I AM CONTENT JUST WALKING and leading pilgrims on the three Camino de Santiago in my own Cebu, Philippines. These are the Camino from Badian in the south, walked in 10 days; the Camino from Sogod in the north, walked in 5 days; and the little Camino within Compostela, which is 2 days. These three were inspirations from the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
All three terminate at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santiago de Compostela, in Compostela, Cebu. Visiting this Jacobean parish in a pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago, is like doing this in Spain, with the same plenary indulgences recognized by the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, through a spiritual bond of affinity.
Two of these three Camino Cebu, I helped
establish for the Archdiocese of Cebu, with blessings from Fr. Scipio Deligero,
formerly of the Santiago de Compostela parish. In July 2017, I did the
175-kilometer Camino from the South, removed the rough edges and refined it in
2018. Last June 2019, I delivered the Camino from the North, 65+ kilometers in
length.
The question is: “Why should I have to do a Camino de Santiago
in Spain?”
The first not-so-best answer: It is a bucket list of most Filipino Catholics devoted to St. James the Apostle, which include me. Second best answer: A Swiss friend wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago and he personally asked me to accompany him. This request does not cover free travel though. I would have to finance myself to go there with him, I guess. Third mysterious answer: St. James beckoned me.
This is the hardest part! “How should I fund myself?”
Nevertheless, if St. James the Apostle is my backer, it is not an obstacle. If ever I wanted to do the Camino de Santiago, let that route be the longest and the hardest one. Puslan man! So be it! So I choose the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo combined – which excited my friend – and that ending to Finisterre – which gave him a frown. 2021 is the jubilee year of Santiago de Compostela.
After choosing March 15, 2021 as the start of our journey, I set about tracing my chosen route on both Google Map and Wikiloc before creating the itinerary. Each day of route finding brings with it excitement and challenges even in my armchair state. These were the usual things I did before embarking on my own successful little explorations here and my creative juices set to work overtime.
By the way, these little explorations
I talked about produced and established the 408-kilometer Cebu Highlands Trail
and the two Camino de Santiago which I already mentioned. I never backed down
from a challenge and I was totally engrossed on this work when the news of the
lockdowns interrupted my euphoric state on March 22, 2020. I was dismayed because
it is less than a year to my target.
Despite that, I was quite optimistic and refused to be distracted by this pandemic. I made a list of the things that I would bring, and began acquiring the most essential ones like small solar panels, a portable power charger and an extension cord EU-standard multi-port charger, because the Spanish Camino is a documentation-rich environment. I also bought cheap but equally essential items like web hooks, small carabiners, tent pegs, elastic undershorts and hangers.
I am still debating with myself if I should bring a tent or a hammock-and-shelter set? The tent would be heavier and bulkier, with tent poles, and it needs a sleeping bag liner and a ground pad, at the least. The hammock would need two trees to support it, which I do not know if they have enough trees on their caravan camps, and it gave less protection from the cold.
I had a small savings but it could have been better if only Wuhan the Virus did not escape from his laboratory. In 2020, there were many events lined up for me plus a government contract work which could have placed me in a better position to engage this in 2021. All these were scrapped or postponed to when, I do not know. The good thing was this small savings kept me and my household afloat for many months despite loss of income. I have none now.
There are 34 days on the el gran camino de Santiago. For each
day, I identified three separate places to choose from for the night’s rest. It
could be an albergue, a cheap hotel, a caravan camp or a pension house (all with
contact numbers). And for each day there is a list of restaurants along the
way, placing emphasis on the Spanish penchant for late lunch and dinner – at
between 14:00 to 22:00.
Part of the itinerary are the estimated expenses for billets, meals, refreshments, ferry transports and other incidental costs for each day; sub-totaled under Camino del Norte, the Camino Primitivo and the Camino Finisterra. International travel and transfers were not part of this costing. My itinerary is a DIY effort. It is a work of art. I could even sell this but let me try it first then I could design one for you.
Our el gran Camino de Santiago would start from an international boundary found on a bridge of the Bidassoa River, separating France and Spain and the first town would be Irun, found in the Basque Country. We would spend ten days in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia; six days in Cantabria; nine days in Asturias; and another nine days in Galicia, which include Fin de Tierra. I reserved three days for rest.
All expenses shall be in euros, which
is about 65 pesos to a euro, and it bites into my pocket. I am in a daze of
where to source the funds? There were people who were so kind to pledge certain
amounts when I started to let all know of my pilgrimage but it is just a drop
in a large bucket. I am also embarking on a fund-raising campaign in the form
of commemorative t-shirts but it is more of the same.
Anyway, the pandemic have stopped or mired severely all international travel and, within Spain and as everywhere else in Europe, lockdowns are still severe in these last few months of 2021 which helped to my cause. The voice of hope came from Pope Francis, who extended the Jacobean jubilee year to 2022, with which year I and my friend placed all hope instead. It could be middle of spring or in early autumn, whichever.
Currently, I am shopping for the best shoes and have Silangan Outdoor Equipment outfit us our backpacks, a tent, sleeping bag liners, hiking pants, dry bags, sports shirts and other hiking accessories. Even when it is encouraged to travel light, I would bring extra like giveaways to the kindest hosts and to the friendliest Basques we would meet along the way. I would carry a heavy load but it would be a diminishing load as the journey lengthens.
Aside from the funding, I would need just a pre-owned but functional point-and-shoot camera, and your prayer requests. Just message me directly in Messenger and Signal. My backpack and my heart are always available to accommodate your personal intentions which I would whisper everytime I find myself in deep meditation in the route’s holiest places, and at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the abrazado is.
I would be preparing for a Camino de
Santiago on the colder months where the albergues would not be crowded. The
virus, and the variants, would be travelling with the asymptomatic ones and we
could never know for sure. I would not want to join the expected large crowds
on its most favorable season. My friend is now 70 years old and he needs
protection as much as I do. We would be following all health-safety protocols
required.
The el gran camino de Santiago is a journey which shrouds another journey. It is about my heritage. My great-grandparents originally came from Bizkaia and I seek to stay in their lekua and breathe in the air that they breathed when they were young. To inhale the spirit and the essence of their hometown. To touch base. I designed this route which would go out of its way from the box. I intend to lose my way, for a few days, where there are no signposts.
This would be a difficult pilgrimage for me. I have never travelled outside of the Philippines nor engage with a tour agency like most pilgrims do. I still have to apply for a Schengen visa. I would be exposed to culture-shock; the language barriers; unfamiliar terrain and vegetation; different time zones; temperate climate; maybe discrimination; and even infection from that dreaded virus. I would be completely disoriented for a few days.
But my beacon is St. James the Apostle; my comfort is my faith as a Catholic which I shared with Spain; and my prayers, my strength. Please help me.
St. James the Apostle, please pray
for us.
St. Pedro Calungsod, please pray for
us.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz, please pray for us.
Blessed Virgin Mary, please pray for
us.
Jesus, have Mercy upon us.
iBuen Camino!
Photo
Nr 1 courtesy of Camino Ways.
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