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  1. katkins_in

    The one thing I should have done before I left for the Camino

    A friend advised me to get a debit/credit card that does not charge, or absorbs ATM fees (in my case, Charles Schwab). Using that card in Europe, and refusing the "do you want to exchange for local currency" query, I have NO fees for any of my cash withdrawals. Just Euros withdrawn at the rate...
  2. katkins_in

    The one thing I should have done before I left for the Camino

    If you are a "pee a few times before flushing to save water" person... Flush the toilet! (I forgot once. Eww.)
  3. katkins_in

    The one thing I should have done before I left for the Camino

    If you have a tank water heater, turn it down or off, but be sure to leave at least one hot water tap open, so when the water cools, the tank won't implode/crumple.
  4. katkins_in

    What do you wish you had worried less about?

    ...find myself on the streets or in the woods some nights as I continued on for 20 more days... Everyone assured me "the Camino Provides"... and it *does*... almost always in the form of friendly, helpful, kind people who actually do the providing (mostly of assistance calling ahead to help...
  5. katkins_in

    What do you wish you had worried less about?

    <hugs> That's a lot of fears/concerns, and many sound well-founded, for you. There are cathedrals in almost every town, so wherever you are on Sept 11, hopefully you will find a peaceful place, probably a mass you could attend, or just a calm place to be and reflect. You reminded me of one...
  6. katkins_in

    Update on The Way 2

    (except it led to a redemptive and "insider" moment to an insular culture...)
  7. katkins_in

    What should I do about calluses?

    I basically file my callouses down twice a day when I stop for breaks and let my feet out of the shoes and socks... if I don't, they get very rough and start "catching" the socks and causing friction. Last walk I just used a lightweight flexible disposable nail file for this, and it lasted the...
  8. katkins_in

    Quiet pole tips?

    ...I really liked them. I just brought the tips, in carry-on, and acquired poles in France and they fit just fine and never came off... They're not *quite* as quiet as my friend's expensive swiss poles... the "fingers" on hers seem a little softer somehow... but they can be near-silent if you...
  9. katkins_in

    Women's sandals for plantar fascitis

    ...she said (she was told) it's because when the foot structures get overstressed, the lower calf muscles take over some of the work, and once *those* get overstressed, the foot inflammations flare up. So if you can make the calf muscles happy again, they will support the foot...
  10. katkins_in

    Carry-on packs

    They took your poles? I thought that was never an option for carry on...
  11. katkins_in

    You can invite a companion on Camino, but you can't make them walk (in preparation)!

    ...easily at home in a few hours, I can walk 24km on full camino days without too much trouble. My other big revelation the first three caminos was: * day 1: sore and tired feet and knees, need to take breaks, change socks, watch for blisters * morning of day 2: sore feet, sore knees, sore...
  12. katkins_in

    Portable bidet - would you use it?

    Ah, but that "brrrr" is refreshing when one has any condition that causes a burning sensation. You get used to it quickly. Well maybe I just have a hot... tuchus.
  13. katkins_in

    Portable bidet - would you use it?

    Oh, I would, and I do! It makes life so much less sh*tty. :) It weighs very little. The water in it can come from a stream, etc. since you're not getting it inside of you (of course you'll go far from said water source to do your business). A lifesaver some days. I use a small backpacker...
  14. katkins_in

    What’s up with the rail connection between Spain and Portugal?

    Ah -- I just noticed this thread from a couple of weeks ago ... could it be related (i.e. something happening again this month)? https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/rail-line-closed-between-santiago-and-ourense-services-to-madrid-disrupted.82571/
  15. katkins_in

    What’s up with the rail connection between Spain and Portugal?

    A friend last year in July had the experience of buying a ticket online for that route for sometime early afternoon, and then finding out that there was no such train as the one she had a ticket for. She was able to get a bus ticket and a refund for the non-existent train. I just mention it...
  16. katkins_in

    Effectively Avoiding Blisters

    ...day for the last couple of weeks before your trip, in the shoes and socks you intend to camino in, with your intended pack weight on you... And *noticing* when you feel a hot spot and stopping to do *something* about it, whatever your something is, before it's too late. Last year it was...
  17. katkins_in

    Quiet pole tips?

    (we're talking about: https://www.deporvillage.net/tsl-outdoor-crossover-pad-white-red ) My friend's tips don't seem to pick up anything, and mud, etc. rinse right off in a puddle. Hundreds of thousands of silent impacts vs perhaps needing to rinse a tip once in a while? Seems like a good...
  18. katkins_in

    Quiet pole tips?

    They are the best tips I've ever encountered. I just don't own any. :( Yet. :)
  19. katkins_in

    Quiet pole tips?

    Yes! Yay! (But, do they attach to other manufacturer's pole tips... ? I can't tell.) Thank you!
  20. katkins_in

    Quiet pole tips?

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