Just a around 45 km left now, left Palas de rai at 5am. Using a head torch to find markings can get a little difficult sometimes but stayed on route with the torch, it gets light here about 7:45am. I think I was the first pilgrim on the road so found a place easy enough when I got to Arzua. Had only one break today and that cost me a couple of new blisters, but have stitched them up to drain and so feet should be good to go again to tomorrow.
Also managed to get a spanish sim from movistar, however the pre-paid sim SMS to uk are 0.71 euros per message so have quickly run out of credit, I must practice short form texting. Ive topped up and will have to just use for emergencies for now. I.ll look at getting a better deal in santiago.probably with these chaps ...
http://www.lebara-movil.es/Pre-Pay-Cards?isoCode=en_GB
Met Kiera and Nora again at Aryua, they are doing ok a coupel of blisters but looking forward to next week on the beach. I also ran into Caroline a lovely french Canadian lady who does not speak english so we have broken conversations in my bad french, she will make Santiago on thursday as will I, she however has been walking since Le Puy in france about 1500km. Some of the other people ive met on this trip have been, katerina a german woman that started walking from germany in April, an reallz incredable woman. George a great Dutch man who having walked the Camino Frances 2 years ago, started again this year as an experiment to test his new hip!
Again thanks for all the support, LB your doing a great job Im very proud of you. Finally sorry if these posts are riddled with spelling mistakes, most of the pc.s are locked to spanish, however this one today is a spanish keyboard but set to german, so very much hit and miss what each key does.
2011-09-13
2011-09-12
Palas de Rei
Well down to 65 km left, I'm in Palas de Rei, bagged the last bed in town again. I must admit I've been lucky with the accommodation.
Met a nice French Canadian girl yesterday, Sandra shared a room with her and introduced her to Quentin Tarentino's Pulp fiction, does that make me a bad man? What can I say it was that or Westside story on TV.
Also met up with a couple of ladies just doing the 100km from Sarria, Kiera from Ireland and her cousin Nora from Australia, both cracking girls and fun to be around. It´s been nice to have English conversions again, between the three girls they have helped me reconnect with the journey and pulled me out of my recent isolation.
The route is now clogged with, well tourists, lots of chatting on route stopping at every cafe and making what was 10 minute meal break into 30 minutes of queuing. They also are all reserving the accomidation in the next towns. Luckilly the albourges don´t take reservations so most of the longer term pilgrims just motor on early in the morning to get a bed. I aim to do that tomorrow if i can get out of my top bunk without breaking my legs.
I´m now resigned to the fact that the camino as i´ve come to know it, is over. The next couple of days I will just try and relax and take in all I´ve learnt about the world and what I need in my life. They do say the camino is like "life condensed", so Santiago will be the end, I better enjoy the remainder of the journey.
Joining Norra and Kiera for dinner tonight, so gotta split shortly. I searched for a mobile sim in the last two towns but not found any yet, probably won´t be able to get one now until Santiago, so still out of contact with my family, love to you all, LB text if you like should be able to get them, just won´t be able to reply. Again thanks for the comments, at the moment its the only contact i have with home.
Met a nice French Canadian girl yesterday, Sandra shared a room with her and introduced her to Quentin Tarentino's Pulp fiction, does that make me a bad man? What can I say it was that or Westside story on TV.
Also met up with a couple of ladies just doing the 100km from Sarria, Kiera from Ireland and her cousin Nora from Australia, both cracking girls and fun to be around. It´s been nice to have English conversions again, between the three girls they have helped me reconnect with the journey and pulled me out of my recent isolation.
The route is now clogged with, well tourists, lots of chatting on route stopping at every cafe and making what was 10 minute meal break into 30 minutes of queuing. They also are all reserving the accomidation in the next towns. Luckilly the albourges don´t take reservations so most of the longer term pilgrims just motor on early in the morning to get a bed. I aim to do that tomorrow if i can get out of my top bunk without breaking my legs.
I´m now resigned to the fact that the camino as i´ve come to know it, is over. The next couple of days I will just try and relax and take in all I´ve learnt about the world and what I need in my life. They do say the camino is like "life condensed", so Santiago will be the end, I better enjoy the remainder of the journey.
Joining Norra and Kiera for dinner tonight, so gotta split shortly. I searched for a mobile sim in the last two towns but not found any yet, probably won´t be able to get one now until Santiago, so still out of contact with my family, love to you all, LB text if you like should be able to get them, just won´t be able to reply. Again thanks for the comments, at the moment its the only contact i have with home.
2011-09-10
Last 100 km to Santiago
Today I have arrived in Sarria, so last 100km stretch ahead of me, pushed hard and did about 40km today, legs are a little like jelly at the moment. It´s been a hard day emotionally, I felt I needed to press on as in all honesty I miss my family and feel it´s time I finish this and get home to those I love, every step has taken me closer to them.
I've run out of credit on my mobile and can't top up with the UK short codes, i´ll see about getting a local sim so at least i can text home, but I won´t be able to twitter to the blog at the moment. The route is getting more busy with spanish doing the minimum 100km or 200km if on bike, so the hostels are getting fuller.
