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I just use an esim data plan (Nomad works for me), Google Fi and Whatsapp for phoning, and hotspot to my tablet if I can't find a signal elsewhere. Never been an issue.
I carry the same things in my wallet everywhere I go ... the world ain't the dangerous place you've been propagandised into thinking it is. Just use common sense
... and you can't put that in your wallet 😉
I came across a couple community events while walking the Norte, and saw evidence of other scheduled activities ... 10 km run, BBQ's, markets, craft beer fest ... mostly toward the weekends.
Remember, the way is not your typical "tourist route". Unless you come from a place that has live music...
I lived for 4 years in a subsistence culture on a remote island in the Pacific before my first Camino at 72 ... I was actually disappointed that I found the Norte much easier than I was hoping. I did love it, though, and spent more time absorbed in the Spanish culture than in the Pilgrim...
"Expectations" ... Why should we "expect" anything? Most pilgrims are visitors from other cultures. Why can't we just immerse ourselves in the Spanish culture and accept it for what ever it is? As a Pilgrim, what have you contributed to their culture? We come, we walk, we take advantage of what...
"The Camino Provides" ... just let it. Don't let "fear" rule your life. Be flexible and make the best of what the Camino gives you. There are lots of options when you're really not doing much more than walking from town to town.
Buen Camino
I've always had a lot of respect and admiration for countries that refuse to push high levels of English usage ... kind of like rejecting modern colonialism ... or western exceptionalism. Plus, it adds so much more to an authentic experience.
Or, we could just accept there are a lot of things in life that may not be to our liking ... and adapt.
Isn't that part of our caminos? Adversity, problems, solutions ... getting out of our comfort zones and extending our world experiences ... tolerating others ... 🤔
Stay awake a few nights and...
I love it when I see amerikans discover another (the rest of the?) world ... and not so much as a "tourist" ... but as a part of something bigger and more meaningful. I was born and raised in the NW as well, and until I moved to another country and ended up spending 4 years as an Australian...
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