A wordless journal - Zubiri to Alto del Perdon

A wordless journal - St Jean Pied du Port to Zubiri.

September 2013

The journey continues!

St Jean Pied du Port - September 2013

It is now just over two months since I arrived in Santiago for the second time. When I decided to walk the Camino for the first time I could never have thought that I would be back just over a year later, this time leading a group of pilgrims on a journey that would touch my heart in a truly special way.

I remember the contrasting thoughts that went through my head the first time I walked all the way from St Jean Pied du Port. When the blisters on my feet turned every step into a painful challenge, I couldn't imagine myself ever repeating the experience. Yet, the very next day when I walked through the most beautiful places you could imagine, I knew that, God willing, I would return.

Little did I know that the plan for my life included not just returning to the Camino on my own, but with a group of people, all filled with expectations and exhilaration. So it happened then, that on the 9th of September this year, I led a merry band of pilgrims across the Pyrenees on a journey that would last us three weeks, taking us across the countryside of Spain and ending in Santiago de Compostela on the 29th of September.

Once again the journey was special beyond words. We encountered angels along the way, we made new friends and we included strangers at many a dinner table, thus experiencing the true meaning of compassion and friendship. We were able to laugh and cry with fellow pilgrims and most of all, we were able to celebrate life in a way that is not always possible when we are caught up in our busy routines back home. 

I continue to marvel at how God works in our lives. The many years of working as a tour guide in my own country equipped me in many ways to undertake this very special task. My solo walk of five weeks a year ago ensured that I was familiar with life as a pilgrim and as we walked from town to town I felt as if I had been there the day before. Finding actual stones on the ground that I had photographed the year before made me feel as if I truly belonged on those ancient paths, it was as if I had a built-in compass leading me along the way!

I will never forget the many special moments that I was privileged to spend with the members of this little group of pilgrims who came from all over the world. Walking into Santiago as a group, many of us in tears and hugging each one of them in the square in front of the majestic cathedral that marks the end of the journey for many people, was an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

When I started blogging about the Camino many months before, I said that from the moment I heard of this journey, I knew I was going to do it. Little did I know what an integral part of my life it would become. Back home I am now responsible for putting together the 'Amigos' magazine, the publication produced by the Confraternity of St James in South Africa three times a year. My involvement ensures that I remain in touch with what happens on the Camino, I stay updated with developments at the Pilgrims Office in Santiago and as a bonus my network of Camino friends continues to grow.

It is a pleasure to publish their stories and share their enthusiasm - the Camino connection is as strong back home as it is when we meet fellow pilgrims on the road in Spain! I am grateful for our Confraternity, being involved in this way means that I have the opportunity to interact with people who share my passion for the Camino and in turn I am able to pass on my knowledge to those who are planning to walk for the first time.

Here is a link to the official website: http://www.csjofsa.za.org/.

Next year in May I am planning to walk from Seville to Santiago de Compostela. I would like to continue to raise awareness for the MSA community and this walk will be dedicated to exactly that. My friend Sonja, who has suffered from this illness since 2010, remains a shining light to all who know her and I am truly grateful to God for the angels he has brought into her life through our Camino connections.

You can follow Sonja's journey on her own blog: www.msainsouthafricawithsonja.blogspot.com.

Whenever I spend time visiting a church or attend a service on the Camino I envisage walking with a small group of pilgrims who would be walking the Camino purely as a pilgrimage, dedicating their time to meditating on the word of God. My last two experiences on the Camino provided many of these moments and walking with members of the group this September confirmed to me that this is what the Camino is really about for me. 

So in conclusion then - I know that my next journey has to be a solo walk and so it will be. As for my dream of taking a group on a pilgrimage with a very specific focus - that of drawing nearer to God and meditating on his Word, who knows? What often starts off as a whisper in my ear has the tendency to increase in volume until the only thing that is left for me to do is to respond. 

Why I love coffee shops...

On the Camino words aren't always necessary but a kind ear,
a place at a table and a cup of coffee will always be available -
I guarantee that!

