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If I could, I would...Just wondering if you really mean 'no technology' ... None at all?
I took it as a vote that sees all the shades between yes and no. Not one or the other but both, depending on conditions.Hmmm. Not sure if this is a vote for.............or against technology?
Hi Robo!Hmmm. Not sure if this is a vote for.............or against technology?
Although, if I could, I would not EVER bring a computer or smartphone with me to this sort of journey!Hi Robo!
First of all, I`d like to tell you that I really liked your video from your camino. I was surfing the topic the other day and found it ( I cant really remember where)! Congrats!It brought me back some lovely memories!
I have to tell you that Im not sure either if Im for or against technology considering this statement!
I think I have to be glad because of technology is enabling me to go to the camino once again as I`ll be able to be in touch with my work... Considering this point of view, technology is an enabler for me to do certain things I like to do!
Thanks for bringing this view to my attention!
Ultreya!
Hmm. That is not what votes are for, or can possibly accomplish, by their very nature!I took it as a vote that sees all the shades between yes and no. Not one or the other but both, depending on conditions.
Well, life is complicated--and so I think what Dougfitz said yesterday is right:Hmm. That is not what votes are for, or can possibly accomplish, by their very nature!
As for the main discussion, my own view is that discussing the internet as if it was some monolithic device is pretty pointless. The question is the logical equivalent of asking if one would walk if there were no bars at which to eat. Just as bars are only one way of achieving an outcome, and can vary widely in the types of food, styles of service, etc, so it is with the internet. The subject of delivery mechanisms appears to me quite a seperate issue from application functionality and information content, yet they have all been lumped into one amorphous mass as if they could be discussed sensibly that way. Clearly, I don't think they can be, so I will go back to watching with morbid curiosity as you try.
Yes I also agree. And that's why I was unable to cast a vote!Well, life is complicated--and so I think what Dougfitz said yesterday is right:
If I could, I would...
First time I walked the camino I did not even have a watch with me! It was lovely!
Unfortunately its getting harder and harder for us to truly get offline nowadays!
Well Jirit,
Here's the question you left out:
How many carrying an iPhone, pre-booking albergue or hostal accommodation to get a bed, and plugging into the internet, see it as wrong, or beneath contempt, for others to use those other products of modern technology, ie the taxis, buses, cars and trains to do their Caminos their own particular way?
De colores
Bogong(who has to confess, at age 69,using a very basic mobile phone and occasional albergue internet to keep contact with a very worried wife, and adult kids who had seriously explored drawing on their mortgages to travel over to bring my corpse home)
How do you connect from Spain to say, Canada? Not sure my data package would support that without costing a fortune. Someone mentioned that I could buy a 'card' in Spain to help with sending texts. Is that correct? I'm confused about texting.When I walked the Way, I would have given my eye teeth to go without internet - I wanted/needed to go completely off the grid - but I relented when I became convinced that some people I was leaving behind would worry too much about me. I compromised by taking an iPhone (my first) and posting regularly so that those who cared to could know of my wellbeing. Other than that, there was no Skype, no phone calls, and just one or two very necessary emails initiated by me. Next time I hope to go off the grid - in fact I dream of it.
Ha! Here I am, the defender of connectedness, who said she didn't want to go anywhere without her smartphone!
It is an odd hypothetical question. One might ask "Would you do X, if you couldn't connect to the internet?" or "Would you walk the camino if you couldn't take a poncho?"
The absence of internet would not be a deciding factor for me. I did many things happily before the internet was invented and would do so in the future too if it were eliminated. However, I have no interest in eschewing the internet on a point of principle, as I enjoy the benefits it brings.
None of the answer choices is quite right for me. I would say "Willing to do so if it weren't available." I would not expect to be panicking.
Hmmm. Not sure if this is a vote for.............or against technology?
How do you connect from Spain to say, Canada? Not sure my data package would support that without costing a fortune. Someone mentioned that I could buy a 'card' in Spain to help with sending texts. Is that correct? I'm confused about texting.
Forgive me if I'm explaining the obvious, but it was not at all obvious to me a few trips ago!How do you connect from Spain to say, Canada? Not sure my data package would support that without costing a fortune. Someone mentioned that I could buy a 'card' in Spain to help with sending texts. Is that correct? I'm confused about texting.
