June 7, 2012 Back in Bangkok

With an early flight tomorrow morning for Los Angeles. With the dateline we depart Bangkok at 5:40 am on June 8 and we arrive in Los Angeles at 9:40 am on June 8! During the rest of our time in Kanchanaburi we took a Thai cooking class, went to the Tiger Temple, rode an elephant and rode on the infamous railroad. We went from Kanchanaburi to Chiang Mai in the north (temples and night market) and then down to Ao Nang near Krabi for the beach experience. And all too soon we are heading back home. Justin will have five days at home and then he heads to University of Michigan for a seven week debate camp. I return to Sitka on June 9. I will be there until June 28 when I head off to Chicago for volkswalks (capitals of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri) and to watch niece Moira dance in the Nationals for Irish Dance on July 6. What will I miss the most about Thailand? The food, especially the mango with sticky rice. The incredibly friendly people. Adventures riding in Tuk Tuk. And getting to hang out with my nephew who is an amazing young man.

May 28, 2012 Kanchanaburi

This being Memorial Day it was appropriate that Justin and I came to the site of The Bridge Over the River Kwai. I made him whistle the movie tune with me as we walked along the bridge although this is the steel bridge not the wooden one of the movie fame which used to sit 300 meters downstream. This would have been an amazing enough experience. But as we walked back to the town side of the bridge we were told to stay off the upstream side of the bridge. Safety issues? No. They were filming a movie! And suddenly we end up in a turnout and an older white guy with greying hair is walking towards us on the upstream side of the bridge carrying a shoulder bag and a small old suitcase with dated stickers on it for example the old American Airlines stickers. And then he stops at the turnout opposite us and gazes down at the water (or the bridge). He did this repeatedly. I asked the woman with the walkie talkie next to me who the actor was. She wouldn't tell me. She said to google the movie The Railway Man. I texted a friend in Alaska asking her to google it but of course she wasn't awake since it was two or three in the morning there. Hmmm, I thought, he looks familiar. Is he someone famous? I know, he looks like Colin Firth! But the actor was wearing huge thick glasses. And Colin Firth is supposed to be six feet tall and this guy doesn't look six feet tall. At one point he asked the director a question about the action and I could tell he had an English accent. After several walks to the turnout opposite us giving me a chance to see his face better I realized that yes this had to be Colin Firth. I told Justin that I thought it was Colin Firth. A guy with the crew standing behind Justin gave me a look that said "yes it is Colin Firth!" So we watched him walk to the turnout a few more times and then that scene was done. So we walked off the bridge and saw that the crew was setting up for another scene. We stuck around and watched them film Colin walk through a bunch of extras acting like tourists to the point where he walks out to the turnout on the bridge. When that scene was done we went to the restaurant next to the bridge for dinner and got to watch them film another scene where the camera is at the far side of the bridge and Colin walks the length of the bridge towards the camera.

May 26, 2012 Bangkok Day 1

I asked Justin what the highlights of the day were. He said 1) The food, 2) The reclining Buddha and 3) The river taxi. It was hot and humid and it was a great day. We rode the city bus, hired a tuk tuk (sp?), had a store employee insist that a company van drive us around and sent a junior clek with us so the junior clerk could practice her English, rode the river taxi to the central sky rail station and rode the sky rail back to our hostel. In between we went to see the Golden Buddha (the "Original" one not the touristy one), the Royal Lapidary Company, the temple of the emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace and the reclining Buddha. The junior sales clerk directed us to a restaurant near the Grand Palace complex where had lunch and dessert which was mango slices with sticky rice and coconut milk. Justin said this meal was the best food he has ever tasted. So despite the hot muggy weather we are off to a great start.

May 25/26, 2012 in Bangkok

From France to Thailand! I made it to Navarrenx on May 12. From there I went via train to Frankfurt then to Anchorage and back to Sitka. May 23 I flew to LAX (Los Angleles). Nephew Justin flew in the morning of the 24th and we flew together to Tokyo (11 hours) and then to Bangkok (6 hours). It is hot and humid here. A vast difference frm France and Alaska. In Alaska it is around 1030 am on Friday. Here in Bangkok it is around 135 am on Saturday. Neither of us got much sleep on the planes. Justin is already fast asleep and I hope to do likewise soon.