It's been nine months since I arrived in Santiago. If I told you that not a day goes by that I do not think about my Camino experience, I would be a big fat liar. To call it a hostile takeover of my life would not be fair, as it has in fact been a gradual, peaceful but total invasion of my life.

 

I've had a light switched on inside of me that drives me in a new way. I don't always understand it, but I recognise it and it just feels very right. It fits.

 

I somehow absorb things with a different mindset and my focus has shifted to being much more aware of those around me and of how my actions impact on them. Hence the title of this piece - 'Why I love coffee shops.'

 

Coffee shops are places where you have the incredible privilege of sitting opposite someone, have them look you in the eye and actually talk to you. You can hear their voice, you experience their emotions and you can truly build and nurture friendships. You can laugh together, you can cry together, you can share good news and you can say goodbye with a hug. You can reach out and be heard. Your friendship can make a difference in a way that no written note can ever hope to do.

 

That is why I love coffee shops.

 

On the Camino I met a wonderful young man who would often take his place at a table in a coffee shop. He'd order something to drink and as pilgrims arrived, he would casually invite them to join him, often offering them something to drink. I was fascinated by his behaviour because without fail, he was surrounded by people, young and old, all eventually chatting to each other as if they'd known each other forever!

 

I noticed how even the most introverted young people ended up at his table. I knew instinctively that this young man had discovered the true spirit of the Camino. He had found the most precious gift that anyone could offer to another human being and that many religions consider to be one of the greatest virtues.

 

He had found the meaning of the word compassion.

 

My encyclopedia says the English noun compassion comes from Latin and means 'to suffer together with'. It goes on to say that compassion is the understanding or empathy for the suffering of others and the active desire to alleviate another's suffering.

 

Isn't that a key element of true and meaningful friendship? We all have things in our lives that cause us hurt and unhappiness at times but how often do we think about the fact that those around us may experience exactly the same, or worse? In fact, have you ever thought that your own actions might be causing a friend to hurt - that phone call that you've meant to make forever but are too 'busy' to make or that message that you receive but somehow just always leave on the 'to get back to' list and never actually answer?

I am guilty of this!

 

Seeing that young man living compassion as I witnessed him chatting to people along the Way for many weeks, made me feel so incredibly humble. It made me realise how important it is to shift the focus from myself and really listen to others. How important it is to identify and be aware of the needs of my friends.

 

How important it it is to pick up that telephone and let my voice be heard. To hear a voice on the other side respond. How important it is to get together across a table and share a cup of coffee. How important it is to care.

 

Our lives have been taken over by social media and I use many of these options every day. But today I am reminding you as I am myself, that writing a whatsapp message, sending an e-mail or a facebook note can never take the place of a coffee shop date! Never.

 

The Camino has a lovely way of teaching one important lessons. I sometimes needed to hear something more than once to actually get it. Lessons regarding the importance of compassion and living life as a compassionate human being came to me in many forms. In my next post I will tell you about a powerful sermon that lasted about an hour and kept me captivated, even though I understood exactly one word!

 

Make that call today and have a cup of coffee with a friend. Put the same amount of sugar in your cup as you've always done, but this time, add a huge measure of compassion!

 

I started my walk in Spain with one friend at my side. I arrived in Santiago having met people who have added immeasurable value to my life. A new family of friends with whom I will stay connected to for a very long time. We found and shared that one very great gift that a pilgrimage blesses you with. We discovered how to be compassionate human beings. 

 

 



Packing for the Camino

Before embarking on my big walk in Spain I researched just about every possible aspect of the journey. Equipment, accommodation, food, first aid requirements, simcards, essential Spanish words and phrases - you name it, I read up about it. Now, almost five months after my arrival in Santiago, I can tell you that even though the basic requirements are the same for everyone, you will have to tailormake your packing list to your very own needs!

 

Let's face it - this guy and his owner obviously had very different packing requirements than I did!

 

 

I encountered this lucky pooch on the square in front of the cathedral in Santiago. I'll admit that I stopped for a rest  in a wheelbarrow en route as well but I wasn't lucky enough to have someone offer to push it for me!

