Camino Frances Day 2

I woke up around 5 am on Day 2, which is rather early for my daily routine. Maybe I was too excited to continue my walk. I did not take a shower anymore since I had one already the night before. Ever since I moved to Europe I have gotten used to taking showers in the evening instead of morning.

I peered outside and figured it was still too dark to start the walk so I hung around a bit. I took a photo of the albergue for posterity sake.

For only 5 euros a night I think this place was definitely a steal. The place also offered an 8-euro two-course meal of salad, chicken, pasta, yogurt and fruit. Not bad for a pilgrim's menu. Although given a small tummy I had to spend 2 hours just to finish everything.

Normally albergues offer a room full of double deck beds but for this one I got booked in a room that only had 4 beds and I only had one roommate.

My roommate Christian is Danish. He just finished his schooling in Barcelona and thought of doing the camino to clear his mind. I envied him because at a rather young age he got to be exposed to the world of the camino. I asked him to pose with the UP Ikon sign. I could have asked for his Facebook account so we could keep in touch after the Camino but for some reason I didn't. I guess it's just one of those random things I do.

I was thinking about math -specifically Geometry-while I took this photo. Two lines intersect at a point in a plane and will never meet again. So much like my life and Christian's life.

He had blisters on his feet so he will trek at a much slower rate. I doubt if I will ever see him in the camino again. Or perhaps ever. That somehow made me sad in a way.

I continued my walk at 8 in the morning. This sign was a reminder that I still had almost 300 km to travel.

I stopped by this fountain to get my water supply. One can normally find water source every 4 kilometres or so in the camino route except in some less populated areas.

I took a selfie for Day 2 to send to my friends who were my companions in Camino Portugues. I was doing this camino alone although I was planning to meet my friend Robbie from Austria along the way. He was my first ever Couchsurfing (CS) host.

Funny. We never meant to meet in the Camino but he saw my query in a CS forum and it just so happened that he was planning to do the Camino around the same period. He started his walk in St. Jean Pied de Port in France which was roughly 20 days earlier. Around this time he would have passed Leon also. I was planning to catch up with him at the end of this day.

I also sent this photo to my Cuban friend in Gran Canaria to make him envious. We planned before to do the Camino together but it never pushed through. He replied back "Te odio =P".

Still another selfie along the highway. My hair was a mess because I did not bring any gel. I had to make my load as light as possible, remember?

For paths like these, the route was just straight ahead. And it can be pretty lonely, only the occasional ten-wheeler trucks and cars whirring by, would keep you company.

I took a stop in this bar to have my breakfast and have my pilgrim passport stamped.  I recall going to the toilet and I was so glad I brought wipes with me because the wash room lacked toilet paper.

Take note, if you are doing the Camino, always bring wet wipes with you because you'll never know when you've got to go. And when you do, it's better to be armed with a handful of wipes.

My typical breakfast order was a bocadillo de jamon and cafe con leche. I recall seeing a caucasian guy with a terrible case of hangover. I was not sure if he was able to finish the Camino because I never saw him again.

Hung on the wall of the bar is a poster of the route with illustrations of the interesting structures to be seen along the way. In hindsight I should have paid more attention to them. But at that time they all just seemed to be random names except of course for Santiago de Compostela.

The sun was getting harsher at this point so I paused to apply sun block generously on my face. I was not planning to bring sunblock but it was given to me by my roommate in the hostel. He had just finished his Camino and was so excited to learn that I was doing one. To repay his generosity I gave him one of my ethnic necklaces. He was so ecstatic to receive it.

I can't but laugh reading this graffiti.

"Wanna know a secret ? I replaced lukewarm water with Sangria. "

A smart-ass pilgrim scribbled below it " Well that explains the vomit along the camino".

Haha. Pilgrim sense of humour.

I took another shot of my backpack and the UP Ikot sign beside a Camino landmark.

Pilgrim philosophy. Ah pilgrims never cease to amaze me.

"When you throw a stone into the sea, you never know how deep it goes."

I honestly don't know what it meant. Sounded like a new-age mumbo jumbo but deep nonetheless.

This landmark had lots of stones and flyers of albergues along the way. I don't know why travellers pile stones along the way. Maybe a tribute ? Perhaps a marker so that others would not be led astray?

I took a calling card and left a note for Robbie hoping that he'll get to read it when he passed by the same spot. I hoped to meet him in Astorga which was my intended stop for the day.

