If people stop their walking about 2 o'clock each day...

[Steve.Belfast]

...in order to secure a bed what do they do to pass the time?
I can see this might not be a problem in the bigger towns and cities, but what about the one horse towns?

 

[KiwiNomad06]

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun". People don't necessarily stop walking just to get a bed: simple reason for me to start early and finish early was to avoid walking in the hottest part of the day. I never had any problems filling the time. I did my washing, had something to eat, maybe a snooze. When it cooled down again, there was time to go and explore the place I was in, or sit and chat to some of the others who were there. Margaret

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Many profess to being on the Camino to have some time to themselves to think. An afternoon in a small town will test that assertion. Most pilgrims will drink, eat, talk, wash, sleep, read, and listen to iPods. It is rare to see someone alone and just thinking, like the person on the airplane that stares at the seat back ahead of him for eight hours. THAT is some REAL pilgrim attitude!

Quite frankly, it can be pretty boring to stop at 2 p.m., but the alternative may be walking in the heat of the day. The bed of roses is not located on the Camino, except maybe in a Parador hotel. Even that bed of roses probably has some thorns in it. That is why, "The Camino provides," is often said with a grin.

 

[sulu]

I usually stopped walking at about 2pm because I couldn't put one foot in front of the other any longer Sometimes needs must. I never had a problem with what to do, but perhaps I'm just too old to need excitement in the evening.

 

[WolverineDG]

There's plenty to do if you stop walking at 2. Laundry, showering, taking a siesta, grabbing a snack. Sitting around chatting with other pilgrims, or finding internet access & updating my blog, emailing friends & family letting them know that I made it one more day without being eaten by bears or wolves.

As for "thinking," I do that while walking, taking everything in, conversing if I want to, but for the most part, moseying along with no company other than my thoughts.

Kelly

 

[grayland]

On the other hand...not all people stop at 2pm. Many walk on until they have arrived somewhere they wish to stay (and has a bed). Not stopping at the "normal" stage stops that show in the guides has real advantages.

 

[Trudy]

I would stop walking around lunchtime ie between 12 noon and 1pm, simply because I can't walk much more than 20 kms per day. So that left me hours of time to fill in.

I'd book into the albergue, have a shower and change my clothes, then go out and find somewhere to get a Menu del Dia or Pilgrim Menu lunch. Then back to the albergue to wash clothes and have a nap. Later in the afternoon I'd wander around town, buy something for dinner when the local shop opened, and then write up my diary. Most people seemed to be in bed by 9pm, if not earlier, so that was OK.

Have to admit I did find the afternoons dragged in the smaller towns. While I don't mind chatting, it really does bore me if that's all there is to do. One pilgrim mentioned buying Sudoku puzzle books to fill in the time, and that was great because language is not an issue with Sudoku. I did try to carry a novel with me and would leave that at an albergue when I'd finished, and often found books left by previous pilgrims.

Trudy

 

[renegadepilgrim]

I usually stopped between 1:00 and 3:00p each day. Checked into the albergue, got my bunk, took my shoes and socks off, took a shower, did laundry, naptime, then wander around town or city to find either internet or whatever else I needed (sometimes food for the next day, sometimes a pharmacy run for compeed), dinner either at the albergue or at a bar, then off to bed. I found I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and not feel rushed if I finished around that time. There were a few days where I walked until 4p or later and I felt so rushed to get things done. Also, the heat of the day was the worst after Noon, so yeah, I really didn't want to walk much longer than that. Some people actually stop along the Camino, find a shady spot and nod off for an hour or two, then continue walking. It's all a matter of personal preference.

 

[Joni]

I never was bored one minute! On the Camino?? Never!!

 

[grayland]

It is sometimes interesting how our posts can paint a picture for those who have not yet experienced the Camino.
There is a recent thread where some are thinking about not going because "it sounds like the Camino has been paved over...." The "race for beds.." is often overplayed.
The snoring is not overplayed. :shock:

I guess that reading these threads can be both inspiring and misleading.
It would be interesting for someone to go back and read thier own posts and ideas before they went and how the actual experience differed.

 

[+@^^]

@Steve.Belfast
i understand the question
but i dont get it
.
what you doin rushing from point A to point B
and then not wanting to be at point B when you get there

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Well, somebody has got to feed and water the horse.

I don't blog, I avoid the internet like the plague, I don't have an iPod, nor do I carry a novel.

On the Camino you can use the afternoon to write up your journal, visit the local church and above, just Be.

You can discover a different way of being and it requires time and effort.

