LIVE from the Camino Héctor Walks His Way- Week 6

[Laisee]

I made it!!!

Congratulations Héctor! So happy you made it!

 

[Bala]

So happy for you, Hector! Congratulations!!

 

[inspectorwexford]

Hector....many congratulations. What a fantastic achievement.

 

[Cicada]

I made it!!!

Well done Hector! I've enjoyed joining you on your journey albeit via the forum. I look forward to following your next Camino
Kind regards Roger

 

[BarbaraW]

Congratulations! I hope your time in Santiago and your journey home goes well. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been grateful to have shared your journey, and would be interested to see your reflections, if you care to post them once you have had time to absorb your experience.
Many people feel that the real pilgrimage starts with arrival in Santiago. In that spirit, Buen Camino, Hector.

 

[mspath]

Congratulations on your arrival!
It was a pleasure to digitally share your journey; your tenacity and determination are outstanding!
In the time to come may you cherish and enjoy your memories.

Carpe diem!

 

[ScouseKeith]

I made it!!!

Well done Héctor
My wife and I are sitting having lunch in Tunisia with a big smile on our faces seeing you in front of the cathedral, my wife has seen me just like that many times and we both know exactly how proud you feel.
Great achievement Héctor you walked the whole Camino very proud for you. Buen Camino Keith

 

[WalkingLester]

Thank you for sharing your physical and spiritual journey. I am planning to return to Spain next week to walk on the Camino Primitivo. Before every Camino I usually have a lot of anxiety and doubt. Recently, every day, I have considered cancelling the trip. But, reading your post from yesterday has crystallized my resolve. You have been an inspiration to me.

 

[nycwalking]

I made it!!!

Thanks for bringing forum on this pilgrimage with you.

I loved vicariously walking alongside you.

Congratulations!

 

[HBS60]

I made it!!!

Not only I heard bagpipes, but the Cathedral bells were going full blast. It was a magnificent arrival. I’ll post more later after I take care of mundane things like getting settled into my albergue, doing laundry, etc. I picked up my Compostela and just need to pick up stuff from Casa Ivar, but I have to wait till 7:30 PM

 

[VNwalking]

Heartfelt congratulations Hector. Well done!

 

[Anhalter]

Congratulations Hector, it has been a pleasure to follow your journey.

 

[kiwi-couple]

Congratulations Hector on your wonderful Camino.
I want to thank you for sharing your journey with us all. To me it was been a wonderful gift. It has been a privilege to follow along with you through your thoughts and your discoveries of everything, including yourself. I appreciate your openness and honesty.
Buen camino.

 

[Dani7]

Congratulation's. well done. Processing your camino starts now. Don’t be surprised that you may feel your journey is only beginning. The camino will now always be a part of you. You fully embodied the total experience. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us.

 

[PelegrinNikolai]

Thank you, Héctor, for sharing your journey. It was a privilege to follow along. You've had many supporters cheering you on from afar!
And now you know within yourself that you can achieve anything!

 

[AidaYYC]

I hope this is the final stretch!

What a day! I’m bone tired and had trouble staying awake writing this, so I hope I’m writing clearly…

La Faba to Triacastela, 17.1 miles,27.5 Km.

Last night, when having dinner at the only restaurant that I could find in La Faba whether they opened in the morning, and I was told yes, at 6:30 AM. They weren’t. Luckily I had some snacks with me so I didn’t start on a completely empty stomach.

It was still dark and my little headlamp wasn’t much help. When leaving town, the trail becomes very steep and rocky, and I felt uncomfortable with how little I could see. Fortunately several pilgrims started to trickle by, with much better lights, so I took advantage of the added visibility when they passed me by.

It was a very steep, rocky uphill but fortunately only a couple kilometers, and daybreak came, which helped me a lot feel more secure in my footing. The next town was Laguna de Castilla, only a couple kilometers away. I could hear the cowbells and smell the manure of the cows in the dairy barns. I also had a close encounter with a dog, but it turns out he was chasing a car, not me.

I had breakfast at Laguna de Castilla and resumed my walk. It was a cool, sunny morning and I kept climbing up the mountain, until I finally reached the stone marker that announced I was entering Galicia. The views were getting more spectacular until I reached O Cebreiro. Around this time, my stomach was acting up, so I didn’t get to enjoy it a whole lot, but I was able to care of my ailments.

There was a couple of tour buses and out came what has been called “turigrinos”. I wasn’t happy with such a big crowd so I left town. I stopped at the town of Liñares, which I mistook for Linares, the birthplace of a Spanish singer very popular back in the 60s and 70s, Raphael Martos. I stopped at a bar to use the bathroom, and struck up a conversation with the lady at the counter. She corrected me by pointing to the town of Linares in Jaén, not this town of Liñares in Galicia. We started to talk about Spain, and I mentioned that I’m a PR and used to be part of Spain, and to my surprise, she pulls out a PR flag given to her by a customer. It was a good moment, I wish I could have stayed longer. Her name is Sofia and she gave me permission to post her pic with the flag.

There were a couple of climbs, the second one was Alto de Poio, which was very steep. I tacked it by using a zig-zag approach. Looking back at the ground I’ve covered, I was insanely high, and eventually I got to the top, where I knew was a bar…but it was mobbed by teenagers, apparently on a school trip. I wound up going to the bar across the street, and ordered lunch, which was very generous. The bar was deserted other than a couple of older men talking in Galego (Galician), something I kept hearing all day.

It was getting late in the afternoon.i knew that the route will start going sharply downhill, but I still had to walk about 10 Km downhill, and no telling what kind of terrain I would find. It was also getting much warmer, and that has a draining effect. I even considered calling a Taxi, but I gave myself little breaks with each successive town I reached. The views continued to be spectacular and that helped take my mind off the tiredness and heat.

Eventually, I got to Triacastela. I showered, ate, and now ready to go to bed, but tomorrow will be shorter. I’ll be going to Sarria.

FB link for pics: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/EmjMGtpKpYPoHs93/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Congratulations, peregrino ... you persevered and powered through reaching Triacastela. Wow, I did that from Vega del Valcarce, staying in O Cebreiro and Fomfria before arriving to Triacastela. That climb of Alto de Poio, sounded too much like a 'pollo' in Spanish, so when reaching the top, I claimed that I would toss that pollo into the soup pot.

I also remember Raphael, which I became of fan of his in 1968 on my return to my native Chile and he was all the rage with his movies and his powerful voice ... suffice it to say that I have walked two caminos (CF and CP) with some of his recordings on my Spotify ... great stuff.

Thank you for sharing your FB photos.

Buen Camino

 

[Shells]

Congratulations, Héctor—I have followed your journey all the way, and want to thank you for making my own Camino (a year ago from St Jean to Santiago) come alive again. You reminded me of how much I loved it, how much it mattered to me, how hard it was, and how joyful…you reminded of all the reasons I am returning to walk it in just two weeks. I will miss reading your messages and insights; of course you had no way of knowing it, but your words meant a lot to me —Buen Camino, Peregrino

 

[JillGat]

Congrats, Hector! I am sure you will agree that it is a life-changing experience. And for many of us, an addictive one... we count the days till our next Camino.

Going back a ways in your account, I just have to mention this. You recounted many difficult uphill climbs, but kind of mentioned O' Cebreiro as an aside. To me, that climb was epic. It was a cruel joke I thought, since everybody seemed to think the walk over the Pyrenees was the most grueling and nothing that hard came after. I don't remember if I was just worn down when I was on that leg, but it was tough for me.