A few meters before Puente de Obrigo , about 11 kilometres from my starting point for Day 2, I took this shot but I guess I failed my objective. I actually liked the tree formation in the background but the photo did not give justice to it. I once again had to remind myself that using a camera phone had its limitations.

Ah.. Puente de Obrigo. It is one of the picturesque stops I would say.

A tractor, a wheel barrow and some corn in a warehouse in this rustic town.

Occasionally a pilgrim will be faced with a decision. A fork in the road. Not life threatening of course but a decision nonetheless. Would you choose a shorter and straightforward route ? Or a longer but more scenic one?

As it was my second day I still was packed with energy so I took the left route. It brought me right into these fields. For quite some time I haven't seen any yellow sign. I was actually contemplating on retracing my steps at this point.

After walking for 20 minutes I finally saw this sign, an indication that indeed I had taken the right path. I heaved a sigh of relief.

The map of Villares De Obrigo showed that it was pretty much a sleepy town without an albergue or a supermarket.

I made a slight detour and passed by the church. I wanted to go inside and pray and perhaps take a photo of the altar piece as I always do whenever I visit a church but there was a funeral service going on.

I don't know who the guy was, how he lived his life or if he had ever done the Camino. I offered a quick prayer for the repose of his soul nonetheless. It got me into thinking that we might all strangers but we all share a common destiny, that we are all but pilgrims in this world and that there will come a time that we will leave this world behind.

This picnic table was conveniently located in the woods just off Villares de Obrigo. There wasn't any toilet available but I peed nonetheless because I could not hold it any longer.

New roads were being developed along this path. The place was much more scenic than how the camera captured it.

I can't help but smile when I looked at this church. I took a photo of this and missed the arrow sign leading left. Good thing an old man called my attention and told me that I was heading to the wrong direction. Another pilgrim who was tracing my steps almost missed her turn as well.

After taking the right turn the route led us to a muddy field. It was much more difficult to negotiate with the ground that seemed to be so clingy.  Further on I hit upon this cross with lots of stones, obviously left by the pilgrims.

There was a makeshift statue adorned with trinkets brought by pilgrims. A jacket here, a bandana there, a beanie, a flag, worn out shoes among others. I felt the need to leave something. So I did. It was a baggage tag with my name on it.

I saw two pilgrims taking a rest on bench beside a tree, a man and a woman.

"So where did you guys start your Camino?" I asked them.
"St Jean." the blond girl replied
"Wow" I exclaimed.
"How about you?"
"Leon. This is my 2nd day"
"No wonder you look different."
I was bit puzzled. "Different? In what sense?"
"Well, you look....civilized"

Civilized. A rather strange word. Perhaps what they meant was that I still didn't have that wornout look.

I continued on. I couldn't find a single soul around me. My mind was operating like a mathematician at this point. If the farthest distance my eyes could reach around me was 1 km. I could say that there was no other soul within 3.14 km2. For some reason my thoughts were on the series "The Walking Dead". I think I am morbid because I tend to associate landscapes with horror movies or series. I remember thinking that it if I were a director of the Walking Dead this would be a good set.

I spotted this stand further on. It offered relief to pilgrims as it gave food in exchange for a donation. It was drizzling again so I took shelter.

My phone battery was getting empty at this point but I managed to get this shot of the cross with a view of Astorga below.

My phone battery finally gave out at this point. Good thing there was a French pilgrim behind me who took my photo and offered to send it via email.

I finally arrived in the albergue in Astorga and got to charge my phone. As fate would have it, Robbie checked in the same albergue and we were even booked in the same room. It was great to meet Robbie again after 3 years.

We decided to cook dinner for the two of us and split the cost. We went to the supermarket to buy the ingredients. Along the way we saw this church of Astorga.

For Day 2 from Villadangos to Astorga I have walked about 28.5 kilometres. My right shin was beginning to hurt at this point, I actually hobbled on the way to the supermarket and back.

Little did I know things were about to get worse.

Camino Frances Day 1

As part of my new year's resolution I plan to post the story of my Camino De Santiago via the French Way which I started in Oct 29, 2015.

The year 2015 had been a great one for me , I finally did the Camino de Santiago. Not just once but twice !!!

The first one was in April via Camino Portugues. The second one unexpectedly was a bonus.

Because I was not able to extend my visa after my MBA, I thought of ending my stay in Spain with a bang.  What better way than by doing another Camino?

Unlike my Camino Portugues post, this series will be mostly led by the photos I took with my Samsung phone.

On October 28, I said goodbye to Murcia, my home for the past year.

I left a big chunk of my luggage in a friend's flat in Madrid.

