Finding myself - What to expect on the trip.

[marsheng]

This was a rather last minute arrangement. About 3 weeks ago I saw a window in my life to get some time to myself and booked a flight to Lisbon from Christchurch New Zealand. I'm spending 36 days away from home.

I feel I have lost my way over the past decade and its time to find a new way forward. I'm 67 but physically healthy and fit. Mentally not so great.

I want to explore my creative side (Been an Engineer all my life). What I would like is to go though my last few years of journaling and see what patterns I have and make some sense of it all.

I order to explore my creative side I want to take a camera kit and laptop with me. The camera kit weighs 2.5 kg and the laptop 1.5 kg. I'm kind of accepting the extra weight as it has a purpose on the trip. Take photos, download and edit each day and explore my creative thoughts and writhing skills with each photo. How does what what I have taken speak to me.

I have been training with walks from 10 to 16 km without stops almost daily with a 10.5 kg pack (just misc stuff to get the weight) over the past 3 weeks. My thoughts are, on the Camino, I will be stopping quite often so I will have rests and can do the extra kms. I have also booked rest days every 6 days or so.

I'm reasonably happy with everything. The 2 things I'm not sure on are, is my down 700g sleeping bag enough (I like to sleep very warm) and are there ample power points available at the Albergues?

 

[marsheng]

I'm starting on 16th Oct from Lisbon.

 

[dougfitz]

On your direct questions, my thinking is:

• I always carry a sleeping bag, (5degC) and liner. Much depends on the temperature rating, but staying in albergues, this combination has served me well, with only one or two nights in Apr on the Meseta where I felt cold. On the CP, I used a similar combination when I started from Lisbon in late Apr, and didn't have a problem.
• powerpoints were generally available in the dormitories of the albergues that I have used, albeit I also used a reasonable amount of private accommodation on the CP and cannot speak for the whole journey. Some places have at least one powerpoint for each bed-space, but even if they don't have this many, there is always some place where one can recharge devices. It is possible, though, that you might not have dedicated access to a powerpoint.

I suggest you read some of the posts on what camera kit people carry. I don't carry anything like the kit you are proposing, but there are other forum members who do carry heavier gear, and who might have suggestions that help you get the weight down.

I have never carried a laptop, doing any post-production on my walks using a small tablet or my phone, and reserving more complex post-production until I return home. I find that there are reasonable Android tools available to prepare photos for sharing with family and friends on social media. There are clearly many people who don't do any post-production while they are travelling, and just publish their images straight from their phone or camera.

Also, if you haven't already done so, and it sounds like you might not have from your post, I think you need to get your final packing list sorted out. You only have a week to go, and you may be faced with some difficult decisions keeping your packing weight down.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Every albergue is different but the ones that I stayed in while walking from Tui all had ample power points.

In general, any modern building built as an albergue will have adequate power points but they may not be in the dining or lounge areas.

Older buildings, in general, less so.

I see that you are not asking for advice on your equipment or the weight, nevertheless, have you considered editing your photos on a tablet rather than a laptop to reduce weight and bulk?

I have a good friend who is a techie and loves editing his photos to the nth degree and swears by his tablet with stylus.

From one Kiwi to another, buen Camino

 

[DoughnutANZ]

may want to consider an extension cord.

And a power board so that one power point can power multiple devices.

That way you only need one power point converter and you can plug all your devices into a kiwi power board

 

[ShoshTrvls]

And a power board so that one power point can power multiple devices.

That way you only need one power point converter and you can plug all your devices into a kiwi power board

I deleted my message (I was rewriting it) but evidently not quickly enough! Man, people here swoop in an instant (myself included).

Anyway, the above recommendation was based on the fact that you'll probably be doing your work not while sitting on your bunk, but in the common area. As a result, the nearest plug may not be close by.

 

[alexwalker]

Extra power bank.

 

[Juspassinthru]

This was a rather last minute arrangement. About 3 weeks ago I saw a window in my life to get some time to myself and booked a flight to Lisbon from Christchurch New Zealand. I'm spending 36 days away from home.

I feel I have lost my way over the past decade and its time to find a new way forward. I'm 67 but physically healthy and fit. Mentally not so great.

I want to explore my creative side (Been an Engineer all my life). What I would like is to go though my last few years of journaling and see what patterns I have and make some sense of it all.

