Stats, hiking with Mum and Lista Correos

So, what’s up Doc?

On the St James forum Rosina posted a comprehensive update on pilgrim stats for April and May. A similar, shorter post appeared on Santiagobis:

2006 2007 2008
Jan 314 350 306
Feb 351 666 703
Mar 1.093 1.680 5.327
Apr 7.438 8.112 5.655
May 9.992 12.898 15.98
19.188 23.706 27.974

NB: In 2007 they celebrated Holy Week (Easter) during the month of April, but this year it was in March. That is why they received 5327 pilgrims during the month of March this year compared with 1680 pilgrims received in March 2007

Well, the people over at Santiagobis are really bored. One posted the question:

“I've heard wonderful things about the "Yum Yum DODO" but don't know how to find it. Ideas?”

The temptation to offer an overlong, childish retort was too great for one of the moderators – who would not have been allowed such a flippant post a few months ago.

Ah yes! The great "Yum Yum Dodo" ! I'm old enough to remember it well. The Lesser Spotted Dodo was famed throughout the gastronomical world as the tastiest table bird ever. It's flesh, lightly roasted and surrounded by baked potatoes, peas, carrots and pumpkin, made a fabulous Sunday family dinner. It produced gravy that was the envy of the most sophisticated French Cordon Bleu chef. Accompained by a light and fruity white wine it became known as the "Yum Yum Dodo Sunday Roast". Unfortunately for the dodo this meal became so popular in the 1950's that the poor bird (which was very slow at the reproduction process) became extinct. As a result the chicken became popular and the turkey became the standard for big family dinners. But I digress. As regards the "Miao DODO".......... this is not a meal that I will touch upon, except to say that cat-lovers everywhere would rise up in horror at the thought of their feline friends 'sur la table', so to speak. My only comment is that most cats produce thin, stringy flesh that tastes slightly sour, even when sauteed in apricots and mushrooms. Never eat a tom. The smell will last for weeks.

And so on, and so on ……………….

Fortunately, someone who was not amused and did not even acknowledge the gastronomic garbage of the previous post, replied:

The Miam Miam Dodo guides are available from the Confraternity of St James bookshop. See this page of their website: http://www.csj.org.uk/acatalog/The_CSJ_Bookshop_Pilgrim_Guides_7.html

On the caminosantiago.com way_of_saint_james pilgrims_forum things have been somewhat busier – still with the occasional porn-post finding its way onto the forum.

There was a question about staying at Hunto.

The person who replied couldn’t make up their mind how to spell it so hedged their bets by using all possible spellings.

If you stay at Untto or Hunto (Huntto) the price you pay includes dinner and breakfast and you can buy a sandwich for lunch from them if you wish.

They still get the vague request for help such as this one:

I’m planning on taking my mum with me to do the camino santiago, we plan on doing it for about 7 to 10 days, and hopefully about 20 to 30 km a day, but I don't know how to start going about it. Any advice??

Well hellooo??? Which camino? What time of the year? How old is ‘my mum’? 30kms a day!!

This was the breathless, don’t pause for a comma, never heard of capital letter, response.

Hi, last year was my first time on the Camino-i looked up photos to see what sort of road -forest-mountain city-that i would be walking-you and your mum need to start training (walking) this is a must in my books-i dont like to ask the question but consider your mums age (i'm sure she is young) but not as young as you so take that on board-30k a day may be a bit much - you will be walking up mountains most every day PLEASE DONT OVER PACK there are shops in spain that will supply what you NEED dont wear new shoes break them in first-you may think this is scary info but its not like that-its just a bit of advice i overpacked last year and had to get rid of half the stuff-what felt quite light at first did become a burden a few days into my walking 10 persent of your own body weight is the recommended-watch what backback you use mine was heavy before puttong stuff in-i'm sure you will get lots more advice the pilgrims on this forum are one big Camino Family and will help you all they can - by the way you and your mum are goning to take a walk you will NEVER FORGET Buen Camino—

After three more replies regarding the camino frances, and a grateful thank you from the mother and daughter, some imposter with my name (scurvy scoundrel) throws a spanner in the works and suggests they walk the camino ingles.