I stayed for one night in Way Hostel near the Tirso de Molina metro station in Madrid. I checked out at 530 am and took a morning trip to Atocha train station. Two days earlier, I booked a one-way train trip from Madrid to Leon. Leon was about half of the way from the French border to the Santiago de Compostela. Allotting only 15 days to do the Camino, I chose Leon as my starting point. 

At 6:30 am of October 29, I was settled comfortably in Atocha waiting for my train to Leon to arrive.

The weight of one's load in the Camino is critical, it will determine whether you will finish the journey or go home broken hearted. One would have to strike a good balance between weight and necessity. I had to go through my stuff three times just to make sure that I bought only what is necessary. 

Necessary. That had been the operative word. All the things I would be needing in the next 15 days or so were packed in this 40 L bag.

I did not bring my razor, shaving cream and moisturizer to keep my load light. Without these, I knew I will most likely look like a hobo after the walk (assuming I already don't like one to begin with). I took a selfie inside the train for posterity.

It was drizzling when I stepped out of the Leon station. Good thing I brought my umbrella.

The train from Madrid just took 2 hours so it was still morning when I started my walk. A bit chilly even with 2 layers of clothes and a jacket on.

My first objective was to head straight to a cathedral. There weren't much people walking that day perhaps because of the weather or maybe it was too early. I approached an old lady and used my basic Spanish to ask for the general direction to the cathedral.

She spoke rather fast but somehow I understood that I would just have to walk straight ahead till I see an unmistakable structure.

On my way to the cathedral, I was greeted by a commanding statue of a lion. I haven't done any research of how Leon got its name although I know that Leon is Spanish for Lion.

While I was originally headed to the Cathedral I passed by a big church along the avenue. I asked a couple of beggars hanging in front of the door with the question.

"Perdon, donde puedo coger pasaporte para peregrinos?"

I was pretty sure this was not the colloquial way of asking for directions but somehow it was effective because I ended up in an office beside the church (seemed like a department of the ayuntamiento) and after paying the 2euro fee, I got my pilgrim's passport in no time. The balding receptionist who reminded me of my HR Startegy teacher in MBA was pleasantly surprised to know I came from Las Islas Filipinos.

"There are a number of Asians doing the Camino but rarely from the Philippines."

The first yellow sign I saw during that wet morning was on a lamp post, unmistakable. The rain did not dampen my mood. My Camino was officially starting.

The arrow sign eventually led me to the cathedral of Leon. Like any big church structures it gave a commanding presence. There was an entrance fee and since I was getting such a cheapskate towards this period of my stay in Spain, I decided to forego entering it. Though I was pretty certain that its altar piece would surely be a sight to behold. I took a selfie and a promised to come back to Leon in the future and spend at least 2 days exploring the city.

Further on the trail, I came upon another church. If it were in another town it would have been a major attraction on its own. But since it was in Leon sharing the limelight with the cathedral, I guess it was relegated to an ordinary status. It did not have an entrance fee which was the reason I was able to get a shot of its ornate altarpiece. It reminded me of the altar piece is Los Jeronimos in Granada, each tableau depicting a significant event in the life of Jesus or Mary.

The Camino trail in Leon can't be missed. Every 100 meters or so (at least in the urban area) a sign would appear in the form of a shell or a yellow arrow sign.

I passed by another interesting structure. I didn't know what it is but I think it would definitely be a place I would check out in the future when I return to Leon. When I did this Camino I haven't watched yet the movie "The Way" which was about a Camino journey. I think this building somehow appeared in the movie.

A tribute to pilgrims, this sculpture just in front of the building, depicted an old traveller taking a rest with sandals off his feet.

Still another sign of the Camino de Santiago.

The trail eventually led me to a slightly elevated sub-urban area. Warehouses lined up along the highway signalling that I was now leaving the urban part of the city. It was drizzling once again. I took this shot hoping to get a view of Leon from the hill. I got disappointed with the photo quality and had to remind myself that I only brought a Samsung S3 and not my Nikon DSLR. Such was the tradeoff to maintain a light load.

Some parts of the walk were just right beside the main highway. Warning signs were posted to remind the pilgrims to be extra cautious, lest they would be hit by a speeding vehicle.

At least in the Leon area markers like these indicated the name of the stop, the interesting sights in the area, if there are albergues, supermarkets or hospitals within the vicinity and the distance of the next town. I passed by a Chinese store in this area (thank God for their cheap prices) and bought an extra battery charger for the phone.