If you really can't get to grips then rest in the afternoon with a snooze and walk some part of the evening.

And, actually, boredom isn't necessarily bad for you.

 

[CaminoGen]

What did I do?

I washed myself and my clothes. I had lunch. I drank wine with friends in the garden. I walked around town to find THE supermarket that was open all day. I visited the local church. I did nothing. I took a nap. I laughed with my fellow pilgrims. I went to the farmacia. I cooked dinner. I planned my next stage.

Exhausted, I went to bed at 9:30

I actually think that a lot of the Camino experience comes from these moments when you are not walking.

 

[kuannner]

I don't think that I was ever bored on the Camino, ever. As a college student with traveling with no ipod, no laptop, and no books (I was sad about the no books, but they were heavy!) this was quite impressive. The earliest I ever stopped walking was 11am, the latest 6pm (only once, and it was kind of an odd sort of day). We generally got up to see the gorgeous sunrise in the first couple kilometers and proceeded to knock out a good 30 or 40k before stopping at wherever had a good supermercado, or a sweet monastary, or a particular draw/convenient location. I love cooking, was on a budget, and am a huge fan of building community, so I cooked whenever possible with whomever wanted to pitch in, and some days that took up so much time I didn't even have time for laundry or journaling. To have time to just sit and think and be would have been wonderful, but I'm painfully extroverted and if there's someone around me that I don't know that speaks my language, well, I'm going to get to know them, and the dinner group grows larger by one, as does my camino family. A couple times when we stopped at 11 I had time for a short siesta, but I was generally too busy for a nap (and why would you nap when there are people to talk to). I think I would have done well to have 30 hour days on the camino, but alas.

Of course, there were two english boys that walked the same schedule as me for about a week that would basically run to their destination, stop at 10am because they were "bored" then not even explore the town the were in and just sit and continue to be bored until it was time to go to bed. It was the same english boys that started to jog after they passed me limping (particularly bad day with the tendonitis) along the path. Wasn't a huge fan of them. Other than that, I never met anyone who was ever bored.

And if you are bored, grab a bottle of wine and a few glasses. Costs a euro, and the boredom dissipates almost instantaneously.

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Of course, there were two english boys that walked the same schedule as me for about a week that would basically run to their destination, stop at 10am because they were "bored" then not even explore the town the were in and just sit and continue to be bored until it was time to go to bed. .

Ah, obviously a case of Mad Jogs and Englishmen.

 

[Finisterre]

We never arrive before 7 in the evening.

Bars, cafes, breakfasts, picnics, long lunches, snoozes, beers, dinners, lolipops, snoozes, and walking filled the time.

 

[camo1990]

I actually don't mind the heat in the afternoons, in fact I prefer it! My reasons for this are because the road is so much quieter, which means you can really listen to the "silence" of nature. You can get great pictures with no other pilgrims in them (which is great when you have that one long path in front of you which seems to never end and is surrounded by wheat, vineyards or flowers). You can take your top off and get a nice tan, you can do this because the road is empty, I wouldn't do it if there were other pilgrims on the path... and it feels great pouring some water over your head and letting it drip down your back in that heat! And finally, because you're completely alone, you can contemplate much deeper without other pilgrims distracting you.

So for me, it is definitely worth walking until 5-6pm, this also allows you to walk at a very slow pace and still make it to your desired destination.

I usually woke up as late as possible (until the hospitaleros woke me up), which was around 8-9am, then I would have a relaxed breakfast until 10am, then start walking... because you start late there won't be as many pilgrims (besides the ones that catch up to you who started at 6am in the previous villages), and then by 2.30-3.00pm you have the road to yourself again. The latest I ever walked to was 10pm, but it was Monte de Gozo (which has 500 places) so I knew I would get a bed, although if I was any later I wouldnt have gotten a bed because they leave at 10pm!

However, there were times when I stopped early, either because I met my "family" in a town, or because it was a big city. Other than that there was one time when I only walked 2.5km starting at 11am and finishing at 11.45!

The points made about the washing, showering, shopping, they aren't really things that should take up your time when you get to a village... I would wash my clothes in the morning, peg them to my backpack and they would dry really quickly if the sun was out, usually between 1-2hours, if it was a cooler day then a couple hours extra. Showering takes 5-10 minutes and shopping at supermarkets can be done during the day when you are walking through a village... the advantage of shopping through the day is that you don't begin the day with food in your backpack, it gets squashed, bread often goes a little stale and it gets very warm (especially fruit), getting it half way through the day means you have a few hours of walking with a lighter pack and the food will be a lot fresher.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, I know that most people really dislike walking in the heat, and the fact that all guidebooks recommend you to stop at around 2pm means that not a lot of people will carry on walking in the afternoon... but for me it's so much better.