Quiet on Grant’s site – with a few bouquets for The Man – who I must say has a brilliant website. A few members offered crash course Spanish phrases but Grant sent the link for his new, upgraded language page. I guess everyone is now busy trying to learn Spanish from the links he posted last week.

Uno, dos, tres, cuantro, cinco, seis ……..

Some people have never heard of Google. This guy asks:

A friend of mine walked part of the camino and started in Porto, now where is that? On which route is it?

If he pulled his finger out and keyed in the word Porto he would be 192,000,000 links for Porto.

The Pilgrimage-to-Santiago forum is by far the busiest, most up-to-date-ist forum out there at present.

Good old Bob has adopted the forum to post his last year’s daily blog posts. I’m surprised the moderators haven’t asked him to kindly provide a link to his own website so that those interested can read them if they wish.

But, this forum is very liberal and laid back when it comes to members’ posts. One veteran offers regular trivial pursuit info on everything from Hindu shrines to Austrian monks on the British hit parade, water expos and trains across the north of Spain.

This week there was a plug for Brandon Wilson’s latest book, dry bags, Ibofuren, drain plugs and tents from Wilikinson’s in the UK.

Then Gene McCullough of Denver, Colorado, aka webmaster for American Pilgrims, posted this rather disturbing up-date on the Lista Correos from a returning pilgrim:

I just returned from Spain, and wanted to provide some important information regarding mailing packages (lista de correos). I mailed a package from Pamplona to Santiago. I had read that the Santiago post office would hold the package for 30 days if you write perigrino on the box and your date of arrival. This not true. They will only hold the package for 15 days in Santiago, then they send it back to the other post office. So they sent my box back to Pamplona. I did not have much luck in trying to get it shipped back to Santiago, and only had a few days before my flight. Needless to say, my stuff is still in Pamplona. I met a pilgrim from Holland, and the same thing happened to her.

Someone asked if there was a timetable when the Botafumeiro is swung.

Ivar said: Next time I pass by the pilgrims office I will ask. (Watch this space)

And, a rather encouraging post from the road:

We´re having a great Camino so far. Weather has been wet, so bring that atmospheric poncho that Sil posted about and a hiking stick for all the mud. Albergues are not full, so relax. People were able to get a reservation at Orisson last Wednesday from SJPP. We went to Orisson from Bayonne and then on to Burguete. There is a nice private albergue there called Camping Urrobi which is part of a campground a long 2 km past Burguete. Four bunks to a room there for about E10, nice bathrooms with 4 sinks, 2 showers and 2 toilets in the ladies room- sorry, don´t know about the mens room. This was listed on the paper we picked up at the Office de Peregrinos in SJPP, otherwise would not have known about it. Also found a fantastic private albergue in Uterga for 10E. There were 16 bunks in it, new, very clean, very friendly and great food- ladies room had 2 sinks, a shower and toilet- again don´t know about the mens. There was only 1 other pilgrim there last night, so... I like to stay in the municiple albergues when we can for the Camino experience, but we are also looking for the quiet Camino and staging it the way we are, that is what we have found. Bottom line, there are many more albergues than the books tell us about so don´t panic about beds. If you want a quiet Camino, it is very possible- especially if you stay in the more obscure places!!!

Precipitation, pesticides and post-camino blues

Lets start with the pilgrims-to-santiago fourm:

Rain, rain and more rain
Over the weekend it has rained quite strong in north eastern Spain and several areas have had severe flooding. The Bilbao area seems to be hit the hardest, with several secondary roads closed. The mayor highways are reported to be open. The rain has stopped in Santiago after 23 days in a row with rain. In Santiago we got more rain this May than in the whole of 2007.

A guy asked about walking from Scotland (Why?)
He received this reply:
In 2005 I set out from home, Tynemouth, got the ferry to Amsterdam and walked south to Le Puy to pick up the GR65. I think Zeebruge is further west than Amsterdam so Le Puy wouldn't suit, but the Vezelay route is now marked all the way. Difficulty is that there are few gites d'etapes as you go through Belgium and northern France and not a lot on the Vezelay route. I didn't take a tent and so tended to walk on fairly major routes so as to hit the towns that appeared big enough to have a B+B - didn't always get it right.

