Monday, October 28, 2013

The Crazy Keroracs of the Camino

It is day 11 and I´m in Burgos. The blisters have morphed into snake skin. My random collection of tweaks, tingles and aches are just another roadside attraction. I try to listen to my body´s whispewrs to avoid screams later on. Many perigrinos have had to drop out because joints turned to jello. I´ve settled down to a steady 25k a day, my 20lb pack is not a problem, although it couls be 5lb lighter if i had the latest adventure wear - that said, nobody dies when you shop at the Sally Ann.
We are like Kerorac´s dhrama bums, meeting up each evening at the next water hole. There was Polish Peter with his 30kilo pack - I told him there are no luggage racks on a hearse, he then served me hot coffee from his pack along with chunk of chocolate. John, the sound engineer from Toronto, Sabrina who has walked from Germany, a 73 year old frenchman whoes has already clocked 3800km  this year, a 14 year old Korean girl striding along with her dad. All the wonderful untidiness of humanity stompin´along with a little help from tinto and tynanol.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Ballykissangel Country

The Camino could be Ballykissangel country if I wasn´t so totally knackered - ´girls, drink, feck it´as Father Ted would say. I went mad today and hooved 40k over nine hours. The last part refers to the blisters, usually I stomp them into submission by mid-morning, we´ll see tomorrow. Fortunately I have been practicing DIY medicine for years, specializing in pocket knief and duct tape procedures. I´m four days east of Burgos, it´s the end of the first week and 200km are in the dust.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Snake in a Bamboo Pole

On the Camino travel is like being a snake confined to a bamboo pole. i stay on the ttrail following the yellow arrows and scallop shells up and down hills, similarily, I have to resist the tempation to go mad and walk all day. The Roman legions rested every fourth day to allow the body to recover. I walk until noon and then kill an afternoon at a side walk cafe with a bottle of Rioja. Aches disappear with the morning mist. Along an empty stretch I got an earworm and relief until myself and fellow perigrinos belting out the Blues brother´s Ghost Riders in the Sky to the rows of grape vines - a mighty herd of red eyed cows a plowin´thru the sky´etc.
I´m haf a day east of Logrono and today´s alberque is a 12th century gothic church fortruss.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Sauntering to Santiago

I had no idea walking was so easy or so much fun. It´s day four and I covered 120km, I went mad yesturday and did 40km, now nursing blisters. Stripped gear down to bare essentials - chopped sleeves off polar fleese and ditched second pair of underwear - ´some folks got more underwear than notches on a gun. I know better than that. A man only needs one. One good pair, it ain´t much, it ain´t much, it´s just every little thing.´ ( with a nod to Janis Joplin).
The first hour or so is a walk in the dark under a harvest moon, later come the cafe and beer stops. In the evening it´s a free-rolling dinner and chat with fellow perigrinos.