 

 

So, back to the packing. My 35l backpack was definitely big enough. My problem was that I stuffed too many things in there! All the sites I visited suggested that one's pack should weigh about 10% of your body weight. For me that amounted to about 6kg. In reality, I arrived in Spain with a bag that weighed about 12kg.

 

What can I say? I'm a woman. I don't know how to pack. I'll admit it. If there's a twelve step plan for recovering over-packers, I probably need to sign up! The turning point for me came when my blistered feet simply could not deal with all that weight on my back anymore.

 

At some point I had to take stock. I packed everything out on my bed one evening and decided to take out what I really could live without. That's how it came about that I had a little green parcel waiting for me in my hotel room in Santiago when I arrived there on the 11th of July. A gift weighing almost 3kg, sent by myself, with love, to myself. And if I have to be really honest, I probably could have added more to the little box that I sealed with such a heavy heart in the tiny post office in Navarette!

 

 

 

I didn't need a second pair of sandals, nor did I need extra cream, suntan lotion or a make-up bag filled with little bits and pieces that I never touched at all! I certainly could do without extra notebooks, pens and my beloved little travel pillow! And even though the heart shaped stone that I picked up along the way was very dear to me, I had to take the chance that it would arrive safely in Santiago, as that extra weight was wearing me down!

 

So this is what my bag eventually looked like - weighing 9kg. Less than what I started with but I have vowed that the most my bag will ever weigh again is 7kg. If I can manage with less than that - even better!

 

 

It can't be stressed enough that your backpack should weigh as little as possible. You have to keep in mind that you are literally carrying it for 800km. You will be walking in a country that has pharmacies and grocery stores. Trust me  - any items that you might have forgotten at home WILL be available in one of the shops! And even if you can't find it, the general sense of caring that prevails on the Camino that you hear people talking about, really exists. I had people hand me creams, plasters, books, telephones (when mine wouldn't connect), food, water - you name it! Nothing ever had price tags on and these things were always offered with kindness and with no expectations of receiving anything in return.

 

 

The picture above illustrates how you can use any available space to store things in - an upside down croc makes a good spot to put something in that you would like to reach easily - no need to open zippers and spend valuable time searching for it in the backpack!

 

 

One of the best packing tips I can share with you if you are planning to walk for the first time is to pack everything in seperate sealable plastic bags. This way everything stays organised and dry, should your pack get wet. I was caught in unexpected downpours many a time and had to scramble to cover the backpack. The last thing you want to deal with is wet clothing.  In Galicia it was wet for days on end and getting just the normal washing to dry was a challenge. Remember that you won't have much of a relief backup wardrobe in that precious bag!

 

What you see above is the contents of my backpack spread out on my bed during one of my repacking sessions! Luckily these become less frequent as the days go by as you soon get to learn where everything is. Develop a system very quickly and STICK to it! That way you don't have to unpack the entire bag everytime you are looking for something.

 

I have to confess that in the beginning I suspected someone of helping himself to the contents of my pack. I was really angry and could not believe that someone walking the Camino could take something from a fellow pilgrim. I still hang my head in shame when I think of the day - probably about two weeks after the item went missing - when I discovered it again. Packed safely, by myself, in the little side pocket on the inside of my pack.

 

As these things happened to me I took time to digest and soon realised that I was being taught valuable lessons! Lessons about life, about trusting people, about not always casting first impressions in stone, about honesty, about humility - this list is probably longer than any packing list could be!

 

 

The little pack above was an example of a gift given to me on the Camino. By the time I got to Granon my feet were really hurting and carrying my heavy pack was definitely not helping. This lightweight daypack was inexpensive but folded up in a little square and the pilgrim who so generously gave it to me had two other packs. Having this light bag meant that I

could send my heavier pack to the next destination with a courier company and for at least one day I could walk with what I needed for that day only. This basically meant lunch, water, first aid goodies and a lightweight rain jacket. It made life on the road so much easier when my feet were really blistered - I made use of this company for four of the 35 days that I walked.

 

There are many courier companies en route and the one that I used, Jacotrans, did a great job. The cost was either 6 or 7euros per time, depending on the route.