I order to explore my creative side I want to take a camera kit and laptop with me. The camera kit weighs 2.5 kg and the laptop 1.5 kg. I'm kind of accepting the extra weight as it has a purpose on the trip. Take photos, download and edit each day and explore my creative thoughts and writhing skills with each photo. How does what what I have taken speak to me.

I have been training with walks from 10 to 16 km without stops almost daily with a 10.5 kg pack (just misc stuff to get the weight) over the past 3 weeks. My thoughts are, on the Camino, I will be stopping quite often so I will have rests and can do the extra kms. I have also booked rest days every 6 days or so.

I'm reasonably happy with everything. The 2 things I'm not sure on are, is my down 700g sleeping bag enough (I like to sleep very warm) and are there ample power points available at the Albergues?

First of all, welcome. Second, my opinion and $5 will get you a bad coffee from an unnamed coffee chain based in Seattle.

So, go and walk and search for what you seek. You may or may not find it but the search, the quest is very powerful medicine. If you’re reasonably fit, age should not be a problem and may actually be helpful. What you take, you’ll figure that out, we’re all unique.

Buen Camino.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

@marsheng again you didn't ask for advice in this area and so, as with all advice, please ignore if not relevant.

You say that you are in good physical health but not so good mentally and that walking a Camino may help.

Walking Caminos certainly helps my mental health especially at a time of transition in my life and when I was deeply grieving the death of a special friend.

For me, the Camino helps in three areas.

1 It provides solitude as I walk and an opportunity to examine my thoughts. Of course, sometimes I enjoy talking to people who I happen to pass (or pass me) along the trail but usually I choose to walk alone.

2 In the evenings and at lunch I get the opportunity to meet and socialise with fellow pilgrims and occasionally a local. This brings me out of myself and back into the real world.

3 I am also reasonably fit and I choose to walk with minimum items in my backpack weighing around 5.5 kilos without water. I do not reserve ahead. This gives me both simplicity and a sense of rhythm to each day that is meditative for me. It also teaches me how little "stuff" is actually necessary in this world and how much of the things that I acquire in my life are unnecessary.

I get up, do my ablutions, perhaps get a coffee (rarely), and walk. When I am hungry I stop to eat. When I am tired I stop for the day and find a bed. Once I have a place to stay I bathe and find lunch then I snooze until Spanish dinner time and I socialise. Then I sleep. The next day and the next are exactly the same.

I take photos from time to time on my phone but these days not so many because I prefer to be "in" the environment and the moment rather than standing apart from it while I photograph it.

This is me, of course.

Your plan to take heavy and technical equipment, take photos and spend your time editing the photos as you go.

This is fine if it is what you want but often it will take you out of your environment and out of the moment. It will be difficult to socialise (but not impossible) while you are busy editing.

In my opinion this will not be as good for your mental health as being in those moments and socialising when the opportunities occur.

This is an opportunity for you to simplify your life by taking only what you really need.

Just an opinion and perhaps something to think about.

Consider, as @dougfitz mentions editing your photos after the Camino is finished and lighten your journey both physically and mentally.

 

[dick bird]

Feel free to ignore the following advice:

Travel light.
Leave the laptop at home.
Swap the camera gear for a top end compact that fits in a pocket..
Take a notebook and pen to write in.

I say this as a keen photographer and journal writer. You can do all the editing and image manipulation you want when you get home. A good compact will take excellent quality images (Cartier Bresson carried only a Leica 35mm with no extra lenses). You will need all your time to observe and experience what is going on around you, not to mention meeting and talking to other people. With a laptop you will be too busy trying to record and digest your experiences to actually have any, you will become ´that guy that´s always on his laptop´. Then there´s the weight. finally, all that expensive gear to look after. Think about it carefully. Buen camino.

 

[trecile]

This is fine if it is what you want but often it will take you out of your environment and out of the moment. It will be difficult to socialise (but not impossible) while you are busy editing.

In my opinion this will not be as good for your mental health as being in those moments and socialising when the opportunities occur.

I agree with this 100%.

 

[Dani7]

Welcome to the forum @marsheng. What a wonderful gift of time you are giving yourself to think and reflect. While you explore your creative side, I hope you also set aside some time to explore and be in the moment with yourself, with nature and with your fellow pilgrims. Buen camino. Wishing you a safe and wonderful long walk.

