Finding treasure on the Camino de Santiago

MONDAY 30th May.

Km’s walked on Monday: 9,83: steps – 13492: floors – St Jean Pied de Port to Orrison

Before I launch into my belated travel log (no wifi), let me introduce you to Babar(my elephant size bag that gets transported daily by the Service) an Tinkerbell (seen below in pic). These two beautiful bags are my traveling companions for the two months I am here. They contain my entire life. (I have to confess that I have borrowed the concepts of naming my bags from Sonia Choquette, who inspired me to do the Camino MY WAY!) Babar is named after a fictional French elephant who is adventurous and different (google it, it’s fun). Babar the elephant is huge, and green and heavy, Babar the bag is huge and red and weighs 25kgs. That bag weighs a lot, so much that I hide from the “bag transport man” in case he says it’s too heavy and refuses to take Babar. Babar contains everything for in case……., so I think I may have to unload some of that in case stuff.  So far, I have not had to lift Babar myself, a Camino angel has just come out of nowhere each day, so no rush to unload.  My other bag is “Tinkerbell”.  She pretends to be light, but no so much. She’s my day pack, (sorry Companion). She carries all my daily stuff, and I guess will be part of me for a long time. I am sure you will hear more about Babar and Tinkerbell.

I woke early so I could set off for Orrisson, my first stop, only 9kms but at an incline that resembles koeksister hill on the Jive 21km road race. Of those that have walked Lions Head, it’s twice as steep. It was windy and overcast.  Felt scared and excited and emotional and ready.  As I left the village, I stopped to have  a pic taken at Porte de Espagne, which led me straight to the Chemin de St Jacques and the Route Napoleon. 

(Cynics beware, soppiness coming). The four young American “girls” that took my pic as I left St Jean, were the first of three groups of people to ask me within 1.5 Km’s’ “Are you doing this alone?”, and when I said I was, the reactions were somewhat varied. One couple shouted, “Be Careful!”.  Just what I needed on this momentous morning!!!!, Not!!! I realized as I walked that day that we can be so easily influenced by the negative thoughts and words of other people and how we have to keep navigating our own Way. I focused on my son Kyle’s beautiful Polaroid photo that he gave me before I left saying “I BELIEVE IN YOU!” Crown firmly placed on my head and Tinkerbell on my back I proceeded up up up towards the sky. 

SO,what can I say about the walk UP towards Orrisson, except that Comrades prepared me well, physically and mentally, and that as hard as the walk UP was, it was spectacular. The incline just became steeper and steeper and I kept thinking of Bev from Bishops who has just beaten one cancer and who runs Comrades and once said to me about the race “Walk 60 steps, and run 60 steps… And rest a few seconds….”, and I did that all the way up, I counted 60 steps, and stopped for five seconds, and started again, all the way thinking of Bev and walking for her and remembering to just rest.  No rush. This is not a race. I climbed and climbed towards the sky  and stopped to admire views like I have never seen, and then stopped to eat my Sunday night left over pizza, thinking I had a long way to go. Got Tinkerbell back on my back and then as I rounded a corner at Kilometer nine after leaving my hotel, there she was, …. Auberge Orrisson. At that point I wished I could just go on as I was in a groove, but once I checked in, I realized this was a good idea.

I checked in, and to my surprise I was sharing with six other women, luckily one being my friend Jacqui who arrived from England to walk with me for six days later that afternoon. We had a “jeton” to shower for five minutes each and instructions for dinner at 18h30. Having booked single accommodation with ensuite all the way (I thought), this was a shock, but I realsied that Orrisson had one building, this one. Babar was nowhere to be seen. I rushed won stairs and asked the charming hospitaleros (hosts) an they started calling. Five minutes later I was watching out of the window of the Auberge and there my Babar arrived.  I rushed down to meet him, and Cali him and promptly hid from the baggage guy as i thought he might say BAGGAGE too heavy…!

Dinner was delicious, we all had to introduce ourselves. I met Stephanie from Germany, Sylvia from Buenos Aires, Christie and Kimberly from Kentucky. We spoke in sign language and just talked. Stephanie could interpret as she spoke four languages.  What a day! Tomorrow, Princess Fanny continues her adventure, crown, Tinkerbell, and faith, hope and pixie dust.

Gifts for the day : Amazing people, left over pizza, and a person to carry Babar up the stairs.