Joe

 

[annakappa]

Well Joe, you have certainly a made a great set of reasons as to why one could carry on walking through the afternoon. My husband Adriaan has always complained that I wanted to stop too soon, with the excuse that I had to get on with my "chores"! He has, in fact, proposed that this year, we walk on to later in the day. The heat won't be such a problem, because we will be walking in September and October. I think that this time, we will take it easy. Stop maybe for lunch on the road and then carry on. Why not? Anne

 

[grayland]

Joe does make very good points. The most important one is that we often all fall into the Camino "routine" and it becomes the norm to do and act very much alike. I do wonder a little bit how Joe got into albergues so late when we have been hearing stories of no room at the inn.

Each person should choose the most confortable method of walking his/her Camino...there is no right way or wrong way....just the way that feels right to you. All this has been said many times and no doubt will be said again. :wink:

 

[grilly]

This year, we expect to stop when we have reached our goal. On VDLP many days are 30ks and above and we expect to cut it in half any time we can (unless we are in an extraordinarily superb form), which means we'll arrive early. We expect to soak in the vibes I'll let you know how it pans out.

 

[+@^^]

autumn / fall on the vdlp meant starting to walk at 8 am earliest
it was pitch dark until then
and some days were long - i did 2 days of 50kms through navigational errors
so there was not much opportunity to be loitering with intent at any albergue
.
and anyhow
my walking friend Hilde said her aim is to be outside walking ALL day
so she set out at 8ish
and walked into the albergue at 5 in the afternoon
regardless of the distance to be covered
what a great attitude i learned from her
(i still miss you Hilde)

 

[OldDad]

I think that anybody who stops at 14:00 every day will most times end up with no shade, no cervezza grande, nobody to talk to and no comfy place for a little siesta....

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I have waited with fifty others for an albergue to open at 1400, so I don't think there is a shortage of companions! We tried to save some beer for those who were still stumbling in at 1800...

 

[Aldy]

There was never a shortage of things to do - - wash clothes, plan the next day, explore, take pictures, write, nap, chat with co-pilgrims, read, think, dream...
Since I am considering opening a cafe in a few years, I asked a lot of questions of the owners of the local bars etc, as well as walk around for potential locations.

It was a grand time!
Aldy

 

[Irlan]

I always try to stop before 2, and I never get bored ....

In the afternoon you need time to wash your clothes, take a shower, write your journal, walk (a little !) around the albergue (that is good for the legs), plan the next day, talk with other pilgrims, have a little nap etc ....

As the dinner is ususally at 7 PM, the afternoons are not very long, and usually I even do not have enough time to open a book.

Moreover, it's good to have time to .... just do nothing ! It's so unusual on normal life (outside the Camino). You don't need to try to book all the afternoon

 

[MoniRose]

I loved it when I finally fell into somewhat of a routine. It helped me stay organized. Up and walking by 6:00 or 6:15, walk, pray, cry, walk, laugh, talk, eat/drink, more walking, praying, talking....and so on.
After stopping for the day about 1:00 or 2:00, get my bed, shower, laundry, tend to feet, siesta, find farmacia and/or mercado, visit, write, go to mass or visit local church, reorganize for the next day, dinner, sleep. I loved the beautiful simplicity of it all. Through it all, the ONLY firm plan I kept was to just get up in the morning and walk, whether it be 2km or 20km. That was MY goal. I let the Camino do everything else. It has a heart of its own that will direct you if you listen and follow.-M

 

[robertt]

Being a cold weather walker, and preferring modest private accommodation, I like to start around 12pm. That doesn't mean I won't stop at 2pm. I've done that.

I love travelling with other pilgrims, but I have a tendency to drag them down to my level. Some German buddies in Larceveau who ended up oversleeping, probably for the first time since Frederick the Great, blamed all Australia for their lapse. Really, it's just me.

But bored? On Camino? Never!

Best to all

Rob

 

[fraluchi]

My husband Adriaan has [...] proposed that this year, we walk on to later in the day. The heat won't be such a problem, because we will be walking in September and October. I think that this time, we will take it easy. Stop maybe for lunch on the road and then carry on.