May 5, 2012 in Nogaro

In Nogaro, department of Gers. And suddenly I am alone! From three to five to two to three to one. Heike and Julien caught a bus to Agen this evening and from there they will take the TGV (bullet train) to Paris. Well, I thought, there is still Michael who is walking from Krakau all the way to Santiago. I will probably continue to see him until I drop off the route. Only he is on the same bus to Agen to go home for a short visit to his aged father. But there is still Wilhelm who was walking with Michael and Wilhelm walks for a few more days. And there are a number of French and German people who I have seen consistently for a few days and suddenly I come to rely on seeing them until I drop off the route. I have a schedule that gets me to Navarenx on May 12. That gives me the 13th to get back to Paris and the 14th to get from Paris to Frankfurt. My Condor flight is the morning of May 15. We had three days of sun. Some tracks were still muddy but nothing compared to before the rain stopped. We had a little rain today and more is predicted for tomorrow. And the next day! All for now. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

April 27, 2012 in Moissac

Julien and I are back in Moissac after two days off to visit friend Marie-Helene from my walk through France last year. And friend Heike from the walk through Spain last year has joined us for a week of walking. So now we are three again. And we start walking again tomorrow morning. We have a chambres d'hotes place to stay tomorrow night in Auvillar but are now having any luck lining up a place in Miradoux for Sunday night. Send good thoughts our way - because the next town is a good five km farther!

April 24, 2012 in Lauzerte

And now we are two. We went from three to five and in Cahors we had a true Camino farewell dinner on the 21st. On the 22nd Julien and I continued walking on our own. It continues to rain everyday. These past two days have been particularly brutal perhaps because of changes in the soil composition. For whatever reason we have spent major portions of the day slipping and sliding along very muddy tracks. We hoped to arrive at Moissac but we agree that 26 km (distance to Moissac) in the mud is too much. And so we will split the distance in two. Although we have lost three good Camini friends our new constant companions continue to appear and reappear: a Belgian couple (who speak perfect Flemmish, French, English etc.) two women from Paris who speak perfect English and a woman from Strassburg with whom Julien communicates in French and she and I struggle together in German. All for now - dinner in five minutes!

April 19, 2012 in Limogne-en-Qercy

We have come 300.5 km since we started walking from Le Puy in April 1st! Weather continues to be less than optimal - raining on and off most days and/or windy - but it could be much worse. We were already settled into our wonderful gite d'etape Les Gloriettes this afternoon when the hail storm hit. Great news: 2011 Camino friends Anke and Peer have joined us for a few days. Sad news: We plan to reach Cahors on thr 21st. Marie will stay behind and begin her journey back to Lyon and then back to Sitka. Ever since Conques we have been saying good-bye to familiar faces as people "time out" and return to their homes and regular lives. Some we only knew by sight or first names. Others we have exchanged email addresses with and hope to see again. And then there are the new familiar faces that we look for on the road, at our new gite or around town. And such is the way of the Camino/ Chemin.

April 14, 2012 in Conques

We reached Conques yesterday. Today was a day of rest and exploration in this beautiful medieval town. Tomorrow we climb out of the valley and on to Decazeville. This is uncharted territory for me as last year we skipped the 205 km between Conques and Moissac. I wish I could attach photos so you can see for yourself that a treasure Conques is.

April11, 2012 In Estaing

We are on track with last year and are in Estaing. Tomorrow we will stay at Golinhac. Friday and Saturday we will be in Conques. Weather has been challenging and the trail is tougher than much of the trail in Spain. By the time I reach my gite (hostel) for the night I feel a great sense of accomplishment! We are eating dinner at a bar with wifi. Wifi has been spotty and today is the first day I could remember my gmail Password thus allowing me to send this quick update. Hopefully I can write more from Conques.

In Sitka but heading back to France

I can't believe that I last wrote in September, 2011.  Here it is almost the end of March, 2012.  Much has happened but I'll have to tell you about it when I see you in person.  Suffice it to say that I have been back in Sitka for the month of March and that I head off again tomorrow morning, Sunday, March 25.  I am returning to France to walk for (only) six weeks.  Same trail but different friends.  Remember when I told you that "whenever you are ready to go just let me know and I'll go with you?"  Well two Sitka friends took me up on that.

We are starting from Le Puy (again) on April 1st (again).  74-year-old Sitka friend Marie heads home after three weeks and college friend Julien and I will continue for another three weeks.  I can't go the full distance this time because I need to get back to Sitka so I can take off again on May 23 - for Thailand with nephew Justin for his 16th birthday trip.

