[Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones

Wed Aug 4 13:58:33 PDT 2010

I suppose if you "... cannot see the point in putting your family through such avoidable stress" and it "would make them suffer" if they did not hear from you, then you do need a phone.
Wikipedia says:

"Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father and mother). It becomes a disorder when theseparation reaction becomes strong enough to impair people's ability to conduct their day to day lives and relationships."
My dogs suffer  from the same condition.  Too bad they cannot use a phone to hear that I'm OK when I travel.
Howard Mendes, NYC

-----Original Message-----
From: deborah berman <dberman101 at hotmail.com>
To: rspenger at earthlink.net
Cc: gocamino at oakapple.net; ultreya at yahoogroups.com; santiagobis at yahoogroups.com; saintjames at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, Aug 4, 2010 4:33 pm
Subject: Re: [Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones

A cell phone is useful for making reservations. Some hostel owners will only 
hold your reservation until a certain hour---they ask you to call to reconfirm 
if you find you are running late. 
It is nice to think you can make this trip and only have minimal contact with 
the folks at home, but that simply is not the reality for some people. I cannot 
see the point in putting my family through such avoidable stress. This is not an 
excuse---they actually worry about me when I am away from home. For me, on 
pilgrimage, I couldn't have cared less about talking on the phone, but my family 
knew they could reach me if they needed to. This made my absence easier for them 
to bear, so was is a matter of being considerate of them. I send postcards too, 
Howard, but people do take comfort in modern convenience and my family wasn't on 
pilgrimage, so why make them suffer? Pilgrims need to remember that it isn't 
only "all about YOU." Besides, we aren't living in the 11th century. 
The Corte Inglés carries the cell phone brands sold in Spain. I bought one for 
20 Euros and found I could have the minutes topped off most anywhere--news 
kiosks, supermarkets, Movistar stores. In France, I just purchased a different 
SIM card. This way, you have a local number in the country where you are 
traveling. 

> From: rspenger at earthlink.net
> Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:57:38 -0700
> CC: gocamino at oakapple.net; ultreya at yahoogroups.com; saintjames at yahoogroups.com; 
santiagobis at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones
> 
> I'll repeat here my reply to Wilna:
> 
> Quote:
> I don't consider the use of a cell phone to be "fun." I would be using it to 
contact places of accommodation. The internet is rarely available in the little 
villages along the route - it is hardly a substitute for a telephone, especially 
in emergency situations. There may be great magic on a pilgrimage, but when you 
are 85yo and lost in a heavily wooded area, it is not all that wonderful. I 
don't exactly relish living moments such as that.
> Unquote
> 
> Of course that particular situation was not one where a cell phone would have 
been much help, but I  could have used it to let the gîte owner know that I 
might be quite late and to hold my reservation. 
> 
> In Spain, I never felt any urgent need to have a cell phone, but France was a 
different situation. In both countries, the public telephones are now inadequate 
and, in France, I found the internet to be laboriously slow, since the French 
keyboards are radically different from the QWERTY keyboards. Also, the internet 
is not much use for making reservations (a necessity in France), since many of 
the facilities do not use the internet.
> 
> Bob S.
> 
> 
> On Aug 4, 2010, at 11:32 AM, hme347 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Totally agree with Wilna.  Cell phones on the Camino are ANNOYING and 
unnecessary.  How did pilgrims manage so well for centuries of traveling without 
them?  Now they are considered by some as "indispensable" appendages everywhere 
you go, not just the Camino.  The excuses that people make to justify carrying 
them and using them are ridiculous. 
> 
> 
> They destroy the tranquility of the outdoors and are invariably intrusions 
indoors.  The argument that they are needed for "emergencies" is a stretch.  
Also, if you are so concerned about keeping in touch with loved ones back home, 
you can use the internet, as Wilna suggests, or write postcards.  That assumes 
that you can still remember what postcards look like and you know how to write. 
I'm sure nothing will deter those of you who love to blather on your "cell" 
everywhere you go.
> 
> 
> Howard Mendes, NYC
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wilna Wilkinson <twoxscotch at gmail.com>
> To: GASpangler at hotmail.com
> Cc: †GoCamino OakApple <gocamino at oakapple.net>; †Yahoo Ultreya 
<ultreya at yahoogroups.com>; †Yahoo Saint James <saintjames at yahoogroups.com>; 
†Yahoo Santiagobis <santiagobis at yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wed, Aug 4, 2010 12:28 pm
> Subject: Re: [Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones
> 
> 
> Better still, my fellow-pilgrims -- leave the phone at home and avail
> yourselves of the internet if and when the need arises to let people know
> you are still fine and find out if all is well with those you left behind --
> and to get those flights. Think about what you are bringing with you on the
> Camino by bringing your mobile phone. If you are just walking for fun, by
> all means -- bring your phones and ipods and why not bring your entire
> 'filofax' as well, but if you want to be able to live in the moment and
> experience the magic and the wonder of the pilgrimage, leave everything
> behind that will not enhance your experience.
> 
> Wilna Wilkinson
> 
> 
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