EDITED
When I first did the Camino, the iPhone had not been released and very few people carried mobile phones. The only way to communicate with people back home was either with low speed email using coin operated Internet terminals found in the occasional Cafe, or via slow mo mail services, meaning most people got your postcard shortly after you arrived home from Spain.
Now we have always connected, high speed 4/5G networks, wifi, and Internet enable hand held multiple purpose mobile devices capable of running a small company, that slip into a back pocket. Photos, videos, FaceTime, Skype, and simple emails (including texts, etc) sent in an instant to anybody, anywhere, anytime, in the world.
So I am asking.
Would you still walk the Camino for 3-4 weeks if you were unable or could not to access internet during this entire period?
This means no access to email or the Internet, or Skype, or your fav apps, or electronic guidebooks, etc - basically nothing. Pen and paper kind of world stuff
Diane, if you are with Rogers... give roam like home a try.. really understand the programme and relax, no stuff to buy other then the extra to Rogers$10/day or maximum $100 in a 30 day cycle; it uses your excisting data plan; in essences if you use the plan 10 days, you might as well use it for the remainder of the trip;How do you connect from Spain to say, Canada? Not sure my data package would support that without costing a fortune. Someone mentioned that I could buy a 'card' in Spain to help with sending texts. Is that correct? I'm confused about texting.
I would walk without the internet ..... however I need to make bank transfers, pay bills and possibly reserve a hostel. My choice is to keep off line unless I need to do any of the above. We will be away from home for a total of 3 months or more.EDITED
When I first did the Camino, the iPhone had not been released and very few people carried mobile phones. The only way to communicate with people back home was either with low speed email using coin operated Internet terminals found in the occasional Cafe, or via slow mo mail services, meaning most people got your postcard shortly after you arrived home from Spain.
Now we have always connected, high speed 4/5G networks, wifi, and Internet enable hand held multiple purpose mobile devices capable of running a small company, that slip into a back pocket. Photos, videos, FaceTime, Skype, and simple emails (including texts, etc) sent in an instant to anybody, anywhere, anytime, in the world.
So I am asking.
Would you still walk the Camino for 3-4 weeks if you were unable or could not to access internet during this entire period?
This means no access to email or the Internet, or Skype, or your fav apps, or electronic guidebooks, etc - basically nothing. Pen and paper kind of world stuff
Diane, I see that others have responded to you with far more information than I could provide. When I started my camino I was so new to my iPhone that I had to ask a kind soul in Roncesvalles to coach me on how to connect to Wifi. And in Los Arcos I had to ask a young Aussie uni student to sort out another issue. (He zeroed in on the problem in seconds.) I am very much still making baby steps in the tech communication field. Buen Camino.How do you connect from Spain to say, Canada? Not sure my data package would support that without costing a fortune. Someone mentioned that I could buy a 'card' in Spain to help with sending texts. Is that correct? I'm confused about texting.
I walked in 2014 sans device. It took about 2 days to unplug my mind. And then it was such a relief. So liberating.EDITED
When I first did the Camino, the iPhone had not been released and very few people carried mobile phones. The only way to communicate with people back home was either with low speed email using coin operated Internet terminals found in the occasional Cafe, or via slow mo mail services, meaning most people got your postcard shortly after you arrived home from Spain.
Now we have always connected, high speed 4/5G networks, wifi, and Internet enable hand held multiple purpose mobile devices capable of running a small company, that slip into a back pocket. Photos, videos, FaceTime, Skype, and simple emails (including texts, etc) sent in an instant to anybody, anywhere, anytime, in the world.
So I am asking.
Would you still walk the Camino for 3-4 weeks if you were unable or could not to access internet during this entire period?
This means no access to email or the Internet, or Skype, or your fav apps, or electronic guidebooks, etc - basically nothing. Pen and paper kind of world stuff
We "walked the walk" in Nepal. No internet on many of the routes there, but even that is changing. No big deal if your personal life doesn't have complications requiring attention.
