Ever wondered what you might do with $2.4 billion?

[jirit]

The drawing for the Spanish Christmas lottery El Gordo, known as the world’s richest in total prize offerings, took place on Thursday when local school children sang out the winning numbers at the Teatro Opera House in Madrid. This year, the lottery total winnings reached $2.4 billion, and those with the ticket 66513 won the top amount, the Associated Press reports.

I guess you can spend the rest of your days walking the camino...?

Or buy that little albergue you have always had your eye on...?

http://time.com/4616441/el-gordo-spain-christmas-lottery-2016/

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I guess you can spend the rest of your days walking the camino...?

Or buy that little albergue you have always had your eye on...?

Or buy them all and then spend the rest of your days walking the camino knowing that you've always got a place for the night.

 

[ivar]

I had 3 tickets... €0,-

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I would buy the rights to the Caminos, buyout the mochileros, buy new matresses and a dehumidifier for San Juan de Ortega, a generator and running water to San Anton.

I would issue a limited number of Camino visas after having received letters of intent including what the pilgrim would for the Caminos.

I would also rebuild all the old hospital ruins on the various routes and turn them in hospices, social services centers, social reintegration facilities.

And would quit my job. Did I forget to say thst up front?

 

[oursonpolaire]

I wouldbuild fuentes and public toilets every 5km along the Camino del Norte, the Cami de San Jaume, the Camino Primitivo, and the Camino Aragonese.

 

[Icacos]

I had 3 tickets... €0,-

Probably should have had 4.

 

[Mark Lee]

With that kind of greenbacks won?....I'm sure I'd still go about walking the Camino, but damn. I sure could have a lot of fun with it, too.

 

[nycwalking]

I would turn the albergue Nicolas del Flue into a the most beautiful refugio on the camino. I would set-up a make a wish fund for persons unable to walk due to lack of funds, expenses required to bury a loved ones ashes along the camino, stipulation, said loved one had to have completed the pilgrimage and requested ashes strew along the way and, pay for those who wish to volunteer but lack funds. Lastly, I would hire a tour bus kitted out with all the luxuries so I could walk the Via de la Plata while tour bus takes my family members old and young along the path, we meet from town to town, sightsee and enjoy.

 

[Kanga]

I would not build public toilets.

Instead I would fund and maintain an anti-litter campaign so that every albergue along the route had posters and free supplies of zip lock plastic bags and little trowels, and small reusable cotton clothes for the women. It would obviously need to be an ongoing campaign; most pilgrims only walk the camino once.

I would fund the cleaning of the camino regularly so that our dear Rebekah Scott and Ditch Pigs don't have to do it. With billions of dollars it could be done frequently.

I would also subsidise all of the cafes along the routes so that they can maintain and clean their existing toilet facilities (with maybe a sign outside saying "pilgrims welcome to use the toilet facilities, no charge").

I might also fund a social media campaign subtly spreading evil rumours about the Camino Frances; bedbugs, wild dogs, cold showers. In the hope that it would repel some of the less committed.

I am really glad disposing of this kind of money will never be an issue for me. Priorities. Women and children abused. Finding a cure for cancer. Ending world hunger. Too hard.

 

[SYates]

I would buy the rights to the Caminos, ...

Thank God nobody owns those rights and so they are not for sale ;-)

As for the OPs question: I would buy San Juan de Ortega, renovate it and make it a simple, but comfy albergue.

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Kanga, why not build public toilets? On the Primitivo, a cattle farm owner has built one, and a little shed with tables, coffee machine, etc. I thought she was a star for doing so and went asking for her to thank her in person. Dona Raquel. Why not prevent rather than clean up?

And you are right, deciding where to give is difficult. Ask anyone who is writing a will and doesn't have a visceral connection to one cause or one institution. Help with basic needs to save lives? Or invest to give students a chance to reach their potential? Save babies who have a full life ahead of them, bit may never contribute much? Or save the lives of adults who may contribute to society faster?

For those asking those questions about their own footsteps, the Andea & Charles Bronfman Philantropies finance a the 21/64 projec that has develop a tool to help people figure out areas they may really want to give to:
http://2164.net/store/tool/exploring-giving-deck

Happy giving, and not so much shopping.

 

[jdpiguet]

I might also fund a social media campaign subtly spreading evil rumours about the Camino Frances; bedbugs, wild dogs, cold showers. In the hope that it would repel some of the less committed.

I think I could help this one for free:
What about the savage bears and the pilgrims eating vultures?
Without speaking of dangerous cows?
Or may be the contaminated water and bad food?

Buen Camino, Jacques-D.

 

[Icacos]

I think I could help this one for free:
What about the savage bears and the pilgrims eating vultures?
Without speaking of dangerous cows?
Or may be the contaminated water and bad food?

Buen Camino, Jacques-D.

The pilgrims are eating vultures ?!! How bad is the food?!!

 

[rometimed]

The drawing for the Spanish Christmas lottery El Gordo, known as the world’s richest in total prize offerings, took place on Thursday when local school children sang out the winning numbers at the Teatro Opera House in Madrid. This year, the lottery total winnings reached $2.4 billion, and those with the ticket 66513 won the top amount, the Associated Press reports.

I guess you can spend the rest of your days walking the camino...?

Or buy that little albergue you have always had your eye on...?

http://time.com/4616441/el-gordo-spain-christmas-lottery-2016/

$6,000,000 and I could comfortably do walks for the rest of my life easy.

 

[Steven Dwyer]

$2.4 Billion would be great. Only problem is that is the total of all the winning tickets. The top prize (El Gordo) went to 1,650 who held the winning number. They each receive roughly $418,000. Not a bad sum, but not enough for all your dreams.

It is worth noting that all the winning tickets were sold by one vendor in Madrid. The way the tickets are distributed for sale sometimes results in a smaller town having all the top prize tickets. Perhaps we should all wish for our favorite town on our favorite camino to win and make life better for us.

 

[Debora]

We may not have the billion dollars to make big changes, but we could make a difference anyway. Like, donating new pillows, sheets or blankets to our favorite (or least favorite) albergue.

 

[movinmaggie]

I would purchase return tickets for every member of this forum and fly them to Santiago - to have them all join together in some type of pavilion, arena? of Ivar's choice. I would then give each pilgrim one million Euros to take back to their respective country and donate it, or use it to assist the poorest of the poor that you can find....then report back with your stories.

 

[jirit]

I would purchase return tickets for every member of this forum and fly them to Santiago - to have them all join together in some type of pavilion, arena? of Ivar's choice. I would then give each pilgrim one million Euros to take back to their respective country and donate it, or use it to assist the poorest of the poor that you can find....then report back with your stories.

Maggie

Lovely offer but sadly $2.4 billion won't be enough. With over 60,000 members on the forum the total cost for returns tickets for all will easily run into the billions, like 60 billion!

$2.4 billion just does not go as far as it did in the past

 

[movinmaggie]

Oh my; I knew we had many members, but had no idea of the actual numbers. Hmmm, I'll have to re-do my math...

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Oh my; I knew we had many members, but had no idea of the actual numbers. Hmmm, I'll have to re-do my math...

Just share with the loud-mouths .