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<P>Thanks for all the information, Kerrie. I shall be on the Camino by mid-September. All the best.<BR><BR></P></DIV><BR><BR><BR>
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<DIV><STRONG><EM>Antonio Carlos da Silva Rosa </EM></STRONG></DIV><STRONG><EM>Lisboa-Portugal</EM></STRONG>
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<DIV><A href="mailto:antonio_silva1ahotmail.com"><STRONG>antonio_silva1ahotmail.com</STRONG></A></DIV>
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<DIV></DIV>>From: Kerrie Littlejohn <KERRIELITTLEJOHNaHOTMAIL.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage <GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>
<DIV></DIV>>To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: in santiago
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 05:35:39 -0700
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>hello,
<DIV></DIV>>i have arrived in santiago and as i said i will write about the
<DIV></DIV>>conditions
<DIV></DIV>>in galicia. no matter what i write there will be someone who
<DIV></DIV>>disagrees with
<DIV></DIV>>me and their experiences on the camino were different than mine and
<DIV></DIV>>they may
<DIV></DIV>>tell you the opposite of anything i have to say.
<DIV></DIV>>i would not recommend bringing a tent unless you plan to sleep
<DIV></DIV>>outside. i
<DIV></DIV>>walked the camino from roncesvalles to santiago the entire month of
<DIV></DIV>>july and
<DIV></DIV>>never was without a place to sleep if i wanted one. some people did
<DIV></DIV>>have to
<DIV></DIV>>sleep on the floor in the albergue, but they did have a place to
<DIV></DIV>>sleep.
<DIV></DIV>>there are also hostals or pensions or other places you can stay. and
<DIV></DIV>>i even
<DIV></DIV>>arrived many days well after 2 or 3 sometimes even at 7.30 or 8pm.
<DIV></DIV>>you could
<DIV></DIV>>say i was lucky, but i think that stressing about finding a place to
<DIV></DIV>>stay
<DIV></DIV>>will ruin your camino. on a few occasions when i walked shorter
<DIV></DIV>>distances
<DIV></DIV>>and got to the albergue i did notice that there was a line pilgrims
<DIV></DIV>>had
<DIV></DIV>>formed. i think it is sad to say that there were lines to get into
<DIV></DIV>>the
<DIV></DIV>>albergue, but that was the way it was.
<DIV></DIV>>if you are thinking of doing only a short section of the camino,
<DIV></DIV>>like a few
<DIV></DIV>>hundred km then i would recommend walking the early stages of the
<DIV></DIV>>camino
<DIV></DIV>>frances. i will not say the beginning because there is no real
<DIV></DIV>>beginning.
<DIV></DIV>>the closer you get to galicia the more the camino changes and not
<DIV></DIV>>just the
<DIV></DIV>>nature. in galicia there are many more pilgrims many in large groups
<DIV></DIV>>or
<DIV></DIV>>families. i think it is wonderful everyone gets to walk the camino
<DIV></DIV>>who wants
<DIV></DIV>>to, but it felt like there was much less of a community between the
<DIV></DIV>>pilgrims. as opposed to walking from the pyrennes when everyone is
<DIV></DIV>>alone and
<DIV></DIV>>needs to reach out and rely on other people, the community
<DIV></DIV>>experience is
<DIV></DIV>>much stronger.
<DIV></DIV>>i had no problem with water from fountains and never bought bottled
<DIV></DIV>>water. i
<DIV></DIV>>never heard from any other pilgrims that they had drunk bad water
<DIV></DIV>>neither.
<DIV></DIV>>if you are concerned about the water ask a local or buy some bottled
<DIV></DIV>>water,
<DIV></DIV>>even fill up your bottle in a bar. i would recommend having
<DIV></DIV>>something like a
<DIV></DIV>>platypus with a drinking tube or a camelbak. i had one and it was
<DIV></DIV>>wonderful.
<DIV></DIV>>so many people said they wished they had one too. a platypus is very
<DIV></DIV>>light
<DIV></DIV>>and strong and was wonderful.
<DIV></DIV>>i never had any problems with dogs, however i was smart and stayed
<DIV></DIV>>away from
<DIV></DIV>>them. i did hear of one woman who was bitten by a dog, but that was
<DIV></DIV>>all.
<DIV></DIV>>as for men i did have one experience, you could say a flasher, but
<DIV></DIV>>he did a
<DIV></DIV>>bit more than just flash. i did talk with many other young females
<DIV></DIV>>and they
<DIV></DIV>>had similar stories of men driving up to them in cars and the men
<DIV></DIV>>were half
<DIV></DIV>>naked (the bottom half) and i also talked to a girl who on two
<DIV></DIV>>occasions had
<DIV></DIV>>a man run up to her on the camino and grab her and grope her. both
<DIV></DIV>>times she
<DIV></DIV>>was walking with another girl. i love walking by myself and was not
<DIV></DIV>>afraid
<DIV></DIV>>to. there was almost always another pilgrim not too far away either
<DIV></DIV>>in front
<DIV></DIV>>or behind me. however, walking with at least one other person is
<DIV></DIV>>safer. i
<DIV></DIV>>donīt want to make anyone concerned, my first time walking the
<DIV></DIV>>camino i
<DIV></DIV>>never saw nor heard of anything like this, but this time the
<DIV></DIV>>variables were
<DIV></DIV>>different. there are perverts everywhere you just have to be
<DIV></DIV>>careful.
<DIV></DIV>>i also recommend that you be very careful with your valuables. in
<DIV></DIV>>the
<DIV></DIV>>albergues and in the cities. i have meet people who have had their
<DIV></DIV>>backpacks
<DIV></DIV>>stolen and just their wallets and cameras from the backpacks. in the
<DIV></DIV>>middle
<DIV></DIV>>of the day in the albergue while they were eating and from the
<DIV></DIV>>luggage area
<DIV></DIV>>on the buses, or from the albergue when they were sleeping at night.
<DIV></DIV>> just
<DIV></DIV>>keep your valuables with you at all times or have a friend watch
<DIV></DIV>>them. i
<DIV></DIV>>never had any problems, but it happens and you decide whether or not
<DIV></DIV>>you
<DIV></DIV>>want to take the chance of getting something stolen.
<DIV></DIV>>i would also recommend walking to finisterre and visiting the
<DIV></DIV>>lighthouse. i
<DIV></DIV>>did not have time to walk there but i went on the bus and some
<DIV></DIV>>friends of
<DIV></DIV>>mine who i met there said the walk was one of the most beautiful of
<DIV></DIV>>the
<DIV></DIV>>entire camino.
<DIV></DIV>>many people also walked in sandals like tevas or chacos or a similar
<DIV></DIV>>sport
<DIV></DIV>>sandal. i did not, but is seemed to work well for many.
<DIV></DIV>>iīm not sure what else i can tell you. whether or not you read this
<DIV></DIV>>i hope
<DIV></DIV>>it was of some help to some people and that you have a wonderful
<DIV></DIV>>camino. i
<DIV></DIV>>am already planning my next camino. or actually i just know that i
<DIV></DIV>>want to
<DIV></DIV>>go again, but will end up buying a ticket a month or two before i am
<DIV></DIV>>ready
<DIV></DIV>>and just leave on the spur of the moment which i think is a great
<DIV></DIV>>way to do
<DIV></DIV>>it for some people. if you have anymore questions i will try to
<DIV></DIV>>answer them
<DIV></DIV>>the best i can.
<DIV></DIV>>buen camino, kerrie
<DIV></DIV>>
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