There definitely is a general pull on the Camino. When people get up in the dark, I wonder whether they are doing this to find a juicy spot at the next albergue. We usually were amongst the last ones to leave an albergue, around 8 am. The weather, our bodies, the paths, the attractions of a church or a spot in nature (and the amount of washing!) were commanding our pace.
We certainly didn't look at a watch.
We generally found a bed in an albergue at any time of the day (I think we must have visited at least 100 different ones on the Camino Francés). On a rare occasion did hospitaleros help us to find alternative accommodation. Only once did we find an albergue closed for the season (early October) and had to walk a strenuous stretch towards the nearest albergue.

 

[newfydog]

I find that schedule works great for cyclists sharing the trail. We get up late, have a nice breakfast, check out the town, and start about 11. By then the hikers are long gone and spread out. We see then in small groups until 2 when they become quite scarce. Since many albergues won't take bike pilgrims until late, we bike until 6 and usually get a hotel room. Then we do laundry etc. until the restaurants open, which can be quite late in Spain, some not opening until the albergues are closed up. We share the restaurants with many locals, eating at their traditional late hours.

Of course, that is a much more expensive trip than many take, but it is cheaper on the camino than many bike trips elsewhere.

 

[colewthornton]

Revel in the realization that you don't have anything to do and can't do much even if you want to!

 

[RENSHAW]

Ahh , I can tell exactly what they do - they use all the hot water and go straight to sleep. THEN! They grunt and stare at you in discust when you arrive , during the day, and you wake them up as if it were an intensive care hospital -------THEN! They complain that they cannot sleep during normal sleeping hours -(They have already had 6 hours sleep by 9pm) because you are snoring - Then! they get up at 4 to make sure they get a bed at wherever :mrgreen: sad - I'llseep on the porch.

 

[anniethenurse]

They cannot sleep during the normal sleeping hours RENSHAW because some people are snoring so badly at nights.

They leave early in the morning to get their afternoon nap before the snorers reach them again, RENSHAW.

 

[RENSHAW]

They cannot sleep during the normal sleeping hours RENSHAW because some people are snoring so badly at nights.

They leave early in the morning to get their afternoon nap before the snorers reach them again, RENSHAW.

They would get far more sleep...................if they stayed at home. :mrgreen:

 

[anniethenurse]

Who wants to sleep at home when you can take a wonderful nap in a quiet and very pleasant albergue after a hard day´s walk after a wonderful HOT shower. Very relaxing! Nice and cosy!

 

[mralisn]

I loved it when I finally fell into somewhat of a routine. It helped me stay organized. Up and walking by 6:00 or 6:15, walk, pray, cry, walk, laugh, talk, eat/drink, more walking, praying, talking....and so on.
After stopping for the day about 1:00 or 2:00, get my bed, shower, laundry, tend to feet, siesta, find farmacia and/or mercado, visit, write, go to mass or visit local church, reorganize for the next day, dinner, sleep. I loved the beautiful simplicity of it all. Through it all, the ONLY firm plan I kept was to just get up in the morning and walk, whether it be 2km or 20km. That was MY goal. I let the Camino do everything else. It has a heart of its own that will direct you if you listen and follow.-M

Absolutely agree with all of this. If I were to describe my days on all 3 Caminos, this would be it!

 

[JaneofNorwich]

My days were pretty much like this too. I usually arrived by 1pm at the latest and often earlier as after this it was just too hot to walk. I then found the albergue, had a totally energy renewing shower, washed my clothes and ate lunch, chatted and did a lot of sightseeing if I was in an interesting place. Sometimes this involved an hour or two of wandering around cathedrals and churches or small streets. I'd soon forget that I'd spent the morning walking 16 miles and always had a lot of energy so didn't need to nap. I took some suduko puzzles with me in case I got bored, but only used them on one afternoon out of 2 months when I stopped early at a hostel in the middle of nowhere and where no one else turned up until about 5.30pm. I always ate together with other pilgrims in the evening and, along with everyone else, went to bed at 9.00ish.

 

[jennyb]

I loved it when I finally fell into somewhat of a routine. It helped me stay organized. Up and walking by 6:00 or 6:15, walk, pray, cry, walk, laugh, talk, eat/drink, more walking, praying, talking....and so on.
After stopping for the day about 1:00 or 2:00, get my bed, shower, laundry, tend to feet, siesta, find farmacia and/or mercado, visit, write, go to mass or visit local church, reorganize for the next day, dinner, sleep. I loved the beautiful simplicity of it all. Through it all, the ONLY firm plan I kept was to just get up in the morning and walk, whether it be 2km or 20km. That was MY goal. I let the Camino do everything else. It has a heart of its own that will direct you if you listen and follow.-M

MoniRose, my feelings exactly!!!