My phone battery was draining fast so I turned it off. I wasn't able to take much pictures after the La Virgen del Camino which was a pity. The next shot I took was a selfie with a priest at San Miguel del Camino who gave his blessings to the pilgrims who passed by their church.

At some parts of the walk there weren't many signs but you could not miss the trail because the path was intuitively just straight. As a rule of thumb the default path would be just straight ahead unless an arrow sign indicates to make a turn. Some paths could go on for 7 kilometres without any major town or major stop.

My phone battery definitely ran out of power because the next shot I had was this which was at Villadangos. I laid out the contents of my backpack in the albergue and took a photo of it. Some of the essentials (but often missed out items) are wet wipes and slippers. Glad I've read a list in a forum and brought these items.

For Day 1 I walked a total of 21.3 kilometres from Leon to Villadangos del Paramo. Not bad for the first day. It all seemed that this Camino would be a walk in the park.

I spoke too soon.

Camino De Santiago Day 5

All good things must come to an end.  There was a slight bit of hesitation as I prepared for the last leg of the journey.  Everything just went like a blur. It seemed that it was only yesterday when I started the walk and now it was coming to a close.

The group that slept at the private albergue which was about 500 meters away would be passing at our albergue at 6 am.  It was still dark when we stepped outside.

We actually walked for a few meters already along the main road when I recalled from the day before that the yellow sign was actually pointing to the left of the fork towards the wooded area. I told the group and we had to retrace our steps.

Further on we passed by a rather scenic route, one that had a distinct S- shape from ahead. The ground was patched on the sides with brown leaves, the morning sun was giving a soft glow to the foliage. I just felt it was a great moment to capture each one’s shot. I was quite pleased with the shot I got of Ze. I think the photo perfectly captured the joy of the present and the wonderful journey that lay ahead. In fact Ze made it his profile pic a week after our walk.

One of my favourite shots of the walk

We stopped by for coffee, our last breakfast together. I cannot recall exactly the details that transpired during our breakfast, but I remember getting a good shot of Kacha while she was enjoying her morning cup.

Kacha enjoying her morning cup

Six kilometers to go

The view on the last stretch of the walk was not as lovely as that of the previous days. This is expected as we were headed to an urban area.

A few kilometers before the final stop, Kacha opened up regarding her reason why she made the Camino. How I wish she had opened up a day earlier. It would have been an interesting topic to talk along the walk. Out of respect for her privacy I would leave out the details.

Suffice to say, each person has a different reason why he does the Camino. Some do it for the physical challenge. Others do it for the religious experience. Still others do it as a form of personal meditation, taking the time off to ponder upon personal issues. Perhaps the change of setting can clear out these things. In hindsight I think I did the walk both as a personal challenge and a form of therapy.

I thought it was a bit anticlimactic when reached the Cathedral of the Santiago De Compostela. I was expecting a feeling of jubilation upon entering the gates of the final stop. Like I would be hearing angel voices or perhaps like I would be having goose bumps.

But instead I felt numb. Maybe because the view was not as grandiose as I expected because the church was being renovated. I thought the scaffolding in front was an eyesore. Or maybe I built myself a shield because I didn’t want to feel so much sadness when we have to part ways.

Congratulatory hugs to everyone

Group shot at Santiago De Compostela Cathedral entrance

Santiago De Compostela Cathedral

Upon reaching the square in front of the cathedral we gave each other hugs and shook hands. We got our certificates in no time. We said goodbye to Kacha who was staying at Santiago for 3 more nights. We promised to stay in touch with one another. She gave us a final wave and disappeared among the crowd.

We started heading to the bus station 10 minutes before 2’oclock.  We learned the hard way that the bus station was rather quite far from the center. We were hoping to catch the 2 pm bus to Vigo but missed it by a mere minute. Actually Chico hurt his hand in his rush to catch the bus for us. We had to wait in the station for 2 hours for the next trip.

We took the 7 pm bus to Porto from Vigo. If it was any consolation even if we had taken the earlier bus from Santiago we would have left at the same time from Vigo because the 7 pm bus was the only trip to Porto that day.

Ze’s family dropped off at Braga. Ze and I were to continue to Porto but Chico was staying behind.

Chico gave me a salute as his farewell gesture.  I would like to remember the last part of my Camino Portugues with this scene.  

Farewell shot of Chico

I was a bit sad when this scene first flashed before me, but now as I look at the shot again, it made me smile. It reminded me of the bond that was formed among us during our Camino de Santiago. A bond that will stay with us forever.