So, we will walk as far as we can go in six weeks.  Santiago and God willing fellow 2011 pilgrims Heike, Anke and husband Peer will join us for a few days.  And hopefully Julien and I will be able to visit Marie-Helene when we reach Moissac.

I already know that I will be walking April, 2013 with cousin Denise to celebrate her 60th birthday.  (You see I really am serious when I tell you to let me know when you can go and I will join you.)  Denise hasn't decided whether she wants to walk the Camino Frances or the Camino del Norte.  Next year what I hope to do, before Denise gets to Spain, is return to where Julien and I stop this year and walk to the place where Denise is able to start.

Think about joining us.

No promises about being a better blogger.  Now that I am off to France again I will try. . .

Karen

September 25, 2011 Back in Mexico!

It was wonderful to spend an entire month in Sitka.  But, it is equally wonderful to be traveling again - and to be outside the United States even if it is "just" Mexico.  I'm back at Mom's place in San Antonio Tlayacapan on Lake Chapala in the state of Jalisco.

I head back to Sitka on September 30.  From there I head to Anchorage on October 5 and then up to Barrow the following week.  It will be great to get back in Barrow for the first time since I left in February.  I'll return to Sitka on October 30.

Mom is here as well.  We have an easy routine.  I head off walking and exploring for most of the day but we get together in the evening for dinner and then a movie from her vast collection of VHS tapes.  Tonight we watched Chariots of Fire, last night we watched Lillies of the Field. 

Mom has a good circle of friends here that she is re-connected with.  And her former students still remember her.  Marcela came over today bringing flowers and home-made flan.  The first time we met Marcela she was entering middle school.  Cousin Denise and I were visiting Mom when Marcela and her mother came over to meet Mom.  The person who was supposed to translate didn't show up for some reason so I ended up translating.  I can still picture us - tiny Marcela, her mom, my mom, Cousin Denise and I - sitting in a circle and me with a Spanish-English dictionary trying to translate!  Marcela has now graduated from law school, has completed her two years of internship and has her official certificate allowing her to practice law. 

OTHER NEWS!!!!!  I am in the movies.  Or at least the trailer for what used to be called Everybody Loves Whales and is now called Big Miracle.  You may recall that during the first week of my retirement last year my 1983 Isuzu diesel pick-up truck and I were extras for the four days the second unit was in Barrow filming exterior shots.  The first trailer for the movie came out this week.  At approximately one minute and 37 seconds on the left side of the screen you can see the back of my purple parka and my Sorrel boots for all of about two seconds as we community members head off to save the whales.  The voice over is saying ". . . as school children and shopkeepers alike. . . " Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.everybodyloveswhales.com/trailer.html
I can't wait to see if my parka and/or truck are in any other shots.  And, I can't wait to see what other Barrow people show up in the movie.

I just realized that I am coming up on the end of my first year of retirement.  It has been an amazing journey.  I miss my friends and the community of Barrow.  But I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to new and old places; to make new friends and reconnect with old friends.  I will continue to do that during my second year of retirement.  See you soon!

July 27 from Holland, Michigan

Has it really been a month since my last post? Hard to believe! Since last I wrote I traveled to Virginia where I visited with family and friends. As part of my Victory Tour 2011 I visited niece Tara, her husband Andrew and their eight week old daughter Leah.

I then flew back to Sitka, Alaska, my new home. I was there for a week and then flew to Michigan. Saturday, July 23 was the McCord Family Reunion. Before heading up to Prescott for the reunion I had breakfast in Midland with former Barrow law clerk Rachel.

Sunday evening after the reunion Cousin Dawn, her grandson Andrew and I went to Tawas to play putt putt golf. As part of my Tour de Fudge I got some home made fudge conveniently made right at the putt putt golf course (Hubies Famous Fudge and Caramelcorn). As part of the Victory Tour 2011 I stayed with Cousin Dawn and husband Bill.

On Monday I continued the Victory Tour by driving down to Flint to stay with Cousin Wanda and Oscar.

Today, July 27 I drove to Lansing to complete the 10 km volkswalk in the capital of Michigan (in the rain). One of the other volkswalk programs I am participating in is Walking the USA A-Z. This requires you to complete a walk in cities that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Michigan has a volkswalk in the city of Zeeland which I plan to walk tomorrow.