 

As you will know by now from my previous posts, I did not do much cooking for myself. Those who preferred preparing their own meals however, often complained that they battled to find all the utensils that they needed in the albergues. My friend Eddie insists that these two pieces of gold that he is holding up in the picture below were essential and as he is one of the best cooks I know, I'll put that on my list if I ever choose to cook for myself in future whilst on the Camino.

 

 

As for the basic packing list for the camino - if you google those key words you will find pages full of suggestions on as many sites, so I won't list every single item here.

 

The following are things that I will never travel without again and they will be packed before anything else when I set of on my next Camino adventure in 2013.

 

- A s-shaped iron hook. This can be bought at one of the many stores stocking Camino goodies in St Jean or you'd probably find it at most hardware stores. This works great in the showers where there are no hooks - I used mine all the time. I always had a little (sealable) bag with my valuables, a toiletry bag and my towel with me when I went to shower so the s-hook came in handy, even if there was a hook, I could always use another!

 

- A pair of crocs. If you are unfortunate enough to get blisters, these are invaluable. I walked more than 30km in them one day, they were real lifesavers when I could not get my feet in my

walking shoes.

 

- Friars Balsem. Inexpensive and available at pharmacies - the BEST medicine for treating blisters. It stings like anything when you apply it but it dries up the blisters quicker than anything I know.

 

- A pen with ink that won't run if your notebook gets wet. This happened to me and some of my notes are somewhat smudged now.

 

- A lightweight headlamp with good quality, long lasting batteries. Essential for going to the bathroom in the dark and reading at night.

 

- Safety pins. Take a few different sizes, I found a whole host of uses for them and was able to hand them out as people needed it to repair things, secure bandages etc. 

 

- A needle and thread. To repair things but also to thread through blisters. ESSENTIAL!

 

- A lighter. To burn the needle in case you have to use it on blisters.

 

- A watch. It helps to have something to tell the time by, especially if you're walking long stretches in the countryside.

 

- A good water bottle - look for something that can keep fluids cold for as long as possible - when walking on the meseta where distances are long and shade scarce, such a bottle is worth gold.

 

- At least 6 pairs of socks. 3 Thinner inners and three outers. As wonderful as 1000 mile socks are, they take long to dry, so I won't take them again.

 

- A Spanish simcard. Try and get this before you start walking as it took me about a week before I actually found an open Vodafone shop. Shops open late and often close for lunch, so I had to wait until my walking schedule coincided with that of an open shop! Not all villages have Vodafone shops, so that made it a challenge. I had a Samsung Galaxy and as it was still under guarantee, I was told by the supplier that in order for the guarantee to remain valid, I was not allowed to put a simcard of any company other than Vodafone in the device. Also, make sure that your phone is able to connect to wifi as there are many cafes and bars offering free 'wee-fee' along the route - even in the smallest villages! I really appreciated that as it meant that I could connect with my family - for free! I highly suggest that you load Skype on your phone and link up with your friends or family who are following your journey at home. When I was finally able to get that sorted on my phone it was one of the highlights of my trip - not only speaking to them, but actually being able to see them as well was such a treat! A site such as www.voibuster.com allows you to make free calls from a pc - I spoke to my family in South Africa for ages at a little cafe one day - the owner very kindly made the offer and I gladly accepted!

 

- Small locks. I just always felt it was a safe and sensible option to lock my backpack when I had to leave it in an albergue, guest house or hotel.

 

- A lightweight sleeping bag is essential as far as I'm concerned. I loved being able to sleep in my own bag, whether they had blankets or not. In hotels or guest houses I would use the sheets etc. provided, but in albergues I preferred my own sleeping bag by far!

 

- A good quality, lightweight rain jacket with hood is a must have! I loved the one I bought at home and I know it will travel with me for many years. Make sure that it is windproof - that really helped me in a storm that we were caught in whilst crossing the Pyrenees. There is a difference between 'wind resistant' and 'windproof'!

 

These are some of the main things that come to mind right now, as I think of more items I will certainly mention them in future posts. 

