Those BRIGHT motion activated lights, or how to pee in 5 seconds

[MARSKA]

In Spain I learned to hate motion- sensor lights.
You know, the BRIGHT ones the are triggered the second you open the door making it impossible to leave the dorm in the middle of the night without annoying everyone in the room? Or how about the ones in toilet stalls that turn off after 5 seconds so you have to wave your arms & jump around with your pants down in order to re-light the room? Ah- the indignities.

 

[dougfitz]

So what tips do you have for minimising the effects of these lights?

 

[Bradypus]

So what tips do you have for minimising the effects of these lights?

Or speeding up peeing? A question that seems to grow more relevant for me daily....

 

[Anhalter]

I have a special in my heart for those people unable to close the door again behind them when they went out to the brightly lit hallway in the St.Domingo d.l. Calzada albergue to go to the bathroom during the night. A very, very special place.

There i learned not to chose the bed next to the door if i can help it.
On other occasions i learned to always take my phone with me (there have been bathrooms with no light sensor in the stall...) and to always check for paper before comitting.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I have a special in my heart for those people unable to close the door again behind them when they went out to the brightly lit hallway in the St.Domingo d.l. Calzada albergue to go to the bathroom during the night. A very, very special place.

Hmmm- if that special place is in your heart, you’re a far, far better person than I…

 

[J Willhaus]

No way to move like a ninja with those motion sensors...or a Camino whisperer

 

[M2ME]

In Spain I learned to hate motion- sensor lights.
You know, the BRIGHT ones the are triggered the second you open the door making it impossible to leave the dorm in the middle of the night without annoying everyone in the room? Or how about the ones in toilet stalls that turn off after 5 seconds so you have to wave your arms & jump around with your pants down in order to re-light the room? Ah- the indignities.

The municipal Albergue in Xunqueira de Ambia on the Camino Sanabrés has a large perspex transom light above the door of both dormitories with motion sensor lights in the hallway. There is no escape!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

And to make matters worse there are too many doors with pneumatic devices to prevent you from closing the door behind you quickly.

 

[good_old_shoes]

how about the ones in toilet stalls that turn off after 5 seconds so you have to wave your arms & jump around with your pants down in order to re-light the room?

Ahhh, the spanish bathroom windmill, a move that only the experts know! !

 

[MARSKA]

Maybe there is a way to disable them? I stayed in St. Domingo dl Calzada...

I cannot understand why the albergues who think 9f everything forget about those lights,,,,

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I always figured the night lights were there to keep you from tripping, and if there was a fire you would easily find the way out.

 

[Flog]

Maybe there is a way to disable them? I stayed in St. Domingo dl Calzada...

I cannot understand why the albergues who think 9f everything forget about those lights,,,,

Yes, light sensors can be a nuisance sometimes, but if it bothers you, bring it to the attention of the hospi or leave a note, or mention it in the guest book. Best not to take such things into your own hands though, same goes for moving beds around, adjusting heating controls etc. Sometimes, things are how they are for good reason. I admit, flapping around in the dark isn't fun, though..

 

[Yoyo]

That made me remember my night in Roncesvalles
where the light went on every time someone went to the bathroom,
only to be followed by the loudest toilet flush known to man.

 

[Lindsay53]

I have wondered as I walked why the albergues have such things, they are unnecessary. All pilgrims should have a torch for night time toilet visits and in the event of a fire there will either be no lights at all or emergency lighting will come on to show the way to the exit.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

And why not red lights?

 

[dpatterson0516]

Ahhh, the spanish bathroom windmill, a move that only the experts know! !

When seated I often feel like John Williams conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra.

 

[Anniesantiago]

That made me remember my night in Roncesvalles
where the light went on every time someone went to the bathroom,
only to be followed by the loudest toilet flush known to man.

Why I take a sleep mask and good earplugs

 

[t2andreo]

I recommend an eyeshade. Spend the money to get a good fitting one.

Earplugs are also helpful to filter out most sound. But, the eyeshade will definitely work against these annoying lights.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Bradypus]

Why I take a sleep mask and good earplugs

Why I usually walk the quieter routes in winter and have the albergues to myself half the time! Or part of the reason anyway.

 

[nilesite]

Electric bills in Spain are exorbitant. Use your headlamp.

 

[Bristle Boy]

Electric bills in Spain are exorbitant. Use your headlamp.

