I´m sure the Spanish in the subject is not proper but I´m proud that I could come up with that.  I´m logging onto the internet for the last time in a while this evening as I prepare for the rest of the Camino.  I find I don´t really need to be up to date on all my Facebook friends requests (yes I am popular) or being up to date on the Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, WNBA or the news or countless other things and thinking about those things as I´m walking.

I´m in a town named Santa Domingo at the moment, heading off tomorrow to Belorado, I hope.  That will put me at 583 km to go (363 miles).   Either way you look at it, that´s a lot of miles.  But I have the feeling that when it´s all said and done and I´m back in my SF apartment, I´m going to really miss this.  It´s not very often when all you´re really focused on doing every day is eating, walking and finding a place to rest your head.  And everything you have you are carrying on your back.

I saw the coolest thing today as I was walking down a country road between some wheat fields.  A shepherd was moving his entire flock of sheep down the road and I had to step aside and wait as they passed by.  Their were at least 250 sheep, some with bells around their necks, and two dogs on either side making sure none of the sheep get out of line.  It was really a site to see.  I got a video of it (of course) and will post it up soon.

I just bought some bread and chocolate for my breakfast tomorrow, and a banana and trail mix for the day.  We´re going to be crossing the Meseta in a few days which is a rolling expanse of land with little shade that goes on and on as far as the eyes can see.  I´ll need to fill the Camelbak up completely for that trek.  The sun is starting to beat down pretty hard these days but it´s still very welcome if it means not having to deal with any rain.  I´m starting to make good progress each day and I hope it´ll only get better as the journey goes on.

Finally, I´ve met a lot of people in the first week, and along with the British guys I´ve been walking with, we´ve started giving everyone nicknames.  Most of them don´t know about their nicknames yet but maybe someday we´ll reveal it to them.

  • Justin Timberlake – a young guy from Virginia who looks like JT and was sunburned to hell when we met him yesterday.  He had drank two large beers and a large tupperware container of red beans and rice and we last saw him stumbling around Najera lost.
  • Mick Jagger – a big German guy that looks spot on like him.
  • Dwight Eisenhower – an American guy, older who is ex-military but still walks and talks and acts like he´s in the miiltary.
  • Paraffin lamps – a British term used to describe a drunk/homeless guy.  Called so because it rhymes with the word tramp.  We saw several of these roaming around town in Logroño.
  • Zorro – a Spanish guy I walked with a couple of days whose name begins with a Z (Zuar).  When you call him Zorro you generally should follow it up with three quick ´kish kish kish´as you make the mark of Zorro in the air.  He´ll always laugh at that.
  • M*A*S*H – the name given to myself and two other Americans because we were always seeking medical help for our blisters and an assortment of other injuries.
  • Bert and Ernie – the two British guys I´ve been walking with since pretty much the start.  Their names are Dave and Ernie and they´re a riot to be around, especially after a couple of beers.
  • Berlin – a young guy from Berlin who actually started walking the Camino FROM Berlin!!  He started in December and has been walking ever since.  Wow.

That´s about all for now.  I´ll try and post again as I near the end of my trip or soon thereafter.  Until then, go Pistons and I promise I will get to your Facebook friend request really soon.

Buen camino to all of you.

Randumbness, Travel Writing

April 25, 2008

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