<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>In a message dated 3/9/2002 4:09:23 AM Eastern Standard Time, denise1234aEARTHLINK.NET writes:<BR>
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<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Do the refuges feed you? or should I plan to take my meals in<BR>
restaurants?<BR>
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I only had meals prepared by the refugio in two isolated towns that had no decent restaurants or cafes. The food was about $4 a meal and not as good as a restaurant; some refugios have kitchens where people can cook communal meals if they like. The preponderance of the refugios are in towns or cities where you can get a variety of great meals for a relatively modest amount of money. <BR>
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One word of caution -- be prepared to plan your own breakfast and lunch a day ahead of time if you will be in a place without meals available at the time you decide to eat. You can buy yogurt (as Shirley MacLaine and I did), fruit, cheese, bread, juice, etc., in a supermercado that will keep a day or more. <BR>
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For emergencies I made my own granola bars and trail mix before I left home. I doubt that this added more than a few ounces to my backpack. What I did not eat or want to carry, I shared in the refuges or on the Camino with my new amigos. <BR>
Howard Mendes, NYC</FONT></HTML>