Are wooden staff/sticks available to buy in Santiago?

[sparkart]

Hi! Might be a silly question but I was wondering if wooden staff/sticks are available to buy in Santiago? I'm currently walking with two poles but want to buy a staff as a souvenir and ship it home to Australia. Just wanted to check if there's no problem buying one in Santiago or if it needs to be bought before I reach Santiago.

Thanks!

 

[shubertj]

Hi! Might be a silly question but I was wondering if wooden staff/sticks are available to buy in Santiago? I'm currently walking with two poles but want to buy a staff as a souvenir and ship it home to Australia. Just wanted to check if there's no problem buying one in Santiago or if it needs to be bought before I reach Santiago.

Thanks!

No problem they are pretty available everywhere along the Camino including Santiago.

 

[Bradypus]

I have seen many just lieing around in Santiago. Especially in the albergues and at the pilgrim office. Abandoned by people who have completed their pilgrimage but cannot take them home as cabin baggage. I'm sure you could pick one up for free and have hours of fun imagining where it has been. In a couple of weeks I will be adding a wooden broom handle to the pile

 

[Anniesantiago]

What Bradypus said. Go to the pilgrim office and get one for free!
Also many, many shops sell the sticks as well as a kazillion other items.

 

[SYates]

Also Pilgrims house will have some 'left behind' sticks, Buen Camino, SY

 

[sparkart]

Thanks everyone! Very helpful

 

[natefaith]

Also Pilgrims house will have some 'left behind' sticks, Buen Camino, SY

Yes! We have a few wooden sticks left behind here at Pilgrim House (a day center/ welcome center for pilgrims). They're a bit rustic, though - we'll see if they're what you had in mind. I think for the most part pilgrims cut them off of trees, walked with them to Santiago, and then left them with us .
Buen Camino!
Faith

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Check the postage rates. You might be able to put a stick in every room in your house for the price of one.

 

[Hiawatha]

Be aware of the very stringent Australian biosecurity regulations though
Any timber object that looks in the least bit unseasoned will be confiscated by them and for good reason, as heartbreaking as it can be in some circumstances .
I was lucky to be able to persuade one officer that my Great Great Grandmother's beautiful hand carved lace bobbins were over a century old and so probably didn't harbour strange and exotic insect eggs or larvae .
Still the thought of an infestation of something as bad as giant Asian hornets is enough to make anyone supportive of quarantine officers .

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Related question (that I can not find the answer to elsewhere!)
Is there a Pilgrim's store in Santiago old city, (similar to St.Jean and Pamplona), that sells Pilgrim things particularly hiking/treking poles to begin one's walk? Maybe not, as it is the end point for most?
Thanks, Pam

 

[SYates]

Your best (and cheapest!) bet would be to check at Pilgrims House, they have lot of 'leftovers', including sticks, that look for a new home. The ones in the souvenir shops ... pretty useless imo. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Albertagirl]

I am in Santiago and I have been looking for a wooden walking stick with a rubber tip to take home to Canada on the plane from Madrid. I took one with me last year, but broke it in this year's walk. All sticks that I have looked at appear to have metal points and would probably not be permitted on planes. Besides that, last year my stick had to have a lacquer finish, to avoid bringing in unwanted critters. I am getting discouraged about my chances of finding what I need. I left my metal pole at Pilgrim House, as it is not suitable for backcountry use and would probably not be permitted on a plane. I did not see anything there for my purpose. As Faith says, they are "a bit rustic." I have not seen what I want in a store since I bought mine in St Jean pied de Port last year. Good luck.