 

[isawtman]

Travel light.
Leave the laptop at home.

Marsheng, what Dick Bird is saying is absolutely right
plus bringing all that stuff sounds too much like work to me
When I did the Camino Frances it was my intention to write
a blog post every day using my iphone. Well, I managed to do
a blog post every 5 days with a short paragraph for each day.
I was too tired to write a blog everyday, plus I was getting to know
people. Instead of having a laptop just bring a bunch of camera cards
and wait until you get home to edit the photos. But here is
a cautionary tale on that. I had a gopro with me and took video
footage every day. When I came home I edited 30 videos over
the next two months. When I came home I also was in the best
shape I had been in years and I had lost 25 lbs. Well, sitting around
editing videos caused me to gain that weight back. So, keep
exercising when you get home!!!!

 

[TravellingMan22]

All the best. I think you have made a great choice to walk. Walking has improved my mental health hugely and when you return try and keep it up if you can!!

The most important thing for me on a Camino is to travel light. I have poor upper body strength anyway but a couple of changes of clothes, wallet, passport and phone and that’s about it!! Not just the physical side but it’s just supports the feeling of being ‘carefree’. It’s incredible what some folks bring and how heavy their bags are!

I have a hat with ‘walking is brilliant’ on and it’s my fave hat!!

 

[J Willhaus]

Think also about how you will secure these electronics.

 

[gerardcarey]

I too, at 68, decided to explore my creative side.
I left Lisbon with laptop, camera and enthusiasm.
I was by no means a newbie.
The enthusiasm had vanished completely by the time I reached Parc de Nationes. (about 10ks?)
I took the train back to Lisbon, sent laptop, camera and other assorted non essentials to Ivar who diligently looked after them until my arrival in Santiago several weeks later.
I did retain my telephone.
I never missed the other electronics even a little.
Regards and good travelling
Gerard

 

[dbier]

I'll bet you can be just as creative (if not more so) with less gear. And "abundant" power ports are in the eye of the beholder.

You're also traveling off season, so to speak. At least in Spain, fewer places are open.

Bom Camiño.

 

[trecile]

I'll bet you can be just as creative (if not more so) with less gear

That's so right - making do with less can force you to be more creative.

 

[Robo]

I would be concerned about finding time to be 'creative' in the afternoons/evenings.

My time is fully taken up with sightseeing, meeting people, sharing meals, chatting, washing, resting.......

I take loads of photos along the way, typically about 2,000-3,000 in a month.
But my main 'journaling' is with video.
I take about 15 mins of video each day.
The 'creative' bit (if there is any) is in selecting and framing photos.
Or in capturing video that reflects the highs and lows of my journey, in the same way a journal might.

There is no compiling or editing along the way.
That would take up too much time and can be done at home.

Just another approach. What ever suits you of course.

On my first Camino I investigated small compact cameras.
(I have a few SLRs and Video cameras at home for business use)

I ended up taking a phone and a tiny gorilla pod tripod. tiny. phone size.
Never regretted not having a 'pro' camera with me.
But that's just me.

The best camera to take, is the one you will genuinely make most use of

Before my first Camino, I chatted with the Priest who walked to Jerusalem and made a documentary about it.
Fr Johannes. A very talented videographer and story teller.
He told me he wished he had a smaller camera (he took an SLR), as a smaller easy to use one, would have got used more.
If you have not seen his work, it's amazing.
I think there is a small donation to watch the full film.

 

[longwayhome]

I understand that you would like to translate your experiences in life and make sense of things through your Camino, whilst exploring creativity . There is nothing wrong with this plan per se. You will be using technologies and ideas that are currently familiar to you. You should carry what you will, sit at your laptop if you wish for hours on end and perhaps that is the Camino you need right now.

But maybe you could do that at home?
Or perhaps challenge yourself as to exploring all things Camino that you don't yet know that you don't know !

Travel light, shed a lot of stuff and your old ways of doing things and see what evolves.

