First today. It's Monday June the 3rd. I am awake early and have just started to pack when the first issue of the day is in front of me. Most of last nights laundry is not dry. Zip locks to the rescue. I will just deal with the problem at the end of today's journey.
I have plenty of Veep left. I think I should contact the Veep detergent company and ask about a US distribution deal. Just think. "Veep, the Camino Pilgrims Friend". It still needs work but I am close to finishing my work on the final logo. I can't share that with you, top secret.
I head to breakfast. It's 9:15. I get my coffee and order a ham and cheese sandwhich. Not a bocadillo. It's ok because that's all there is. I am nearly finished and Rainer joins me. Michele is staying at a different Hotel and has started early today on The Camino. He is walking with a few people from his Hotel. They all need to get to the same Albergue that I am staying in but not later than 4:00 pm or there rooms could be given away. I am prepaid so I can leave when I choose to. Thank You Sharel.
Rainer is skipping today's segment. It's long and he's done it twice before. He has told me several times its about his least favorite part of the Camino. I get it. In my eyes he can't do anything wrong. It's another blessing that I am walking the Camino with my own tour guide. I would carry his backpack if he asked me to. I will soon share with you another situation where one person carries another pilgrims backpack for more than 7 miles.
Remember Janet from Indiana? It's a repeat performance by Michele but its not Janet from Indiana.
Back to breakfast. As I am ordering my sandwich Fernando and Nelly are getting ready to leave. Fernando stops by the table to say Buenos Dias. I ask him how is foot is? We don't speak a word of each other's language but we seem to understand each other pretty well.
Nelly was busy paying for their breakfast and joins Fernando and immediately begins interpreting. As for Fernando's foot Nelly explains that ten years ago Fernando hurt his foot while working in the building trade. A tough business. I can only imagine how many other injuries he has had, its tough work.
I can say that because I worked as a laborer for two summers for a great man named Harry. I was a 17 year old junior in high school and my partner in completely botching up every task we were given was Mike, an 18 year old senior .
When I have told people about those two years I will laugh so hard while I do it that I will come close to breaking a rib. All you need to do is ask my brother Rick and his wife Jill to tell you what's it like to hear what Mike and I did.
Ever lose a dump truck? Poor cement on a wedding cake the day of the wedding? Have you ever cut down the wrong fifty trees? I could go on but this is not the time or place. Robin says I should write a book. I don't think so.
My point is I understand how Fernando could be injured in his line of work.
Back to the Camino stage 18. According to a number of guide books I have now taken more than 530,000 steps and have about 470,000 ahead of me. I am packed and ready to get started. I will be walking alone today and that's just fine.
I leave the Hotel at about 9:30. I need to get some hand cream because my hands are fried and
the passengers in my Limo's would also like some attention. There is a drug store on the way. I saw it last night. I hope it's open before 10:00.
It is open. I use some gestures with my hands and she understands. She then places three tubes of hand cream on the counter, I guess this is where I decide between doors one, two or three. I pick number two. She smiles which I think means she agrees with my choice. The hand cream cost is 8.90 Euro about $11.25 US. That's more than all but two of the bottles of red wine I had in the villages.
My next stop is the Camino shop. I am hoping that they will sell cheap sunglasses. The Camino shop in Pamplona did and I have not been able to find a replacement for the missing second pair. I really need them . Yesterday with the wind blowing and the sun light bouncing off the white trail my eyes are constantly dry or tearing. Today's walk conditions and length will be very tough on my eyes if I can't find glasses.
I am in luck! I see a rack of sunglasses in the rear. Well, it's a rack but there are only four choices. One pair is immediately eliminated because I know without even trying that they won't fit my Mellon. Another pair is yellow, I don't think so . Two remain to choose from . Anybody ever heard of Coco
Channel ? There they are. No, I can't do it. I want to so I can bring them home for Pat to wear when he walks the Camino in August but I select the only other pair. My eyes are saved !
Last stop before I get to the Camino. I need water and something to eat along the way. The guide book says there is not much available and water is in short supply so I must bring enough with me. That will mean a little extra weight. Two liters of water weighs about four pounds.
I go to the local market and just can't find anything to bring to eat along the way. I do get my water and I do pick up a couple of things for lunch.
Lunch today will be a combination of an orange, dark Swiss chocolate and a small bag of almonds. Yes, the Camino lunch. Perhaps when I return I can get Jaxier to put it on the menu in the Men's Grill.
The Camino lunch available at Dove, just in case it's cart path only and you have to actually walk to your ball.
With my new sunglasses, water and lunch I start my 17 mile hike.
The weather is good. It's cool and the wind is up but nothing like yesterday. The first two miles of the walk today is on or alongside paved roads. There isn't much traffic but whenever there is you pay attention. These people drive fast and the roads are not very wide. I always walk on the side of the road with traffic approaching me. If I can see them coming toward me I have a better chance if I need to get out of the way than if the problem is coming at me from the rear. I don't care which side of the road the Camino arrow is painted on.
Once I get to the trail I am already sweating and I need to get rid of my jacket. It's still cool but I have become use to this combination . I will also for the first time tie my poles to my backpack. They won't be needed today and it will be easier to walk without them.
The guide book was correct. It's flat, there is not much to see accept miles and miles of wheat and corn. In front the view is exactly the same for the next 15 miles. A light colored trail that is straight and just looks endless.
