Greetings from Annie in London

[AnnieBobanny]

I'm planning to do the SJPP in the next 2-3 weeks. I don't have a pre-determined length of time to be gone. I'll be gone as long as it takes. I'm determined to finish the pilgrimage, even if it takes 3 months! I'm heading out alone, but hoping to make some friends along the way. I'm really excited about the journey. My only concern is reports I've read about bedbugs in the hostels. All those posts were old, so really hoping it isn't an issue any more. I'm 44 and at that time of life in which I'm reflecting on my life, evaluating what I've done, what I haven't done, what I want to do, and what it all means. I'm not a religious person, but I'm spiritual, and hope this journey will be an enlightening and fulfilling one.

If anyone is taking the same route around the same time and wants to meet up or say hi along the way, let me know!

Buen camino everyone.
Annie

 

[MichaelB10398]

You will find many friends on the Camino and don't expect it to be a coincidence. Be open to others; smile first and introduce yourself; when you see a service that could be done, do it; look for beauty along the Way and you will find more than you thought you would find.

Peace and joy on your Way,

 

[ksam]

Michael is right! You will meet people! The most amazing people. They will often prove to be exactly who you need at that moment. Just got home four days ago, and am still "glowing"! Don't expect it to wear off for a while, or at least that is my prayer.

Bedbugs...didn't meet one! I do know one or two folks who did but out of all the people I saw, that's a tiny tiny number. Just check out the forum for methods of handling and go in faith. It will all be well.

Buen Camino, Karin

 

[AnnieBobanny]

You will find many friends on the Camino and don't expect it to be a coincidence. Be open to others; smile first and introduce yourself; when you see a service that could be done, do it; look for beauty along the Way and you will find more than you thought you would find.

Peace and joy on your Way,

That sounds really great. It will be nice to be among what I think will be more soulful people than I usually encounter here in the urban jungle. Thank you very much for your advice. I will remember it.

 

[AnnieBobanny]

Michael is right! You will meet people! The most amazing people. They will often prove to be exactly who you need at that moment. Just got home four days ago, and am still "glowing"! Don't expect it to wear off for a while, or at least that is my prayer.

Bedbugs...didn't meet one! I do know one or two folks who did but out of all the people I saw, that's a tiny tiny number. Just check out the forum for methods of handling and go in faith. It will all be well.

Buen Camino, Karin

Whew, that's good news about the bedbugs Karin. Still glowing eh? It must be SO hard to go home after such a journey! I wonder if one could just live the rest of their lives walking the Camino??

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I wonder if one could just live the rest of their lives walking the Camino?

And on one change of clothes?

Prepare for bed bugs. They typically start appearing in July after it is warm and there have been plenty of pilgrims to transport them, so it is not surprising that the April, May, and June pilgrims have not seen any.

 

[jpflavin1]

Annie:

I walked with a close friend from London this Spring. We encountered no bed bugs. Take precautions suggested and sleep in a silk liner.

Pack light, start slow and be open to everything. The Camino will provide.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[MariannaPankalla]

Hi, Annie,
I'm just saying "HI" and guessing that our timing will be a little off. I'm starting my Camino in Logrono, planning on 24 days. Unfortunately, I can't take as long as you, but if you walk fast - who knows, maybe we will meet.
Anyway, have a great spiritual/midlife reflecting trip,
Marianna from Calgary, Canada

 

[AnnieBobanny]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate the time and effort.
I have to admit, I'm a little scared about this trip. Not regarding safety, but regarding my old body and specifically my feet. Oh well, I feel drawn to do this, so I'm placing my faith in a higher power to look out for me.
Buen Camino everyone!

 

[Anniesantiago]

A silk liner will not prepare you for bedbugs, and as another person mentioned, the reason people haven't seen them is because they walked early in the season. Now that it's getting hot, the eggs will be hatching and the bugs will make their rounds.

I have an entire section on bedbugs in my blog, if you're interested. It tells how to know if they are there, and what to do.

http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/06/dont-let-bedbugs-bite.html

If you are not allergic, consider buying an insecticide sheet to go under your sleeping bag or take something to put on your skin at night.

All it takes is one infested albergue and the bugs will be from that point onward for the rest of the trip, carried in the mochilla and clothing of the pilgrims.

Be prepared but have fun!
Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I'm placing my faith in a higher power to look out for me.

There is a joke that goes like this:

A man visits an old farmer's garden, and he observes, "The Lord certainly has blessed you with a beautiful garden."

The farmer replies, "Yes, but you should have seen it before I got here and God had it all to himself."

You have primary responsibility for caring for your feet, so read all about it, and, more importantly, follow the tips!! The higher power will then prevail...

 

[Br. David]

Good strong life affirming positive post Annie - and don't worry about worrying, it is part of the anticipation. If you knew you could do it it wouldn't be a challenge (you can, you will). Everyone has those anxieties just before 'going over the top'.

All is well. :wink:

 

[AnnieBobanny]

Good strong life affirming positive post Annie - and don't worry about worrying, it is part of the anticipation. If you knew you could do it it wouldn't be a challenge (you can, you will). Everyone has those anxieties just before 'going over the top'.

