I am an idiot

I woke up today and realized I am an idiot. Why did I think I could walk this Camino alone in March?  I thought I did my homework-well let’s call it “Tamaras Way” which pretty much means winging it and not paying attention to details. Not making too many plans or thinking it through. I have lived in Latin America too long now and am too laid back about almost everything.

Recently my son in Nashville laid down some boundaries after I showed up one evening flying in from Honduras. “Mom” he said “Just what are your plans?” “You have no place to live, you travel from here to there and we never know when you will show up and worse when you will leave.” He has grown from a carefree teen to a responsible young adult and his mother is reverting backwards to the carefree 18-year-old.  

But then it is fun being a carefree 18-year-old again – no job, no responsibilities of a home or children or school. Just travel and crash when I find a place.

Getting back to being an idiot. My advice to any future pilgrims thinking of walking the Camino – Don’t walk it in March!!! It is cold, windy and rains. They say June is the most popular time but the most crowded. April and May look good but you still may get some rain.

Don’t travel the English Route. It may be short in kilometers but it is all up hill and I mean some places are almost a 90-degree angle. The French Route is the longest but I understand it is the smoothest. I did not realize there are several routes and you can pick them up at any place along the way.

Plan your day. I thought I would walk 15 miles a day and only got in 8 today because of the hill climbing. Thank goodness I stopped at the first town to rest. But then the hotel did not have any clean rooms and I was almost turned away since I made no reservations.

OK enough whining and on to a few positive things. I ran into two other “peligrinos” they call us pilgrims here in Spain.  A 51 -year-old woman and her 71-year- old aunt. They planned every detail of the trip down to the hour and had back up plans as well.  So, I latched on to them, otherwise I would still be sitting on the side of some road crying and lost. Sadly, as of today we have been the only three on the road. I did not want to walk with a large crowd but I did not want to be so alone on the road either.

The younger woman has walked the Camino 2 other times. She knew all the ins and outs. For example, they have a service that comes and picks up your backpack and drops them off at the next hotel or hostel you are staying at.  Of course, one must plan the day and where you might stay so you can make reservations- something I did not do. The younger woman also has all the apps to tell us when we will hit the next town for a coffee and shows the inclines and declines of the journey. I am going to stick with them for a few days until I “learn” all the ropes.

The Camino is well marked with the yellow scallop on a blue background, but every now and then at a “Y” in the road it can be just a little confusing, then you look for a spray painted yellow arrow.

The message of the Camino is that any one can do it. No matter how old or what health problems you have. You must just keep moving at any pace and you will get to where you are going. People everywhere seem to welcome the “pilgrim” and are eager to help. There is no shame in walking slow or riding a few miles to rest up, it is not a contest about who suffers the most. There is no better or best way to walk this road. I am just grateful each day that I am still moving in the right direction.

“I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find the perfect travel experience or the perfect meal without a willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, and I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary.” Anthony Bourdain