AND India! We had a lot in common. She also did yoga and knew about
Ayurveda, so she wasn't surprised when I said I don't eat eggs, onions, and
garlic, on top of being a vegetarian. Genie said that she's considered a racist
because she's white, and that it's better to be black than white these days in
the States.
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| Community dinner at a hostel |
I had asked the hospitalero to do
laundry. She did it for me, but she didn't put the clothes much in the dryer. I
think it was to save money. So, she gave me my clothes a bit wet! She said I
can hang them in the room, but it was too late and dark and some people were
sleeping, so I didn't.
Day 14 - Foncebadon
44km
I slept nine hours! I was not told there was breakfast until now. But I took it. It was a good hostel and the hospitalero was really nicen but it was expensive! I paid 32 Euros just for staying, dinner, and laundry. The laundry was 10 Euros, the most expensive I paid, and she didn't even dry it properly.
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| A beautiful sunrise |
Anyway, I walked with Gaby from Australia, and then Him from Hong Kong joined us. It's confusing, because Him is a "her." We stopped at an oasis where there were many snacks and fruits, all by donation. They also had a guitar! So, I played and sang. We walked some more and talked about our whole lives. Typically, after 3 or 4 hours of talking with someone on the Camino, you know their whole life story! Gaby was the second person to walk all day with me, which was great! We had lunch and then walked uphill to Foncebadon. Gaby had just started the Camino in Leon, and she wasn’t very prepared. So, I gave her one of my walking sticks. She had done the Camino up to Leon before, so she was just continuing.
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| An amazing oasis! |
In Foncebadon, I stayed in a
donativo. There was only one spot, so Gaby stayed somewhere else. It was too
small and crowded, and not so nice to stay there. They didn't even have Wi-Fi. I
went to eat in a restaurant and to get Wi-Fi. I asked Gaby if she would
like to walk with me tomorrow, but she didn't respond in time before I left. I
met Joaquim from Nicaragua, Charline from France, and Johanne from the
Netherlands. I had a nice tagliatelle with pesto. Joaquim knew about the Hare
Krishnas, and he asked me to play a kirtan from my phone. I happily obliged. It
was freezing on the way back to the hostel. There was someone snoring really
loud. I couldn't sleep for some other reason. So, I got up and sorted through
some photos. I slept at midnight.
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| Gaby from Syndey, Australia |
Day 15 - Ponferrada
37km
I slept 5.5 hours. I feel good. This morning was 2°! The coldest on the Camino so far. I had breakfast and stayed as long as possible so it would be warmer. We started walking at 8:05. Shortly after, we got to the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross). This is where Pilgrim's leave a rock there, which symbolizes leaving behind the past, sins, limitations, fears, etc. Some people carry a rock all the way from home to put it here! I just got one from nearby the cruz. I didn't find it so special. Others spent 10-15 minutes there and were full of many emotions.
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| Cruz de Ferro |
I walked with Charline, Joaquim and Johanne for a bit. I was very impressed when Charline and Joaquim started saying the rosary! They asked if I wish to participate, and I said I will do my rosary later. They walked faster than I did, so I lost them. I thought to myself: no wonder people get tired. They walk too fast! Charline was actually half Mexican and half French, but now she lives in France. She grew up in Mexico.
I walked down a lot this whole day I listened to Wisdom of the Sages and it was raining. My ears were blocked because we came down almost 1,500km. I don't know if I will make it to my target.
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| A lovely home! |
I arrived in Ponferrada and I was feeling tired after walking 32km. I hadn't eaten, so I ate at 4pm in a restaurant. I thought maybe I could walk until the next town. But I saw that there are no hostels until Cacabelos, which was 15km more. It means I would arrive at 7 or 8pm, which would be too late. I had only eaten an ice cream for lunch because the place where I stopped earlier had no food. So, I was happy to have a nice sandwich and fries at probably the most beautifully/weirdly decorated restaurant I have ever seen! They also had amazing music!
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| Decoartion at a restaurant in Ponferrada |
I stayed at a donativo. I Met the hospitaleros, who were both from New Brunswick. It was nice to meet some fellow Canadians. I went to the castle and then a museum. The castle was beautiful! And then there was a rainbow! I checked to see if I can go to Las Medulas, a Roman gold mine, but there were no buses, no tour, and no ride share. It would mean 5 hours of walking one way, and it wasn't so straight, so it would be complicated to hitchhike it. I thought maybe I will arrive and it's not worth it, so I skipped it.
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| Castillo de los Templarios de Ponferrada |
I attended a meeting where people can talk about their Camino experience and share, but it was in Spanish. So I stayed for a bit and then excused myself, but I was given the talking stick. So I spoke briefly in Spanish about my experience, to the best of my ability, and then left. I ran into Charline, Joaquim and Johanne and spoke to them. Then I did laundry and then spoke to my parents.
I'll be waking up at 4:30am
tomorrow and starting at 6 to finish early.
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| A rainbow! |
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