I plan to be in Ann Arbor tomorrow afternoon for the Victory Tour (Cousin Marsha) but I might be able to walk in Holland for the "H" or Tecumseh for the "T" on my way to Ann Arbor.

I have a few more cousins in my address book that I need to visit in northern Michigan. If I don't see them before I head back to Sitka on August 1st I will either have to come back or remove them from my address book.

So that is the abridged version of what I have been up to for the past month.

June 27, 2011 back in Alaska

June 23 and 24 in Santiago went by so quickly! The weather was perfect making the time all the more magical.  I saw so many friends from the last part of the Camino and a couple of good friends from the beginning of the Spanish part.  Each encounter was a new gift.






Although I arrived on June 22 and received my compostela that day

I was able to wait until Friday's Pilgrim Mass for my official acknowledgment.  I did this because German friends were coming in on the 23rd and I wanted to walk in with them (because walking 40.5 km on the 22nd wasn't enough) and would thus miss the mass on the 23rd.

When you check in at the Pilgrim office they review your credential to make sure you have daily stamps - and from 100 km on two stamps per day - to prove that you walked the distance you  claim.  They record where you started and your nationality and, except in cases like mine where you ask for delay, they announce starting points and nationalities at the Pilgrim Mass the next day.
Unfortunately for us there were a number of seminary students from various schools who also arrived on June 23 so they were given preference when it came to announcing people who had arrived. The priest then ran quickly through a list and seemed to be lumping all nationalities and the later starting points together.  However I did hear him announce that an American had started from Le Puy!

I departed Santiago at 11 pm on June 24 arriving in Madrid at midnight.  My Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt departed at 6 am on the 25th with check in at 4 am so I opted to sleep on the very hard floor along with quite a few other people.
The Condor flight was delayed out of Frankfurt so we didn't depart until after noon (still June 25).  The flight to Anchorage was only 9 hours and 36 minutes.  There is a ten hour time zone difference.  So, I arrived in Anchorage before I left Germany.  Still on the 25th.
The afternoon of the 25th I went for a hike up at Hatcher's Pass in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley with the friends I am staying with in Palmer.  It was a perfect way to begin my transition from the Camino and Europe back to Alaska and the USA.

I wish I had some words of wisdom to impart from my almost three month journey.  Maybe I'll come up with some later.  From Villafranca on I ended up walking with Celina from Brazil.  One of the things I enjoyed about walking with her was focusing on the "spiritual" aspect of the Camino.  In every village were we ended the day we always sought out the church and attended the Pilgrim Mass and Benediction. 

And as we walked we talked about "Lessons of the Day" - what lesson we might be learning that day.  It didn't have to be profound but could be.  For example the closer we got to Santiago the more signs you saw for taxis willing to transport your backpack to your next stopping point at very inexpensive rates.  Celina said that while it was tempting to send her pack on ahead to make the walking easier she had become very attached to her backpack and couldn't bear the thought of it getting lost.  And thus a lesson for the day was "material objects that you become attached to are a burden that you must carry." Applicable in terms of the Camino where you literally carry the material objects but also in real life where material objects can become an emotional burden.

On the Camino finding the way is generally quite simple: yellow arrows painted on the road, rocks, trees, buildings and anything else available point you in the right direction. 

When in doubt locate the yellow arrow and you know which direction to go. 


In Santiago Paulo, a Brazilian friend of Celina's, talked about how good he was at following the yellow arrows.  Then he added "the problem with the Camino is that in Real Life there are no yellow arrows."

More later!

June 23 from Santiago

Actually got to Santiago on the 22nd. We reached the pilgrim office shortly after 8 pm and surprisingly it was still open. So we registered and got our compostelas but I am waiting until Friday for my official mass.
We didn't start out yesterday planning to walk 40.5 km (with full packs I must add). We were only going to walk 20 km to Arca. But we got to Arca early afternoon so we decided to go an additional 8 km to San Paio where my guidebook said there was a hotel. That way we would have a good jump start on the walk to Santiago.
Well, when we got to San Paio the one hotel was shuttered closed. By the time we got to the next possible place to stay we were only 10.5 km from Santiago so we decided to just go the whole distance.
Right now I think I am more impressed that I walked 40 km yesterday than I am with the 1300 km I have walked since April 1st.
More later.

