VintageCowgirl
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- September, 2023
Coming from the Wet Coast of Canada I’ve been hitting my stride with this Atlantic storm battering Spain. I’m used to being wet and having wet docks, shoes, feet. I started in SJPP on September 20 and I just want to be done do I’ve done 2 x 28 km wet days in a row.
Have been sharing the Camino with tour operators since Puente la Reina. Not usually the same tour companies. Theres a lot with different agendas.
I stopped for breakfast about 3km from Palas de Rey and then went to the table to get my stamp. There were 2 people there. But the man clutching the stamp kept opening credential after credential to stamp them all. And when done passed it to the woman who also had an armload of credentials to stamp. I don’t know why neither put the stamp down in between opening the next credential so pilgrims like myself with one credential to stamp could get it done. And then I saw the blue mini bus that I’ve seen a few times since Sarria. First of 3 sightings today. I guess those two drew the short straws and had to put on rain ponchos and take all their bus companions credentials out to stamp.
And then I saw another tour group I haven’t seen before at Boente. Three mini buses. The tour operator provided them all with red raincoats with the company logo snd yellow umbrellas. They were hanging around for everyone to get the rain gear on and some of them decided it would be prudent to block the Camino marker to make it difficult for others on the Camino to know to turn there. I got around them but they were soon on the way singing the praises of the Camino. So high visibility in more ways than one, though that was fine with me. They’re happy. I was only annoyed about blocking the marker. Then the rain really bucketed down which dampened the singing and I lost sight and earshot of them. About 30 minutes later when I was off the trail and on the road, their buses were waiting. Kind of a neat concept. Bus a little. Walk a little. And you might not even need to get off the bus to get a stamp in your credential.
Have been sharing the Camino with tour operators since Puente la Reina. Not usually the same tour companies. Theres a lot with different agendas.
I stopped for breakfast about 3km from Palas de Rey and then went to the table to get my stamp. There were 2 people there. But the man clutching the stamp kept opening credential after credential to stamp them all. And when done passed it to the woman who also had an armload of credentials to stamp. I don’t know why neither put the stamp down in between opening the next credential so pilgrims like myself with one credential to stamp could get it done. And then I saw the blue mini bus that I’ve seen a few times since Sarria. First of 3 sightings today. I guess those two drew the short straws and had to put on rain ponchos and take all their bus companions credentials out to stamp.
And then I saw another tour group I haven’t seen before at Boente. Three mini buses. The tour operator provided them all with red raincoats with the company logo snd yellow umbrellas. They were hanging around for everyone to get the rain gear on and some of them decided it would be prudent to block the Camino marker to make it difficult for others on the Camino to know to turn there. I got around them but they were soon on the way singing the praises of the Camino. So high visibility in more ways than one, though that was fine with me. They’re happy. I was only annoyed about blocking the marker. Then the rain really bucketed down which dampened the singing and I lost sight and earshot of them. About 30 minutes later when I was off the trail and on the road, their buses were waiting. Kind of a neat concept. Bus a little. Walk a little. And you might not even need to get off the bus to get a stamp in your credential.