Thank you so much for your reply. You made me laugh! I've been on my iPhone for some time but am admittedly a techno-boob. I only need to touch base with my daughter every once in a while to let her know her momma is still alive and not to spend the inheritance yet - lol.Diane, I see that others have responded to you with far more information than I could provide. When I started my camino I was so new to my iPhone that I had to ask a kind soul in Roncesvalles to coach me on how to connect to Wifi. And in Los Arcos I had to ask a young Aussie uni student to sort out another issue. (He zeroed in on the problem in seconds.) I am very much still making baby steps in the tech communication field. Buen Camino.
EDITED
When I first did the Camino, the iPhone had not been released and very few people carried mobile phones. The only way to communicate with people back home was either with low speed email using coin operated Internet terminals found in the occasional Cafe, or via slow mo mail services, meaning most people got your postcard shortly after you arrived home from Spain.
Now we have always connected, high speed 4/5G networks, wifi, and Internet enable hand held multiple purpose mobile devices capable of running a small company, that slip into a back pocket. Photos, videos, FaceTime, Skype, and simple emails (including texts, etc) sent in an instant to anybody, anywhere, anytime, in the world.
So I am asking.
Would you still walk the Camino for 3-4 weeks if you were unable or could not to access internet during this entire period?
This means no access to email or the Internet, or Skype, or your fav apps, or electronic guidebooks, etc - basically nothing. Pen and paper kind of world stuff
In 2018 i feel that im now in two minds about technology . i feel that it is a useful tool - but also wastes a lot of time and can be detrimental to our mental health and experiencing things and being ' in the present ' can be compromised .
The last few times i walked (in hindsight ) I feel that I was spending a little too much time in the evening preparing my days walking 'impressions ' for my friends and families at home via facebook with many photos and status updates. I was tired and instead of resting completely i was uploading beautiful pics for people halfway around the world to see.
That is an admirable choice, if you feel you must make a choice between two extremes. On one of my Caminos I was bluntly told by a pilgrim, who made a big deal of being disconnected, that I spent way too much time on my phone, I should be more spontaneous, and even that I did not have a happy enough expression on my face. Needless to say, I did not find that to be "connecting to humans" in any good way, and the expression on my face got even worse.I choose connecting to humans.
So true!One of my most "connected to humans" moments was when five proud grandmothers, from Spain and all corners of the globe, stood around and admired each other's photos of grand babies on our smartphones!
My first Camino was in 1990. Mobile phone service did not exist on the Camino. The internet was still largely an academic project rather than an everyday tool and certainly was not generally available or expected. Communication was by post or landline phone. The absence of 24/7 communication and constant access to digital information was not a problem or a cause of concern to those walking then - you tend not to miss something you have never had or even aspired to! Modern gadgetry like the smartphone I often use to post here would have been implausible "Star Trek" fiction. There was no expectation or possibility of being immediately contactable during your journey or of having ready access to a telephone. Booking ahead was not a significant issue - numbers walking were very small and could easily be accommodated with the existing basic infrastructure. I think that I met fewer than 30 other pilgrims between St Jean Pied de Port and Santiago even though I walked in July and August. On many days I walked without encountering a single pilgrim and spent my nights in a refugio alone. There may have been several other barriers to my direct interaction with other pilgrims but modern technology was certainly not one of them. As the internet for all practical purposes did not yet exist tasks such as making or altering travel arrangements were done through travel agencies either in person or by phone. No one missed using online services because they never had them in the first placeThere will be people on this forum who have walked the Camino before Smartphones - what are their thoughts.
There was no expectation or possibility of being immediately contactable during your journey or of having ready access to a telephone. Booking ahead was not a significant issue -
In an interesting series, a Danish radio producer walked and were filmed doing the temples of Shokoku 88 in Japan.
He deposits his phone in temple no1 and picks it up again after the entire route.
He finds 385 mails !!
I totally agree. I was thinking in the lines lines of doing without, to see if you would reach other layers of experiencing the walk.But I think that it would be anachronistic to argue that an unplugged Camino is a more authentic or superior experience.
Sometimes though it doesn't. There were three of us, one on a bicycle, two walking - the plan was to meet up in the same village. The cyclist took what she thought was a shortcut alternative, got horribly lost, took advise from another cyclist and ended up 30 kms in the wrong direction, before eventually using Google maps and finding our village."I never felt lost because I had Google Maps with me, and could always find my way to where I wanted to go. "
But do remember, you can do the same thing without google maps- it's called "Asking people the way" usually works.
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