2023-004 | CAMINO DE SANTIAGO CHRONICLES | SNIPPETS | DAY ONE

SNIPPETS OF DAY ONE

On the first day of my el Gran Camino de Santiago on June 19, 2022, I arrived at Hendaia (Hendaye), France in darkness. The bus dropped me and my Swiss collaborator at 02:30 in the earliest of mornings. I was excited. It was very cold and I was just wearing a flimsy collared t-shirt. We kept moving just to stave off the cold. We walked on concrete sidewalks and on asphalt streets until we crossed over into Spain.

After so much effort to find a meal in Hendaia and in Irun, light begun to claim the skies. Then I found that elusive arrow. We decided to push through with or without food and God be with us! The road goes up and up from Hondarribia until we arrived at the chapel of the Guadalupe Hermitage. I prayed and asked for blessings inside. Outside, I got the first stamp for my empty credenciales.

Still walking on empty stomachs, I blindly followed a path up a mountain, completely trusting on my intuition on which arrow I would choose and hound the rest of the day. My hunch was answered as we passed by ruins of Carlist watchtowers. I knew of these structures during the making of this DIY Camino del Norte. I designed that I pass there, not knowing that it was the Purgatory Trail, and it was one of three routes of the first day.

Then came the lone dolmen, a stone monolith erected by Celtics, long before the coming of the Romans. I scaled Monte Jaizkibel and walked among its ridges, enjoying an aerial parade of eleven serpent eagles circling above me, paying homage of my presence. I went down and followed a well-beaten path that finally led to Pasaia San Juan (Pasai Donibane) and to our first albergue.

I had my coldest mugs of beer and that elusive meal, all rolled into one super dinner, Spanish time (22:00). It was a super effort upon my part to remain awake, despite the beating that my eyes received as it adjusted to the long daylight hours which the Europe is enjoying at this time of year. After that very late dinner, I hit my bed and there was no turning back.

I am a pilgrim from the Philippines.

2023-003 | CAMINO DE SANTIAGO CHRONICLES | THE PILGRIM NOTES | DAY ONE

THE PILGRIM NOTES

On the first day of my el Gran Camino de Santiago on June 19, 2022, I arrived at my first albergue at 15:00 and I have to wait for another hour since it will open at 16:00 yet!

I was thirsty, tired, hungry and I craved for sleep. I walked a path that no touristy pilgrim would liked to be in. I never considered myself a tourist even though I was a visitor. I was there on a spiritual journey first and foremost. Sceneries were just a bonus.

My last meal was done in Lyons, France during a stopover at noon of June 18th. It was a yesterday. I came from Bern, Switzerland. June 19 was a Sunday and all the shops were closed in the morning in France and in Spain.

You cannot sleep on a chair in a bus with a tight leg space. I have long legs even in a Europe where standards are made or built around a population that was supposed to be of above average height from an Asian point of view.

Sleepless eyes are not a problem in semi-darkness conditions. It is a problem in extremely bright daylight on a very bald Purgatory Trail. Then you have very dry air that suck whatever moisture your eyes have.

Ever since I arrived in Europe, my eyes, and my brain, were already in the process of solving a simple problem of long daylight hours. In the tropics, nine hours is the longest, but in late spring here, daylight hours went to 14+ hours and it placed a strain in my eyes.

Anyway, when my red-soaked eyes saw the number 825, I cried in dismay. The effort I did today just made a little dent in the kilometers that I have to go through on the days ahead. My spirit went down. Good God! 825 kilometers! It's like staring at Everest from Ceylon on a clear day!

I did get my well-deserved meal and that equally well-deserved sleep that my courage came back the next day. All I have to do was jettison a few things to make my load lighter. Little dents removed from the weight I carried in my bag at 16.8 kilos.

It is indeed a long road when you are on your own. I craved for loneliness and I got this on this journey.

I am a pilgrim from the Philippines. 

2023-002 | CAMINO DE SANTIAGO CHRONICLES | BEST PHOTOS | DAY ONE

BEST PHOTO OF DAY 01

My best photo on the first day of my Camino de Santiago. Taken at Playa de Santiago, in Pasaia San Juan, Province of Gipuzkoa, of the Basque Autonomous Region, Spain; last June 19, 2022; with a RealMe 5 Pro, powered by Android OS version 11. This smartphone, was my main equipment for photography and video, and for social media and communication. I had another one as backup which is an iPhone 6.

The colors and the architecture of the structures seemed to burst out from a movie scene. It looked so strange to me but it is kind of nice to look at. It became so familiar as the days went by. All the structures and houses were designed in simple proletarian designs, utilizing local sources of building materials like sandstone, granite, slate, oak and pine wood, bricks, and modern items acquired from hardware shops. Most of the stones are smoothed through the ages and some, among the steps, are worn out.

These houses are old and are hereditary. Fresh splashes of pastel-coloured paints or a coat of varnish makes it attractive, trendy and pop. One structure has two different houses with two different designs but sharing one roof. On closer inspection, the stones betray their age, which could go as far as the 12th century, in the case of castles and watchtowers that are utilized now as habitations.

This was the main plaza of Pasai Donibane (San Juan). The date of my visit coincided with Father’s Day. It was also celebrated here like in my country. So many people dined al fresco with children tagging along since it was a Sunday. On the waterfront is a sea inlet where one has to cross over to another coast by a small ferry boat servicing the gap.

Señor Markus Immer and I found an open taberna and we sulked ourselves with two mugs each of the coldest beer. We were that thirsty. It was already 21:45 and most of the restaurants were closing. I had a super dinner of bacallao con salad mixta and patatas with a side dish of croquetas. My food costs around €17, a little bit pricey for a poor pilgrim, but the serving was good enough for 3-4 persons. Anyway, I ate it all.

I am a pilgrim from the Philippines.

2023-001 | CAMINO DE SANTIAGO CHRONICLES | SELFIES | DAY ONE

BEST SELFIE OF DAY 01

My best selfie on the first day of my Camino de Santiago. Taken at Albergue Santa Ana, in Pasaia San Juan, Province of Gipuzkoa, of the Basque Autonomous Region, Spain; last June 19, 2022; with a RealMe 5 Pro, powered by Android OS version 11. This smartphone, was my main equipment for photography and video, and for social media and communication. I had another one as backup which is an iPhone 6.

Just sitting there waiting for the albergue to open. I was hungry, tired, thirsty, and sleepy. Most of all, I need a bath. This was my first experience of how an albergue looked and felt like. I arrived at 14:45 but the albergue opens at 16:00. The hospitalero arrived on time and I was booked to stay for the night after scrutinizing my Philippine passport.

In a smattering of rapid Spanish, my eyes blinked at my capacity to absorb, mentally interpret, and understand the instructions. I nodded as if I understood, just to save me from the humiliation of my slow brain process. Then he became interested in my Basque surname and asked me friendly questions which I could only answer in my pidgin Spanish. Good thing he didn’t ask in Euskera.

Anyway, Señor Markus Immer was with me. He is a 70-year old Swiss expat living in the Philippines. He is married to a Filipina doctor. I was his companion on this journey of the spirit, a long pilgrimage, that we started many hours ago in darkness from Hendaia, France. He is my responsibility and I always keep my eye on him. We both had not taken a proper meal since arriving, except a few cups of coffee and some bread and pies.

I am a pilgrim from the Philippines.