Camino Update

Hola a todos! This update is coming from the inside of the Burgos bus station. I have a couple hours to kill and its in the thirties outside (and its also 8:00 in Spain meaning nothing is open), so here I sit in the station bar with a cafe con leche in hand. I realize updates from me have been scarse lately so I thought I would undertake the tedious task of typing up a blog on my kindle while I wait.

So what am I doing in a bus station anyway? Well I am taking a small break from my denouncement of all means of transportation outside of walking to go visit friends in Cantabria where I lived for a year. Burgos is almost directly under Santandr so it makes for a good time to pop up there.

I will tell you though that I had a hard time deciding to stop walking for the weekend. After almost 250km walking you would think taking a breather would be a nobrainer, but surprisingly it wasnt. One of the biggest hang ups was that I will basically lose all of the people I have been walking with or spending my evenings with. Each day I meet new people but I have been with some people since the beginning. I was surprised how hard it was to say goodbye last night to the retired Sevillian couple I have been with for the last week.

It is easy to get close to people on the Camino de Santiago. On the Camino we are all already somehow connected. It is not everywhere where you can begin a conversation with a stranger over the meaning of life. I also find it strange how what I thought was going to be largely an exercise in solitude has been instead one of the most beautiful expressions of community.

Anyway along the way I had already had a discussion with a Basque woman I met about how the camino is like life in that people come in and out of your path. I call it the catch and release principle. Its a valuable thing to learn, even if on Monday when I put the feet back on the trails I deeply miss some people.

OK but dont get the wrong impression. The Camino is not all meditation on the the deep meanings of life. I've laughed everyday. Ive seen some of the most impressive Cathedrals and monasteries. Ive eaten homeade Sevillian, French Canadian, and (two!) Italian dinners. Ive had coffee with people from five continents at the same time. We have proved that sin vino no hay camino (its good for the muscles!).

Im quite positive its been one of the most beautiful things Ive ever done.

Now to answer some questions (feel free to send me an email or leave a comment and ill try to answer them next time I update):

I try to walk between twenty and twenty five km a day. Some day a little less to rest, some days more because of where the towns fall.

The pilgrim hostels so far have been well above acceptable, some have been excellent. The most expensive one has been ten euros. Five is average and many are donations only. They sleep anywhere from twelve to over a hundred. Only one cold shower so far. No bed bugs yet. Ear plugs and a sleeping mask (thanks Fylenia!) have been invaluable.

I joined the blister club two days ago. I also might have performed impromptu roadside blister surgery Thursday with a saftey pin. Yep. The Camino is not glamerous.

The ankles are shredded. Ive been wearing my brace, got some psydo-icyhot and have started taking some anti-inflamatories. The pain was bad the last two days but I had enough tricks up my sleeve to get myself through...even if I did contemplate sitting in the road and crying at on point. (It also cemented my plan to take a mini break.)

Weather has been varied. The first week was HOT. In the 90s with no shade. Then it rained for two days. And its almost freezing here in Burgos.

My pack weighs about eight and a half kilos with water and food. I barely feel it anymore.

OK, so there is a semi and varied update to tide you all over till next time. Hasta pronto!

Day One Of ... Many

I made it through my first day on the Camina de Santiago. For those keeping track I didn`t even make it out of Pamplona without getting lost. As much as it made me laugh I was afraid it was a bad sign. No worries though--there are little yellow arrows all over the place. All you have to do is "buscar flechas."

So how was it? Every other hour I went from elation to fatigued and back again. The views and towns are beautiful. But after 25 km where I went straight over a mountain and back down again? Well, the dogs are barking. Thankfuly Ive been told today was one of the worst stages and it should be smooth sailing from here. But for now--its time for some icyhot.

Buen camino!

I'm Off!

I got all my errands run today--which is a small miracle in itself. All that is left is to go back to the post office and mail away all of my non-essentials (including, yes, my laptop). Today I picked up a sleeping bag, a rain coat and a whistle (better safe than sorry I figured). I've got water and snacks for tomorrow. I got some maps at the tourist information office. I think I'm ready!

Part of me feels like I am still not prepared. I don't have the stages or days all mapped out with which cities I want to stay in. A little part of me feels like I am going to make it outside Pamplona's city limits and realize I have no idea what I am doing. 

But maybe that is part of the journey. The plan for the next month and a half or so is just to wake up and walk west. Nothing more, nothing less. 

I still don't exactly know what I plan to get out of the Camino, or have a good articulate reason why I decided to walk over 700 kilometers of it. Part of it is to celebrate my 25th birthday in a special way (the goal is to make it to Santiago by May 16th). I also know that it will be some good time by myself, some good time to think. The mountains will no doubt hold some beautiful views and the plains the space to figure a few things out. I know I will meet some amazing people along the way. And while I am sure it will include both some highs and some lows, if I know myself, it will hold some good adventures. Finally, in ways that I'm sure I can't now imagine, I am certain I am going to encounter the divine along the way. 