 

[marsheng]

Thanks for all the replies. So much useful info. The problems I have is that I have never made the time to edit and document my photos on any of my many trips once home. They all sit on my drive or if you are old enough, prints in a drawer.
I only plan on taking a few photos each day. Maybe less than 5 but the photo will be around what moves me in the picture. I'm not just taking random pictures. I'll record what moves me on my phone and then put that into the laptop. I have been 'practicing' over the past few weeks. If it gets all too much, I believe I can ship the bits to my rest days accommodation and do it then.

 

[dick bird]

Thanks for all the replies. So much useful info. The problems I have is that I have never made the time to edit and document my photos on any of my many trips once home. They all sit on my drive or if you are old enough, prints in a drawer.

I get that. But it raises the question of what you are going to do with all these carefully edited images once you get back home?

 

[feenzo]

I hope you find what you are searching for. My advice is leave as much behind you as you can, remove the modern trappings behind and make friends on your journey. People on devices tend to isolate themselves without experiencing the true value of the Camino camaraderie.

 

[Juspassinthru]

Thanks for all the replies. So much useful info. The problems I have is that I have never made the time to edit and document my photos on any of my many trips once home. They all sit on my drive or if you are old enough, prints in a drawer.
I only plan on taking a few photos each day. Maybe less than 5 but the photo will be around what moves me in the picture. I'm not just taking random pictures. I'll record what moves me on my phone and then put that into the laptop. I have been 'practicing' over the past few weeks. If it gets all too much, I believe I can ship the bits to my rest days accommodation and do it then.

Go do what you need to do, it will sort itself out.

Buen Camino

 

[feenzo]

I hope you find what you are searching for. My advice is leave as much behind you as you can, remove the modern trappings behind and make friends on your journey. People on devices tend to isolate themselves without experiencing the true value of the Camino camaraderie.

 

[CTLawGal]

Agree strongly with those who say bring less and you will likely be too tired at the end of each day to fiddle with the electronics. I also think it is so important to be present as you walk, and working with all that gear, in addition to being heavy, can so easily take you out of the present.

One consideration I believe was not mentioned is making sure you have dry sacks for your electronics in case it rains - I once lost a prized camera in a torrential downpour - it was in my pack but the water damage sustained made it more expensive to repair than replace.

I upgraded my iPhone to the 15 Pro Max (optical zoom up to 5x) before leaving on my Camino, I also brought a small Leica with a single lens. The phone fit in my pocket and I could retrieve it easily when passing something I wanted to capture, the camera I carried in a waist sack, but it felt difficult to remove and after the first week or so, I rarely took a picture with it. I don't like walking with a camera dangling around my neck or off my shoulder, not for more than 30 minutes anyway, it just feels too heavy (combine that with a pack, not great). But taking a picture with the phone was easy, I barely had to slow down. I look back on the resulting pictures and I think they were great - of course I'm not blowing them up to poster size, and I have yet to follow through on my intention to compile them into a book (how to edit down to a manageable number? would I need 3-4 volumes? I feel overwhelmed with options, one day though, for sure!)

I brought a little notebook to jot down my reflections and mileage each day, but there were days I just didn't get around to it (too tired, exploring the destination, talking for hours over dinner with new friends), but if you're more than 2-3 days behind, it's hard to catch up!

I often found myself sitting alone at lunch or other breaks (less so at dinner), and I would use that time to go through the morning"s photos, throw out the duplicates or ones that didn't work, do some basic edits on the ones I liked (straighten that horizon line! crop out the distracting parts!), which are quite easy on the phone. And then identify my favorite shots with hearts. In the evening, I would go through a similar process with the afternoon's shots, use wifi to download the heart pics into a Shared Album for the small group of friends back home who wanted to follow my adventures. Even this minimal process can result in feeling a little less present - but I've been an avid photographer and I know myself well enough to appreciate that if I didn't take pictures, I would be constantly distracted by seeing something I WISHED I could take a picture of. So for me the phone was a good compromise, especially since I was using it to check the Buen Camino app at crossroads to make sure I didn't stray from the path.

I don't do social media and don't want to be saddled with the obligations of a blog, so I would then try to record my thoughts in my little notebook - my intention before starting was, in simple terms, be good, do good, open my heart to beauty. That felt like enough for one trip, jotting down a few thoughts on where I had fallen short of my intentions, fallen into a judgmental state of mind, what impressed me and so forth.

Wishing you Buen Camino and hoping you find some connection with that more creative self you're seeking, whether you do it through your electronic gear or otherwise!