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  1. Kiwi-d

    Doing the Backstroke on the CF

    Don't worry too much, I walked through three days of non-stop torrential rain in 2014 and survived. It's only water, after all. I second the above suggestions to use an umbrella, and to put everything into trash bags inside your pack.
  2. Kiwi-d

    Experiences of ghosts, premonitions or presences?

    The night before I caught my early morning flight to start the Camino, in a half dream I saw my sister, who had recently died. She was wearing glasses, which I hadn't seen her do for years and had her head down watching the trail. She didn't look up as she passed but I knew then I wasn't going...
  3. Kiwi-d

    What I Learned from Walking Alone

    I began alone, but ended up walking different sectors with three different peregrinos I met along the way, as well as alone. The lesson I learned was that I didn't have to worry about problems, I would always find a solution as problems arose and I'd be fine. On a different note, my two...
  4. Kiwi-d

    What is the nicest thing that anyone has said to you on the camino?

    "You walk like a moose!" Said to me by a Swedish gentleman trying to describe how fast I walked.... :)
  5. Kiwi-d

    Fun Camino stories

    And another funny story, which I'm sure any single ladies will relate to... I was sitting supping a sangria in Spain, as you do, when I was joined by David. David told me he was from Canada. Originally from Holland, they had the choice of Canada or New Zealand. "Oh really" said vaguely. Yes...
  6. Kiwi-d

    Fun Camino stories

    In the earliest days of my Camino I was top dog in a bunkroom of six, which at the age of 69 I wasn't overly enthusiastic about however I was grateful to have a bed. Come bedtime, I was alone in the room with a gentleman of a certain nationality who saw me settling into my sleeping bag. He...
  7. Kiwi-d

    That daily shower scramble - a different viewpoint

    And speaking of showers, this is from my notes after getting to Santiago de Compostela: I'm not totally insensitive, (in spite of what you may think), I have learned gratitude. I am going to go home and kiss my bathtub. I'm going to go down on my knees to my shower, which runs instant hot...
  8. Kiwi-d

    What Unexpected item did you find in your pack when you got home?

    Bedbugs. Dead, fortunately!
  9. Kiwi-d

    What's the one thing in your pack, that you absolutely CANNOT do without...and why?

    Odd that no-one has mentioned books. Reading to me is as necessary as food, water, even breathing. As a very fast reader, I can start a new book around 10pm, and finish it before going to sleep and sometimes read two books in a day. Reading is my 'winding down', so walking the Camino without...
  10. Kiwi-d

    Do top bunks stop bed bugs?

    Hi Chrissy. I transferred a small amount into a tiny spray bottle. It was just enough to spray the bag inside and out, as I was very conscious of weight, of course.
  11. Kiwi-d

    Do top bunks stop bed bugs?

    I was more paranoid about taking bedbugs home than I was about actually being bitten so even though I sprayed my backpack before leaving home, I carried a tiny bottle of Permethrin with me and sprayed my backpack inside and out before flying home. On arrival I left the entire pack outside for a...
  12. Kiwi-d

    Post your Camino veggie garden photos

    I constantly had the impression on the Camino that I was walking through people's private gardens. It seemed so intimate, so personal to Spanish life. Thank you for a lovely thread.
  13. Kiwi-d

    The mystical and unexplained....

    It happens even before you reach the Camino. At 69, I was very stressed about travelling to the other side of the world to walk the Camino alone and although I didn't realise it, I was grieving for my mother, my sister and my ex husband, all of whom had passed away. This was a text I sent to...
  14. Kiwi-d

    Bedbugs - What is your blood type?

    Some years ago I shared a hotel room in Prague with my husband and son. In the morning my son asked me if there was a scratch on his back, as his father had told him he was bleeding. I realised it was bedbugs and when we looked, the beds were seething, the bloated bugs were visible on the...
  15. Kiwi-d

    Rely on the waymarking, ignore your apps!

    I am so directionally challenged I could lose my way on a postage stamp, but found the Camino Frances extraordinarily simple to navigate. Shamefully I have to admit I barely even opened my Brierley, so didn't have a clue where I was going each day but at every junction or crossroads there was...
  16. Kiwi-d

    Camino Skies film.

    Thanks Terry. My friends and I are planning to see this film in the next couple of weeks. For any North Shore Aucklanders, it starts at the Vic Theatre in Devonport on the 11th of July.
  17. Kiwi-d

    Are there snakes on the Camino?

    Nana6, I have to say seeing my snake was actually a highlight for me, but then I'll probably never see another snake in my life. On the other hand, if I had come across a mouse or rat, dead or alive, my reaction would have been utterly (and irrationally, I know, I know) terrified. I guess it's...
  18. Kiwi-d

    Are there snakes on the Camino?

    I met this fellow in an albergue in Vega de Valcerce. I was the first person to check in and not having snakes in my home country of New Zealand, was quite fascinated to meet him. (Actually I'd rather meet him in my room than a mouse.) If anyone can identify what type of snake he is, I'd love...
  19. Kiwi-d

    Hair

    My hair is naturally very afro and I have to use straighteners every time I wash it. And yes, I took travel straighteners with me on the Camino and yes, had to post them ahead when weight became a problem. From that point on (about day two!) I wore a buff. What I did do a few times, however...
  20. Kiwi-d

    The Danger of using Permethrin to prevent Bed Bugs.

    I sprayed my backpack, boots and the outside of my sleeping bag with Permethrin before I left home, and also took a tiny bottle of it with me. Before coming home I again sprayed the backpack inside and out, as I knew someone I was walking with for a time had had an encounter with bedbugs. I...

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