I am moving at a pace that has me passing many pilgrims. I catch up and pass Fernando and Nelly. They left at least an hour before me. Not long after I pass them I catch up with Michele, Emily, Anna , Emma and Bono. I will explain Bono later. I don't like him.
As I get closer I can see that something is wrong. Michele is carrying two backpacks. 
His own on his back and a second strapped to his chest. The second one belongs to Anna. Her left leg s badly swollen and she is using her poles like cains. From this location we are at least 7 miles from the only tiny village before the final stop.
His own on his back and a second strapped to his chest. The second one belongs to Anna. Her left leg s badly swollen and she is using her poles like cains. From this location we are at least 7 miles from the only tiny village before the final stop. I ask him if he wants to spread the weight of Anna's bag amoung all of us to make it a little better. He says no . Her bag is smaller and he feels balanced. Michele and I move on. There is no point in lagging back trying to walk at the pace needed for Anna. That would be worse.
We march on. We are making very good time actually passing quite a few pilgrims, some we know. Michele tell's me that Anna's leg is not the only issue, in fact it's the smaller issue she is dealing with. Anna's sister contacted her late last night to tell her that her Father died suddenly.
I thought when I saw her crying back on the trail it was the leg problem. I now understand what the real problem is. I assume she will fly back to Brazil as soon as possible but Michele tells me that Anna's sister has told her to complete the Camino. It's what her Father would want her to do.
We both agree on one thing. Anna must take a donkey service to the next hotel or in this case the Albergue where we are all staying. It's the only place to stay and from the village we are now quickly approaching its another six miles. Hopefully there will be some way to find her a ride. She can't walk much longer.
Michele and I arrive at the next, only and last village before the final destination. As we make a turn following the Camino markers there it is, a taxi. I never would have guessed that there would be any taxi service here. Michele finds the driver in the cafe and books the car before anyone else can. The cost to take Anna to the Albergur is 15 Euro. Cheap to say the least.
The group arrives but Anna is still lagging behind. She is struggling. Once she does arrive the cafe guy gives her a bag of ice for her leg and the driver is ready when she is. We sit for about thirty minutes and have what is a well deserved boccidillo. Once Anna and her backpack are loaded we all leave and soon thereafter we are in multiple groups. Pace, thats all that matters.
I am first to arrive and the Albergue is fairly new and clean. I get my room and go back to meet Rainer for a beer. Rainer has taken the donkey service and arrived a couple of hours ago. As we are having our beer he asks me if I will use the laundry service? Laundry service ? He explains.
At this Albergue you can have all of your laundry washed for 4 Euro. Sign me up! I am given a rubber bucket and told to just bring it back to the desk and they will handle it. I follow her instructions and bring back basically everything I have and just throw on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. Its really warmed up and the sun is out. It's a really nice day.
About an hour later as we are now all gathered in the cafe the woman I gave my laundry to walks up to our table and drops the rubber bucket next to me. It's my laundry . It's been washed but its all wet. At that moment I find out that now I need to take the wet clothes and go out back and hang them all on the clothesline . Everybody says they want a picture of me hanging my laundry! They all think it will be very funny, especially Fernado and Nelly.
I do go outside get the needed clothes pins and get started. Everyone can't wait and now the picture session begins. Yes I have a picture which will be sent to Robin.
Ok, now that that's been taken care of its time for dinner. I did think for just a second that perhaps I should find out where the laundry room is to see if they are using Veep. It would give me some valuable competitive info!
Ok, now that that's been taken care of its time for dinner. I did think for just a second that perhaps I should find out where the laundry room is to see if they are using Veep. It would give me some valuable competitive info! Dinner is not very good. It's not supposed to be , it's a pilgrim meal but once again the salad is very good, very fresh. I don't eat much of the main course pasta because its just not good. No problem, I'm not very hungry.
Rainer, Michele and I retire to the cafe- bar-reception desk. The owner, a very nice lady begins a conversation with Rainer as he checks out the small selection of wine on the counter. They chat and she leaves and returns with three bottles that are not on display. They are all Crienza quality. We each order a glass of the Rioja, its good and she is pleased that we approve. Rainer asks if she has any Reserva or Alta Rioja . She goes into the back room again and returns with a Casis 2006 Gran Reserva which was a Gold Medal winner in 2012. She is very proud of the wine and goes into great detail about how famous the wine is. Rainer asks her how much? She says it's not for sale. It's the only bottle she has. She turns to help other customers and while she is gone we huddle about the wine.
When she returns we make her a Godfather like offer. You know "an offer she can't refuse". She caves. It was worth every penny. I am sitting here tasting this really terrific wine waiting to go back outside to take my clothes off the clothesline. It's the Camino, it happens.
It's been a long day and tomorrow will be another 17 miles
, stage 19. But first as promised the final piece of the Ryan Hospital nightmare. It's good.
As I wrote in my last post Ryan was given what was needed to save him. He was fully recovered in less than forty eight hours. We are taking him home and one of the young Doctors tells me another good piece of news. The research they have shows that in all of the cases, about two thousand in the US, there has never been relapse, never.
The Doctors ask if we would be willing to bring Ryan back once a month so they can monitor his blood and generally his development for the next two years. Yale has never had another "Ryan" and getting to study him will be of great value in helping them and others better understand this disease . Never any hesitation.
Four nearly the next two years we take Ryan to Yale. I can only hope that the nightmare of that night has helped save just one other 3 year old.
That's it for now, I'm tired. I will leave Bono for tomorrow . Good night.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment