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Funny signs on the Camino and those that lend themselves to humour!

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Similar to another one here. On the Meseta in a picnic area. The last Teo was at a restaurant. I have no idea where it was except it was on the CF.
 

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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Not really relevant to Camino, but this sign brought a smile to my face. It was at a trailhead in Colorado where I was departing on a backpacking trip.


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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Similar to another one here. On the Meseta in a picnic area. The last Teo was at a restaurant. I have no idea where it was except it was on the CF.

These are the, fast becoming ubiquitous “No Defecar” signs. They may appear funny, but they address an emerging and potentially serious health problem.

While there are NO public restrooms along the Camino, too many pilgrims just drop their trousers and go wherever they can. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this.

1. Learn proper ‘cat sanitation.’ Find a Boy Scout field manual, or something like hiking or camping for Dummies...seriously. Practice (up to a point) in your own backyard or neighborhood so you understand how it works. Carry a lightweight field trowel, available at most any outdoors store. Mine is aluminum and weighs 57 grams, about two ounces.

2. Learn to adjust your diet and bowel habits to “process” BEFORE departing your previous night’s lodging. Most people can do this if they try. There is a reason why more than a billion rural Asians call it “night soil.”

3. To the extent possible, “hold it” until you arrive at the next bar / cafe.

4. Bush-squatting should be an absolute last resort for bowel movements along the Camino, NOT YOUR DEFAULT SETTING.

Above all, as pilgrims, we are quests in a foreign place. Please be respectful.

I have been a ‘Ditch Pig.’ I know, first-hand about cleaning up after you. Been there, done that.

This practice is unecessary, unsanitary and is going to cause an enteric disease problem in future if it continues. If you learn ‘cat’ or field sanitation, someone who comes afterwards should not be able to tell you were there or the ground is disturbed. Please learn to do it right.

Hope this helps.
 
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With all due respect, I think this thread would be best served if we stayed on point.

This is not meant as a criticism in any way but I have noticed even in the short time that I have decided to do so some posting, that even the most light hearted and humorous threads can be highjacked.

Please respect the intent of the post. Many thanks :)

These are the, fast becoming ubiquitous “No Defecar” signs. They may appear funny, but they address an emerging and potentially serious health problem.

While there are NO public restrooms along the Camino, too many pilgrims just drop their trousers and go wherever they can. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this.

1. Learn proper ‘cat sanitation.’ Find a Boy Scout field manual, or something like hiking or camping for Dummies...seriously. Practice (up to a point) in your own backyard or neighborhood so you understand how it works. Carry a lightweight field trowel, available at most any outdoors store. Mine is aluminum and weighs 57 grams, about two ounces.

2. Learn to adjust your diet and bowel habits to “process” BEFORE departing your previous night’s lodging. Most people can do this if they try. There is a reason why more than a billion rural Asians call it “night soil.”

Above all, as pilgrims, we are quests in a foreign place. Please be respectful.
 
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I understand what you mean. I agree that the No Defecar signs seem funny at first glance. That was the thrust of the OP.

I get it. The first few times I saw them, I too thought they were very funny.

But having spent months along several Camino routes, having volunteered to clean up the Camino as a Ditch Pig, and hearing the experiences of pilgrims arriving at the Pilgrim Office (where I work each year as a volunteer), I have in-depth (pardon the pun) knowledge with this issue.

My inclusion of reality was to ensure the dialog did not get too trite or scatolgical. This truly is a very serious problem, along all Camino routes.

Think of it as humorous point, with a drop dead serious counterpoint. All debates should have two sides, a pro (humor) and a con (but do be respectful and responsible).

As an FYI, for 2018, about 327,000 pilgrims presented themselves at the Pilgrim Office after walking a Camino. Estimates for the coming Holy Year in 2021 suggest an annual volume of more than 600,000. This does NOT include pilgrims who choose, for whatever reason, not to go to the Pilgrim Office. So, the actual volumes on the routes into Santiago are higher.

The point being is that this problem of open defacation is going to gett far worse. Hence, I took the opportunity to expand the discussion by providing useful information.
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
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The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

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