So to reduce the burden on local alberges I´ve checked into the Hotel Nh Alfonso IX which is about the nicest hotel in town. A long soak in my bath really made up for the cold shower yesterday in the alberge at celeiro. Such a strange day that was, a hellish climbed to the top of the mountain only to find a huge pikey market going on, bizarre.
I´m now in Galicia. The weather from the atlantic hits these mountains so had first real day of rain, well drizzle the spanish have not yet figured out proper rain yet, but they sure can do mountains.
Thanks for the support, messages etc. Sorry I have not posted more, I´ve met some really interesting people on this hike, there´s been germans, austrians, french canadian, swiss, dutch, belgiums, norwegians, french, south africans, australians, chinese, irish, english and even a couple of spanish! I will write about some of their stories when I can.
Has the experience changed me so far? I did noticed today I´ve learned, to by default walk in the shade. Perhaps my family and friends will be better judges upon my return.
Besides it´s not over yet...
I've run out of credit on my mobile and can't top up with the UK short codes, i´ll see about getting a local sim so at least i can text home, but I won´t be able to twitter to the blog at the moment. The route is getting more busy with spanish doing the minimum 100km or 200km if on bike, so the hostels are getting fuller.
So to reduce the burden on local alberges I´ve checked into the Hotel Nh Alfonso IX which is about the nicest hotel in town. A long soak in my bath really made up for the cold shower yesterday in the alberge at celeiro. Such a strange day that was, a hellish climbed to the top of the mountain only to find a huge pikey market going on, bizarre.
I´m now in Galicia. The weather from the atlantic hits these mountains so had first real day of rain, well drizzle the spanish have not yet figured out proper rain yet, but they sure can do mountains.
Thanks for the support, messages etc. Sorry I have not posted more, I´ve met some really interesting people on this hike, there´s been germans, austrians, french canadian, swiss, dutch, belgiums, norwegians, french, south africans, australians, chinese, irish, english and even a couple of spanish! I will write about some of their stories when I can.
Has the experience changed me so far? I did noticed today I´ve learned, to by default walk in the shade. Perhaps my family and friends will be better judges upon my return.
Besides it´s not over yet...
2011-09-02
Taking a break
Been walking since Sunday, and while my feet are okay, only 3 blisters. I have a sore heat rash almost circling my ankles and also sun or wind burn on my back of my legs. Adding to that a bit of a dodgy belly when walking into the last town Sahagun. I was not sure I’d make it to the alberge...
So I have decided to take today off, rest my legs that are currently smothered in germoline. I also found (eventually) the post office or Corroes as I´ve now found out its called. I sent home 2.5 kilos of stuff home including LB´s broken camera, sorry hun, but I have bought you a nice new Nikon 12 mega pixel camera to make up.
As i have only 3 weeks even on a day off I have to keep moving and 30 € got me a taxi to Mansilla de las Mullas an small wallled town about 20 km from Leon. A was running about 5-10km behind my planned route, this skip ahead puts me back on track.
Back to the daily routine tomorow, up at 6am walk 25+ km, find a bed for the night, shower, wash my clothes, write in my journal, eat a pilgrims meal with my comrades and sleep by 10pm.
I´m not sure if I´ll see Angelica and Marrita again, I wish them all the best and hope they are okay. While I was not with Hans and Roody on Wednesday I texted Hans happy 70th birthday, it is his dream to walk the camino and to do it on his seventy birthday, wow an amazing man. Other characters I´ve met, Dutch George testing out his new hip and the beautiful katerina walking from Hamburg.
In my first 5 days of walking I have already achieved what i set out to do which was to meet and share experiences with interesting and wonderful people. I´m am richer for knowing them. Thanks to to my family for supporting me in doing this, I miss them very much, I love you all.
Tomorrow I walk to Leon.
So I have decided to take today off, rest my legs that are currently smothered in germoline. I also found (eventually) the post office or Corroes as I´ve now found out its called. I sent home 2.5 kilos of stuff home including LB´s broken camera, sorry hun, but I have bought you a nice new Nikon 12 mega pixel camera to make up.
As i have only 3 weeks even on a day off I have to keep moving and 30 € got me a taxi to Mansilla de las Mullas an small wallled town about 20 km from Leon. A was running about 5-10km behind my planned route, this skip ahead puts me back on track.
Back to the daily routine tomorow, up at 6am walk 25+ km, find a bed for the night, shower, wash my clothes, write in my journal, eat a pilgrims meal with my comrades and sleep by 10pm.
I´m not sure if I´ll see Angelica and Marrita again, I wish them all the best and hope they are okay. While I was not with Hans and Roody on Wednesday I texted Hans happy 70th birthday, it is his dream to walk the camino and to do it on his seventy birthday, wow an amazing man. Other characters I´ve met, Dutch George testing out his new hip and the beautiful katerina walking from Hamburg.
In my first 5 days of walking I have already achieved what i set out to do which was to meet and share experiences with interesting and wonderful people. I´m am richer for knowing them. Thanks to to my family for supporting me in doing this, I miss them very much, I love you all.
Tomorrow I walk to Leon.
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