That's the thing really. Conserve energy and reduce costs or run electric lights for no purpose if no one is about. You can't please everyone all the time.

 

[J Willhaus]

Slightly off topic, but for those of you who've been to Grañón, there's a light on a timer in the bell tower stairway. When we were serving there at Christmas one year, some neighborhood boys began playing with the control box as a "joke" on the pilgrims. The staircase was pretty dangerous in the dark. Phil and the local priest caught up with boys and Phil snapped their photo while they were tinkering with the mechanism. He then took the photo up to the bakery and the baker said she would have a word with their parents. It didn't happen again while we were there.

 

[J Willhaus]

It's not just when you are using the toilet. At Arres last summer the timer on the bathroom light would make the light go out while people were showering. You had to open the shower cabinet door to reactivate the light which was sometimes a little revealing in the shared bathroom.

 

[El Cascayal]

Alas, Pilgrims dancing in the dark…the new Camino movie, coming in a limited fashion to a theater near you. Will it increase the Peregrino foot traffic on the Caminos?

 

[Keith H]

Ahhh, the spanish bathroom windmill, a move that only the experts know! !

I was explaining this to my wife via text whilst executing said windmill! She thought that was hysterical

 

[MARSKA]

Yes I ran into the lights going off while in the shower somewhere along the way. I recall having a WTF response.

Seriously I know electricity is holy cow expensive in Spain and I would never mess with any automatic timers or controls.

 

[CWBuff]

And why not red lights?

You want a "Red Light district" in a co-ed albergue?

 

[OBJ. i]

Aah God be with the days when the privy was bucket in the corner of the haggard...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Seriously I know electricity is holy cow expensive in Spain and I would never mess with any automatic timers or controls.

Off topic and unrelated but this reminded me of my Catalan camino where two albergues had the wall outlets connected to the overhead lights. I almost didn't notice and my phone wouldn't have been charged. (I charged it in another room.)

 

[trecile]

Electric bills in Spain are exorbitant. Use your headlamp.

But the point of the thread is that many albergues have bright lights that automatically come in with a motion sensor.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

You want a "Red Light district" in a co-ed albergue?

I gotta admit, the same thought had crossed my mind...after all, Rick is often a jokester.

 

[Paul392]

And why not red lights?

Yes, I was wondering that myself. I’ve spent quite a bit of time at sea, and our lights all switched to red after 2200.

 

[El Cascayal]

our lights all switched to red after 2200.

I recently noticed that the newly renovated Albergues including the Monasterio Sobrado dos Monxes on the Norte have green inconspicuous lights strategically placed on the ceiling. Enough to walk safely in the dark.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

You want a "Red Light district" in a co-ed albergue?

I gotta admit, the same thought had crossed my mind...after all, Rick is often a jokester.

This time I'm serious https://www.prolampsales.com/blogs/...d-light-headlamps#:~:text=Less Blinding Light

 

[David Tallan]

In Spain I learned to hate motion- sensor lights.
You know, the BRIGHT ones the are triggered the second you open the door making it impossible to leave the dorm in the middle of the night without annoying everyone in the room? Or how about the ones in toilet stalls that turn off after 5 seconds so you have to wave your arms & jump around with your pants down in order to re-light the room? Ah- the indignities.

For the former, sometimes there is nothing you can do. But I try and open the door just the minimum I need to squeeze through and close it behind me as quickly as possible.

For the latter, it's such a pain when waving your arms is not enough. I started to bring my phone with me so that in a worst case scenario I could use the phone's flashlight.

 

[Pilgrim Patricia]

This might be one reason why @Rick suggested red light (not sure what else he might have had in mind, ha ha!)

From the site of the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory operated by the University of Calgary:

Flashlights are welcome at the RAO, though red light is preferred as it does not affect the telescopes and allows you to maintain your night vision.

 

[Keith H]

My watch has a ‘light mode’ which has come in very…uhh…handy…in certain albergues and cafes

 

[Walton]

Sometimes I think it is so nice sitting in the dark half asleep doing what nature intended.

There is no snoring or rustling plastic bags and you can usually take your time without someone rattling the door every couple of minutes or so as often happens. Ahhh solitude!

Just don't nod off.

Oh goodness, there are mosquitos here.

Camino life - it's all fun.