 

In summary, looking at this next photograph, I have to wonder if I'm not meant to walk my next Camino with a donkey as companion. Not only will I be able to hitch a ride if my feet play up, I will be able to pack for all occassions...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camino angels

From the very first moment that I decided to walk the Camino, I knew that this journey was going to be unlike anything that I had ever experienced before. Instinctively I knew that I was going to be taught many lessons, that I was going to have to walk with an open heart and that having a teachable spirit was going to be essential.

 

I had asked for God's blessings and I knew that John Brierley's wonderful guidebook was going to be a mere tool, the directions that I truly needed to guide me on the correct way would be provided in a very different form!

 

Right from the start, certain verses in the Bible jumped out at me. One of the very first verses that I was unmistakably drawn to was Hebrews 13:1-2:

 

 "Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

 

These words made such an impression on me that I put it on the blog as a permanent element.

 

Today, four months after I arrived in Santiago after having walked for 35 days, I found myself giving thanks for the numerous angels who walked with me, laughed with me, guided and protected me, cried with me, sheltered and fed me.

 

I give thanks to a faithful God who truly keeps His word!

 

So today I'd like to give specific thanks to the angels who...

 

...spoke to me in a language that I could understand

 

 

 

...offered a service that enabled me to continue walking - Jacotrans transports your pack to your next destination if you need to walk with a lighter day pack. They came to my rescue four of the thirty five days when I couldn't get my blistered feet in my shoes and had to walk wearing my crocs. Having a lighter day pack on my shoulders enabled me to carry on walking. I promise I didn't write the above but I certainly agree!!

 

...doctored my feet, unselfishly sharing their own medication and bandages...

 

...offered me safe places to sleep, sometimes without even expecting to be paid...

 

...offered me the use of their computers to contact my family, free of charge...

 

...blessed my life with their warmth and love, translating for me when my Spanish was not good enough and made me laugh until the tears ran down my face...

 

...took the time to make these little gifts to hand to weary pilgrims as they checked in to the quaintest little albergue...

 

...brought this precious medicine all the way from South Africa so that I could treat my blisters...

 

...offered to feed the hungry and expected nothing in return...

 

..saw me taking pictures of this cross in the sky and then offered to take a picture with me in it...

 

...decided to turn a tired old geyser into something that made me stop and smile...

 

..made me this wonderful salad on a day that I was hot, hungry and tired to the bone...

 

...planted these trees next to the road, therefore providing a shady spot in the middle of nowhere...

 

...stopped next to me and handed me this ice cold bottle of water through a car window on a day when a heatwave made it almost impossible to walk...

 

...decided to put this table up under a tree, again in the middle of nowhere, thus providing a place where pilgrims can have their meals...

 

...gave me ice to ease weary, aching muscles...

 

...who picked me this St John's Wort and made an infusion for me to drink to ease my hay fever induced migraine...

 

...provided cooked eggs so that breakfast could be packed for the road...

 

 

...sang and played their instruments on the way so that others could bask in what I can only describe as angelic sounds...

 

...left gifts, not expecting anything in return...

 

...made me smile when the hills became steep...

 

...provided little stones to put at the foot of the Cruz de Ferro for those who didn't bring their own...

 

...made sure my eye caught this little gift hidden on a sidewalk in the middle of a busy city...

 

...took the time to paint this special sign - I know that each pilgrim reading this feels as if it was written for him or her exclusively!

 

And finally - the biggest thank you to...

 

...the countless angels who undertook the enormous task of painting thousands of yellow arrows across Spain. These arrows became so much more than just the route markers that ultimately led me to Santiago. They served to reassure me in so many ways. As long as I saw them, I knew I was following the correct route. I had the assurance that I was where I was supposed to be and that all was well. They assured that I reached my destination and I knew that once I had passed the very last one, I had to look out for them in a different form.

 

I continue to be guided every day of my life and I know now that my yellow arrows are to be found in the pages of my Bible, in the words of wise people who cross my path, in the stones that are scattered on my beach and in the innocence of  little children. I am richer in so many ways after this experience but most of all, I am thankful beyond words.