So this is it--I'm headed west starting tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories to tell when I get back. 

Troodos Mountains

This morning I loaded up my backpack, grabbed a bus and headed into the mountains. It took some effort to drag myself away from the coast, but I wanted to see a bit of the diversity of the island (which everyone keeps telling me about). Well it's beautiful here. We are over 3,000 feet up and there are pine and cedar trees everywhere. It's a nice change of scenery and a chance to get a bit of hiking in (not that I won't be getting more than my share of that starting next week!). My only complaint is that it's pretty chilly this high up! At the moment it's only 9 degrees out (ok, it's celsius, but still!). I'm all layered up and happy to be headed to the capital tomorrow!

Picture of my bus on the way up. You can see a bit of the scenery out the windows, but what I really wanted you to see is the drivers 'stache in the rearview mirror. 

The cold meant I had to try out the stifado--the local beef and onion stew. They brought out a massive amount of food (including a steamingly fresh Cypriot pita). 

A little hiking. After my last waterfall hike experience I opted for the less steep trail. 

Some mountain views and nature-y bits

Catarata La Fortuna

I am going to be sore tomorrow. Real sore. I can already feel it. Why? Because I hiked to a waterfall. I could have taken either a horse or a taxi, but what with it being nice and cool, having the day to walk about, and the guy at the hotel telling me it was a nice walk, I set off on foot. 

Oh man. The whole thing was only 7 kilometers from town but the last 4 were nothing but steep gravel roads. The last 2 kilometers almost killed my will to live. It was like a cruel version of the lines at Disney Land. You would climb each hill thinking it was the last only to find another (steeper) one once you reached the top. And of course the clouds dissipated the moment I started walking. 

I met some people at the hotel and they told me that their guide book described it as a stair-master with a view. That was a lot more apt of a description than what I received from the hotel guy. Partly due to the trickery of the slope and not knowing how much more I lacked, I eventually willed my way to the top. 

Then of course, once you get to the park entrance, how do you get to the waterfall? Oh yeah, right. More than SEVEN HUNDRED steps. They weren't normal steps either, a kind of like mud covered cinderblock legos. Ah, but the view at the bottom was worth it. The water was clear and bright blue. 

I took a dip in the water and iced my tired muscles and watched the fish swim around my legs. (I freaked out when one mashed up against my leg. Then I realized that it was a leaf.) I budgeted my time so that I could leave in time to make the hour and a half hike back to town before dark, so I dried off a bit and hiked it back up the SEVEN HUNDRED steps. 

The decent into town was much better but I was using kind of a controlled falling method due to tired muscles. As I waited at one of the bends for the cars to pass one stopped. It was a Costa Rican family I met and eventually passed on the way back up the stairs. I had joked with Grandpa and now he was stopping to ask if I wanted a ride. Did I ever! So, in the end, the hour and a half I planned for took 25. Perfect. Pura vida!

PS. Bonus points for anyone who can tell me when a waterfall is a cascada and when one is a catarata. Or is catarata just a Costa Rican thing? 

And how cool is this tree I passed on the way up?

Arenal and La Fortuna

I've been here in La Fortuna for 3 days now. Everything here is pretty laid back, but the scenery has been outstanding! I took a guided hike to the Arenal Volcano (one of the world's top 10 most active volcanoes!). We saw all kinds of flowers and birds along the way up and then traced a portion of the 1968 lava flow (up until then they just thought that it was a mountain--no idea there was anything going on in there!). 

Our guide was full of colorful descriptions (like how leaf cutter ants are not Chinese ants, even though they look like it--always working, never taking a break, or how the name of the orchid is the testicle flower). In the end we watched the sunset at the observatory to see if we could see any of the lava flowing and glowing in the evening light. Nope, no lava. (Turns out, the lava hasn't been flowing for pretty much the last year. They definitely don't tell you that bit of information until you get here. We did see some "young ash" though.) 

The view was beautiful though and the company wasn't bad either--I met an Irish couple who've been traveling for the last 6 months who were full of good stories. 

Overall, it's been a good experience. Pictures of La Fortuna and Arenal below. 

Views of the Arenal Lake right behind the volcano. Turns out it is an artificial (dammed) lake which helps to irrigate the dry part of the country. 

The tiny town is centered around the square the church is on. This is one of the least Catholic looking Catholic churches I've ever been in. They were having a celebration for the Conversion of San Paulo so I stopped in for mass. 

Blurry picture, but these are leaf cutter ants! How fun! 

These trees were in Jurassic Park. Apparently selling and growing these is big business in New Zealand these days.  

The orchid is the official flower of Costa Rica

The volcano!

Another look at the lake from the top of the trail. (Nowadays you can't go up any further than this--3 hikers were killed by lava when they climbed up higher). 

It's me! 

This one is a Lady's Slipper orchid (because it looks like a shoe)