 

[dougfitz]

You want a "Red Light district" in a co-ed albergue?

Oh, @CWBuff, this is so, so sad that it brought a smile to my face. You are a truly a bad man!

 

[longwayhome]

It's not just when you are using the toilet. At Arres last summer the timer on the bathroom light would make the light go out while people were showering. You had to open the shower cabinet door to reactivate the light which was sometimes a little revealing in the shared bathroom.

Or shower next to a very tall person in the next stall as did I recently in Berducedo. She had worked out a complicated basketball manoeuvre that turned the light (located outside the cubicles in the main area), back on . The shower stall lights lasted a full 45 seconds before deactivating. By the end of our showers she had made several new friends and scored a few goals for the centre cubicle.

 

[nilesite]

But the point of the thread is that many albergues have bright lights that automatically come in with a motion sensor.

On and off. The mice in the kitchen flicked on and off all night at one albergue I stayed at a few years ago. Nothing you can do there. But when you use a bathroom, use a headlamp.

 

[t2andreo]

That's the thing really. Conserve energy and reduce costs or run electric lights for no purpose if no one is about. You can't please everyone all the time.

The simple answer is for everyone to sleep with eyeshades, and folks who get up to use the slightest light available. This is usually a headlamp, pencil torch, or smartphone illumination.

The entire point here is to NOT disturb others, as you would not wish to be disturbed.

It works for me when I use albergue style accommodations.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Yep, using an eye mask and earplugs would solve most night time albergue annoyances.

 

[J Willhaus]

The simple answer is for everyone to sleep with eyeshades, and folks who get up to use the slightest light available. This is usually a headlamp, pencil torch, or smartphone illumination.

The entire point here is to NOT disturb others, as you would not wish to be disturbed.

It works for me when I use albergue style accommodations.

Hope this helps.

Tom

A little more difficult with a CPAP machine to sleep with a sleep mask. Overall it is the hazard of albergue selection. Sometimes good, sometimes more difficult to sleep. The price is right, but comes with its own unique sleeping challenges.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

So what tips do you have for minimising the effects of these lights?

Glow in the dark undies?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Glow in the dark undies?

Do you have a brand you prefer or can you post us an Amazon link?

 

[Bristle Boy]

The simple answer is for everyone to sleep with eyeshades, and folks who get up to use the slightest light available. This is usually a headlamp, pencil torch, or smartphone illumination.

The entire point here is to NOT disturb others, as you would not wish to be disturbed.

It works for me when I use albergue style accommodations.

Hope this helps.

Tom

Agreed Tom...but this thread is about motion sensor lights in the corridors and toilets and not about your disturbing anyone on your nightly "visit" exiting the sleeping quarters. This is caused as soon as you open the door
In an ideal world everyone would mitigate disturbance by self help (shades and earplugs). In an ideal world everyone would have a low level light with them. In an ideal world everyone would know where the light switches were in the dark and, more importantly, turn everything off when you have finished.
The observation is that when motion sensor lights are installed they are too bright, too sensitive to a door opening and the setting too short in the shower/toilet area
These problems of disturbance are not caused by the client and, in the case of toilets/showers, is an inconvenience and not necessarily a disturbance.

 

[MARSKA]

Agreed Tom...but this thread is about motion sensor lights in the corridors and toilets and not about your disturbing anyone on your nightly "visit" exiting the sleeping quarters. This is caused as soon as you open the door
In an ideal world everyone would mitigate disturbance by self help (shades and earplugs). In an ideal world everyone would have a low level light with them. In an ideal world everyone would know where the light switches were in the dark and, more importantly, turn everything off when you have finished.
The observation is that when motion sensor lights are installed they are too bright, too sensitive to a door opening and the setting too short in the shower/toilet area
These problems of disturbance are not caused by the client and, in the case of toilets/showers, is an inconvenience and not necessarily a disturbance.

Exactly. Thanks!

 

[t2andreo]

We are all correct, each in our own way - sort of like the parable of the three blind men and the elephant. One thing that is certain, at least IMHO, is that these activity-based light switch sensors are not likely to go away anytime soon.

I agree with all of the commentary.

 

[David Tallan]

making it impossible to leave the dorm in the middle of the night without annoying everyone in the room?

this thread is about motion sensor lights in the corridors and toilets and not about your disturbing anyone on your nightly "visit" exiting the sleeping quarters.