June 20 from Melide

Made it to Melide at 55.5 km from Santiago. On the 18th I walked 23 km to Portomarin. On the 19th I walked 24 km to Palas de Rei. My original schedule had me walking 15.5 km to Melide. But yesterday I was really wanting to go an extra 8 km today because today was so short and the extra 8 km would give me more options in the next days (including getting to Santiago on the 22nd instead of the 23rd). Well my new Camino Partner in Crime, Celina from Brazil, was not going to be able to make the extra km. so I was weighing my reasons for going and staying. I'm tired of saying good-bye to my Camino walking friends! But maybe I should walk the last three days on my own? The Pilgrim Benediction says "blessed are you pilgrim if what concerns you most is not to arrive as to arrive with others." And so many of my "others" are stronger walkers and have already disappeared or were about to start the sprint to Santiago.
And then I learn that today is Celina's birthday and my internal debate was over. What kind of friend leaves a person in the dust on the birthday - and for a mere 8 km?!?
So I stuck to my original schedule and Celina and I strolled the 15.5 km to Melide.
And at the first cafe stop I found friend Daniel from MA with whom I had spent the day walking to Villafranca and then hadn't seen him again. And I probably would not have seen him today had I rushed ahead to get in my extra 8 km.
I would have also rushed straight through Melide and would not have remembered that my guidebook says the best place on the whole Camino to get pulpo (octopus) is at Pulperia Ezequiel in Melide.
But I wasn't rushing and so we ended up having lunch at Pulperia Ezequiel where you sit at long wooden tables. We ended up at a table with four Spanish pilgrims who has recently joined the Camino Frances after having walked the difficult Northern and then even more difficult Primitive trails. When we sat down we didn't know any of them. Within ten minutes we were talking and laughing with them. And that is how we spent the next two hours. It is a Camino memory I will treasure for a long time.
It is no doubt possible that I would have had equally wonderful Camino experiences today if I had chosen to push on for the extra 8 km. But all I know is what happened today because I chose to stick to my original schedule and NOT leave my friend in the dust on her birthday.

June 17 from Sarria in Galicia

I am on track for my June 23 arrival in Santiago. In Sarria - 118 km from Santiago.
Was in Triacastela last night. Felt miserable all day but walked the entire 21 km to stay on track. There was a wonderful Pilgrim's Mass at the church. It was wonderful in part because it was translated into English. The translator was one of two priests I have been seeing at least since Ponferrada. Turns out these two men are missionary priests in northeastern Mexico.
The mass was also wonderful because the church priest (as opposes to the two pilgrim priests)was very inclusive. The first people to arrive had no choice but to sit on benches right up there with him. Everyone else had to squeeze in four-to-a-bench starting at the front. At one point we all held hands and said the Lord's Prayer in our own language (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, English, Korean and who knows what other languages). And instead of just shaking hands to pass the peace we had to hug the people. So he really broke down barriers amongst we pilgrims.
His message was very inclusive and focused on love, forgiveness, understanding and action.
So now I am in Sarria. It is a small albergue with only four bunk beds - but also only one bathroom (the one room contains shower, sink and toilet). Pilgrim mass is at 730 pm. Before then I need to eat dinner, find the farmacia for more Compeed and a supermercado so I can buy more soap.
Tomorrow I will walk 23 km to Portomarin.
I am now in Galicia. We crossed into Galicia just before O Cebriero which was my destination on the 15th.

June 14 in Villafranca del Bierzo

Can't believe it has been so long since last I updated. Heike and I successfully arrived in Leon on schedule. Heike then took off for the beach for a week before heading back to work. Meanwhile Anke and husband decided to leave the flooding north and come (back) down to the Camino Frances. Caught up with them in Hospital del Orbigo the day I lost Heike. We walked together for two days and then I took off ahead because I have a schedule to keep.
Meanwhile I had been feeling so sad about losing Heike and Anke and all the familiar faces from the past weeks because many people were leaving for home from Leon.
And now I have a whole new group of familiar faces that I run into most days!
June 11 I was in Astorga where they were having a chocolate festival!
June 12 I was in Foncebadon which features in the Camino books of Shirley MacLaine and Paulo Coelho. It is also where I ran onto more Americans than I have seen the entire journey (excepting the college students).
June 13 it was on to Ponferrada and my longest day at 29 km. Stayed in the only albergue in town but it holds 185 pilgrims. I was not an early arrivor so I was stuck in the 20 bunk bed basement room with only one electrical outlet for charging cell phone and camera batteries. And the bathroom was upstairs and down a hall. Bathroom was co-ed with two toilets, four urinals, three sinks and two showers.
Early morning tomorrow. I hope to leave before 7 am as it looks to be a hot climb up the mountain to O Cebriero.
So today I walked to Villafranca del Bierzo where I am staying in a private albergue which has twelve single beds in the space of twenty bunk beds. It also has electric plugs at each bed and the bathrooms are single sex. And the beds have real sheets!
Tomorrow, June 15 I hope to make O Cebriero which is in Galicia.