Bed Bugs and fleas made it onto the forum again this week. (I actually started scratching just reading the posts!)

When I showed the hospitalero in Astorga evidence of bed bugs he said I must have brought them with me from Mararife and HE didnt have any bugs there. This was not true - my bed was COVERED in bugs and I would have noticed the weight if I was carrying so many! (WHAAATTT?? )

Having been badly bitten last year I was carrying spray to treat my bedding etc and lotion to soothe bites and I was able to give the poor chap some of both. He did not really understand the need to treat all his gear thoroughly and unfortunately I suspect he will have carried them further as he seemed to think I was making an unnecessary fuss when I tried to explain what he needed to do to be rid of them. I had the misfortune to be on the bunk above him and even earplugs could not drown out the noise of his incessant scratching!! I would advice everyone to take some kind of insecticide with them as I found it difficult to buy anything stronger than fly spray which really wont be strong enough to deal with bedbugs.

Santiagobis - was quiet again this week – just a few posts:

Someone looking for a hippie commune asked:

Why no artist communities along the Camino???

And the reply: We´re working on it. Wanna join up?
Rebekah Scott - www.moratinoslife.blogspot.com

And another asked if pilgrims returning along the way can stay in the albergues.

The succinct reply? YES

On the Via Francigena Forum

A cry from the wilderness:

Oh dear, more and more pilgrims; everyone kills the thing (s)he loves. It will get as bad as the Camino in ten years' time. Do it now or not at all.

Grant’s website:

This is an interesting one. (No-one has replied. Who is going to admit that they walked the camino with a go-as-you-please B&B back-up service? Nobody. Nadie)

Does anyone know of a company that offers 'Randonnée en liberté / Go as you please walking' on the Camino del Norte? (= you do the walking, they book the bed-and- breakfast for you).

Good post by the webmaster on his language courses:

Have you seen our Camino Language page? It currently shows 4 instructional audio 'CDs' for both Spanish and French. These files are available in both PC and Mac formats. You can save a file to your computer by right-clicking and 'save as .. ' . I'm working on streaming media players for these files and others. The first of the group that's now working are music media player.

http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/caminolanguage.msnw

The subject of vegetarians on the camino came up again.

http://www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm site

This vegetarian eats fish, cephalopods and eggs. Heloooo!! You are not a vegetarian.

Ask Yahoo: "If I am a vegetarian and I eat fish, am I still a vegetarian?
Answer: "No. Fish is an animal. Vegetarians do not eat animals.

I walked the Camino in 2005 and had no problems with meatless food, tough I did eat fish almost every evening. There was always at least a fish menu to choose from. Otherwise you can survive on starters (ensalada mixta, pasta, rice dishes) and postres (cakes). Sometimes I even got a specially prepared dish just for vegetarians (eg. in Tosantos).
Bocadillos with cheese and once a huge one with egg and cheese (in Arzua) are common, but also try different sandwiches with onion, spinach or cheese. I am not too sure about Galician pulpo (boiled octopus), we had problems with digestion afterwards.
I do very much recommend pilgrim menus. They are big, tasty and affordable.

Post Camino Syndrome: I walked the camino in the Spring of 2005 and when I got home at the end of May, I was like a fish out of water. I wanted to move away from my home on the west coast of Canada and just keep walking and experiencing life. Everything was big compared to Spain, big cars, big houses, lots of material stuff, big stores, a different reality. Now three years later, I still long to be on the camino. The emotional and physical pain that I experienced on the path, continues to be an inspiration in my life and I am living more in the moment. Trying to bring the Camino back to your life and community is a huge task. I cried a lot when I got back and I was ready to leave everything behind. It gets better with time. (Boo-hoo! I couldn't find a picture of a crying pilgrim so this one of a crying Paris will just have to do.)