It seems to me that one of the things this thread  is about is disturbing anyone when exiting the sleeping quarters, as the bright motion-sensitive lights spill into the dormitory. At least that was what I took from the quoted portion of the original post, and it informed my initial response.

 

[Bristle Boy]

It seems to me that one of the things this thread  is about is disturbing anyone when exiting the sleeping quarters, as the bright motion-sensitive lights spill into the dormitory. At least that was what I took from the quoted portion of the original post, and it informed my initial response.

Yes...I did also.

 

[David Tallan]

Yes...I did also.

I saw your "not about..." in the text I quoted above as saying the opposite. It was the placement of the "not" that fooled me. If you had written "and about your not disturbing anyone..." it would have read very differently than "and not about your disturbing anyone...".

 

[Bristle Boy]

I saw your "not about..." in the text I quoted above as saying the opposite. It was the placement of the "not" that fooled me. If you had written "and about your not disturbing anyone..." it would have read very differently than "and not about your disturbing anyone...".

If you had needed clarification it would have been better to do so by DM.

 

[KathyRugg]

I have a special in my heart for those people unable to close the door again behind them when they went out to the brightly lit hallway in the St.Domingo d.l. Calzada albergue to go to the bathroom during the night. A very, very special place.

There i learned not to chose the bed next to the door if i can help it.
On other occasions i learned to always take my phone with me (there have been bathrooms with no light sensor in the stall...) and to always check for paper before comitting.

Good rules for a long and healthy life.

 

[Lurch]

And why not red lights?

Well, WE know what a red light means…nudge nudge…I-used to work Vice.

 

[whiteblaze]

In Spain I learned to hate motion- sensor lights.
You know, the BRIGHT ones the are triggered the second you open the door making it impossible to leave the dorm in the middle of the night without annoying everyone in the room? Or how about the ones in toilet stalls that turn off after 5 seconds so you have to wave your arms & jump around with your pants down in order to re-light the room? Ah- the indignities.

LMAO ! You have to admit, it’s one of the indignities we all face on this and other situations in the various things we take for granted in our home life. My favorite is trying to get out of the top bunk and missing the step to get down safely and then Karpluk on the floor with a large bang boom and wake everyone up. Someone moved the ladder!

 

[WGroleau]

I have wondered as I walked why the albergues have such things, they are unnecessary. All pilgrims should have a torch for night time toilet visits and in the event of a fire there will either be no lights at all or emergency lighting will come on to show the way to the exit.

Maybe a warning about such should be added to the online listings of albergues.
(I’ve apparently had the good fortune of never staying in an albergue that had one.)

 

[WGroleau]

Electric bills in Spain are exorbitant. Use your headlamp.

??!!??
My water and heat bill in Burgos averaged €65/month Feb/Mar/Apr In Indiana, New York, Oregon, they have always totaled well over $100.

 

[WGroleau]

Yes, I was wondering that myself. I’ve spent quite a bit of time at sea, and our lights all switched to red after 2200.

One of the Navy ships I was on did not. Had to learn to get around the same way blind people do. With a bit of effort, one might scope out the layout before dark and plan how to navigate without light. If blind people and Navy people can do it …

 

[WGroleau]

My watch has a ‘light mode’ which has come in very…uhh…handy…in certain albergues and cafes

My phone’s flashlight is so <censored> bright that instead, I just call up an e-mail for its white background

 

[WGroleau]

… in the stall...) and to always check for paper before comitting.

And if it has an auto-flush, never lean forward while sitting!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

My phone’s flashlight is so <censored> bright that instead, I just call up an e-mail for its white background

I have an Android phone. I have two ways to get dim light with it.

1) My Lockscreen has a red background and I have these two settings on:
Display > Lockscreen > Lift to check phone
Display > Lockscreen > Tap to check phone

2) The Magnifier app's main screen allows you to turn the flashlight on and off and it has a slider to adjust its brightness.

 

[MARSKA]

LMAO ! You have to admit, it’s one of the indignities we all face on this and other situations in the various things we take for granted in our home life. My favorite is trying to get out of the top bunk and missing the step to get down safely and then Karpluk on the floor with a large bang boom and wake everyone up. Someone moved the ladder!

Oh yeah! And being a small woman, many times I couldn't reach all the steps.