June 6 from Sahagun

Two days in a row! At albergue with wifi so am taking advantage and writing quick update. Today and next three days will be short walking days. The way the villages are spaced we would either have to walk in the high 20s km or in the high teens. So we are walking high teens.
My walking Partner in Crime Heike is very sensitive about how loudly she snores and prefers to be in a private room if possible. Today - with the rain - is a great day to be in a private room instead of the dorm. In a private room you can hang your wet clothes and laundry everywhere and it might actually be dry in the morning.
Once I leave Heike behind in Leon I will be back to the dorms. Unless it was a really wet day and then I might try to find my own room.

It was another beautiful walking day. The rain waited until we arrived in Sahugun before starting. Heike and I needed lunch and some incidentals (new memory card for my camera etc) so we walked to the Plaza Mayor and sat in a bar eating tapas and drinking diet coke and cafe con leche until the stores opened at 430-ish.
Dinner was at the albergue. For 10€ I got a huge mixed salad, half a chicken and for dessert I chose plain yoghurt.
At the table were Heike (German), me, a German man, a Frenchman and a Dutch woman who speaks English, German and French. There were some interesting discussions about the philosophy of the Camino and dangers of commercialism conducted mostly in German except when I threw in some comments in English.

June 5 from Ledigos in Castilla y Leon

Walked 23.5 km today and I feel like it was a rite of passage!  It was a long, very flat, bordering on hot, and very beautiful walk.  I think that today and tomorrow will be the flattest stretches of this journey.  But there are so many beautiful flowers in the fields and along the trail and the long open stretches have a deep beauty of their own.

The Plan.  With the advent of June comes Reality.  I fly out of Madrid early on June 25.  Yikes!  I want to be in Santiago by June 23 so I can attend the pilgrim mass the next day.  When you arrive in Santiago you go to the Pilgrim Office where you show them your credential books full of stamps from each day of The Way.  You get your Compostela.  And the next day at the pilgrim mass they announce the starting points and the nationalities of all the pilgrims who arrived the day before.

So, Santiago by June 23 and afternoon of June 24 go to Madrid so I can fly Lufthansa early morning of June 25 to Frankfurt and then Condor over the pole to Anchorage arriving the morning of June 25 (about half an hour before I left Frankfurt).

I have one walking companion left: Heike and I lose her in Leon on June 9.  She heads to the beach for a week before having to go back to work.  I lost Anke on June 1 in Burgos.  She decided to stay there for a couple of days to rest her ankle and is now making her way north to meet her husband and they will walk the northern route to Santiago.

So I´m looking for more walking companions!  Anyone out there available between June 9 (Leon) and June 23/24?  I can do it on my own but it is so much more fun to have one or more Partners in Crime along for The Way.  No matter how you try to describe things some things just need to be experienced: the oasis bar in the middle of the 17.5 km stretch where you can sit and drink cafe con leche!  Meeting a father and son from Italy who are walking together.  Going to the pilgrim masses and benedictions even though you can´t understand most of what the priest is saying.  Visiting stunningly Baroque churches. 

And there are the daily adventures.  For example every day you arrive at a new albergue/hostel.  Every day the sleeping arrangments are different in quirky ways.  You could be in a room with 50 bunk beds or six bunk beds but people from another room walk through your room to get in and out.  You could be in a room with only single beds but the door squeaks loudly whenever you open it and you worry about waking everyone up when you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  You could be in a crowded room with squeeky bunk beds and lots of snorers.  The shower and bathroom arrangments are always interesting.  It is fun to have someone else there who understands the humor of the newest situation and all you have to do is exchange a quick, knowing glance!

So let me know if you are interested in meeting me.  It would be lots of fun!  Just be ready to walk 22 - 25 km each day.  And be ready for hot weather or chilly weather, blistering sun or rain.  And be ready for the experience of your life!