All is well. :wink:

That's very kind, David, thank you. As the time gets closer, the more anxious I get and wonder if I've made a terrible mistake spending all this money and making all these plans because I'm sure I won't make it because my poor body is a wreck, and that I'm crazy to do this alone, and what if I get lost in the Pyrenees (or anywhere else for that matter), or eaten alive by bedbugs, etc. Part of me is truly chilled about it. Common sense tells me that there are thousands of people on this same journey, most of them have maps, there are signposts, etc, and therefore I will never be alone and can't possibly get lost. Another part of me wonders if I'm being terribly naive about the whole thing and that I should have started training 6 months ago, found a travel partner, etc etc. Oh well, I guess there's only one way to find out. And to be honest, I have nothing to lose, so I'm going for it. I'll either make it or I won't. It's that simple.

xx

 

[AnnieBobanny]

A silk liner will not prepare you for bedbugs...

Thank you for this information, Annie! I will go read it now. Though it's discouraging that the silk liner won't help. Everyone says something different about every single issue/topic of this journey and it's hard to know what to do and how to prepare.

Thanks again x

 

[Br. David]

"As the time gets closer, the more anxious I get and wonder if I've made a terrible mistake spending all this money and making all these plans because I'm sure I won't make it because my poor body is a wreck, and that I'm crazy to do this alone, and what if I get lost in the Pyrenees (or anywhere else for that matter), or eaten alive by bedbugs, etc. Part of me is truly chilled about it. Common sense tells me that there are thousands of people on this same journey, most of them have maps, there are signposts, etc, and therefore I will never be alone and can't possibly get lost. Another part of me wonders if I'm being terribly naive about the whole thing and that I should have started training 6 months ago, found a travel partner, etc etc. Oh well, I guess there's only one way to find out. And to be honest, I have nothing to lose, so I'm going for it. I'll either make it or I won't. It's that simple."

There you go - you exactly sum up the thoughts and feelings before the first Camino ... I remember thinking all that and then, about five days before I left home, I found I had completely forgotten why I wanted to do it - in a really negative way.

It really is alright - All is well - those fears are because we like to be able to predict how we will act/react in any given future situation .. because the Camino is nothing like anything we have done we cannot come up with 'failsafe' plans and this leads to those fears and hesitations ...
..
be not afraid, this is completely normal - All is well :wink:

 

[AnnieBobanny]

Thank you Br. David for your reassurance! It's much appreciated. And it's nice to know I'm not the only one who has fears and anxieties about it! I'm sure I'll remind myself of your words along the way.

 

[moonmaiden]

Hello Annie,

I have just decided to do the Camino this summer a few days ago, though I have known about it for years, and if I can get sorted out in time I am planning to head off next week. I am about your age, have similar trepidations and similar reasons for wanting to do it from your post. Also I have done no physical training whatsoever by the way! I think I am going to get the train from London to Lourdes and spend a night there before heading to the official start. My birthday is on July 17th, so if possible i think it would be auspicious to start on that day. We may meet on route I'll look out for you.

Good luck with your preparations.
Ruth

 

[RENSHAW]

My only concern is reports I've read about bedbugs in the hostels.

Life must be good if all you have to worry about are bedbugs :mrgreen:

Imagine what the pilgrims had to put up with a 1000 years ago - he he.

I like the option of taking 3 months- it won't take that long but if you take 6 weeks /40 days , you will be at ease and able to take a detour here and there.

I feel that I rushed my first Camino - 33 days - so each year I return to walk a stint - very leasurely - sometimes I only walk a few miles in a day.

 

[AnnieBobanny]

Life must be good if all you have to worry about are bedbugs :mrgreen:

lol. Good point. Actually I have lots of concerns, but most of them are things that I am sure I can deal with and survive. The bed bugs are another matter. They are something that I think are really going to freak me out. I'm not afraid of spiders, snakes, mice, or the usual critters that many are afraid of. It's the blood-sucking parasite type creatures that freak me out. Bed bugs, chiggers, ticks, giant malaria-infested mosquitoes, etc. It's going to be very challenging, especially because I'm sensitive to bites, so if those little devils get a hold of me I'm going to be a mess indeed. (whispering to self: "God, grant me the serenity..."). Oh, and slugs creep me out too. Yuck.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I once had to outrun a slug, so I know what you mean!

Take a DEET insect repellent for night use to keep the bed bugs away if you are sensitive to bug bites. Apply only to exposed skin, like head, hands, shoulders, and arms. Wash in the morning, since the stuff is a bit toxic. And have some antihistamine on hand.

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

It is also worth knowing that the municipal albergues will give you a fitted under sheet and pillowcases which help keep the bugs away. They are used once and then thrown away.

There is good reason not to use the albergue blankets as they sometimes have bugs in them.

I lurk round this forum and I have come to see falcoln as someone whose words are worth heeding.

The great advantage of starting in London is that when you return home you don't have so far to travel from Stanstead. I miss not being in London for that reason - but it is the only one!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The disposable linen has nothing to keep bed bugs away. They can crawl right onto it. It does reduce dirt from previous pilgrims. Bed bugs nest in the wall, the bunk, and mattress, so the blankets are mainly a source of mildew and dirt, not bed bugs. They will not contaminate you any more than the mattress will. The mattresses in hotels/hostales will not be reliably better than the ones in albergues. Some very finicky people have lowered their standards enough to go as a pilgrim, so their attitude adjustment may be worth emulating!

A pilgrimage is rarely a four-star hotel event.