 

[amancio]

great time to stop! After 6-10 hours of walking, find your bed, do the laundry, put it to dry, have a shower, beer, lunch, siesta... and then a little walk in the afternoon/evening, there is always something to see. Pick up dry laundry, early dinner, bed at 10, ready to start at 6 the following morning!

 

[mspath]

It always is a GREAT pleasure to arrive at a welcoming albergue, take a HOT shower, chat with other pilgrims and collapse in clean comfort on a bottom bunk ever thankful for the continued strength to experience the extraordinary joy of another Camino day. BLISS!

Although I do get weary I love to walk! Hearing the continual crunch of my footsteps is very reassuring. I know that I can do it as long as I have enough energy. Although I usually walk alone I hardly ever feel lonely. Much of each day is spent in a chaotic mental mix of personal thanksgiving, worry over the weather or my gut, projected renovation/restoration of a multitude of wayside structures and, the far more social act of simply waving to those that pass by. These include other pilgrims, of course, but also dog walkers, police, bikers, farmers and especially lorry drivers. Such waves exchanged are silent gestures of our shared humanity.

MM

 

[grayland]

It seems strange that most now post that they are walking by "6 am".

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

It seems strange that most now post that they are walking by "6 am".

We hooked up with some people for a couple of days who insisted on leaving early. Did not like it at all. I enjoyed "seeing" what I was walking past, not trying to make sure I didn't step in a hole or twist my ankle on a rock I couldn't see

 

[Deleted member 3000]

In June civil twilight is before 6 a.m., so there is plenty of light to see where you are going.

 

[november_moon]

I think that knowing how to "do nuthin'" is an important skill. I am actually quite good at this (my parents thought it was an important skill, so l learned early) but I don't have enough time for it these days. I am very much looking forward to lazy Camino afternoons.

 

[Stacy08]

Reading, drinking, shopping, washing, drinking, not necessarily in that order.

 

[Rosemaryk1]

The closer I am to leaving for my Camino (May 24th!) seems to get me a little more nervous/anxious! But, I am definitely going to try and practice slowing down, waving, drinking, eating, smelling whatever there is to smell (not just the flowers it seems) and love having the experience that I have been dreaming of for so long!

 

[TheTinkerBell]

...in order to secure a bed what do they do to pass the time?

In my experience, the vast majority of Caminoists didn't 'pass time', they lived it. The Camino does not only equal the walking, it's living every minute of every day to it's simplest and fullest.

 

[fraluchi]

In June civil twilight is before 6 a.m., so there is plenty of light to see where you are going.

....and during June there can be pretty hot days on the Camino, reason for which an early start is not misplaced.

 

[HeidiL]

Our Easter Camino routine includes getting up as late as possible (that is, 7.30 in most places, with an occasional blissful lay-in at a hotel), packing up, having breakfast on the road, in a bar if available, otherwise, bread, cheese and nuts in a bus shelter or a church porch. We have a 5 minute break every hour, if one of us wants one, and if there's a bar with freshly squeezed orange juice, we definitely have some! We then have a solid 3-course lunch spending at least an hour in the restaurant - at times, in good company, this has stretched to 2 1/2 hours! Then we walk for another stretch, maybe 8 - 12 km, depending on the location and the weather. We usually arrive around 4 or 5 PM, find out about breakfast and supper walking into town, shower, do laundry and then go for a nice slow walk without backpacks to that nice bar we found at arrival, for a couple of tapas or a bocadillo or something. In bed usually at 9PM, maybe some reading and planning the next day's walk before we fall asleep when the lights are turned off.

A total of two times, in five walks, we have been to late to get a bed in the albergue. We went to the hotel next door.

 

[KinkyOne]

Ahh , I can tell exactly what they do - they use all the hot water and go straight to sleep. THEN! They grunt and stare at you in discust when you arrive , during the day, and you wake them up as if it were an intensive care hospital -------THEN! They complain that they cannot sleep during normal sleeping hours -(They have already had 6 hours sleep by 9pm) because you are snoring - Then! they get up at 4 to make sure they get a bed at wherever :mrgreen: sad - I'llseep on the porch.

Exactly my thoughts when I was on CF. And they were the grumpiest of all when failed to teach others "their" right way of doing the Camino

 

[Thomas1962]

Nice to see some older discussion just coming up again and being continued
I've done a few caminos. Every first day of a camino I indeed feel a possible boredom coming up. What to do with all these hours! On my second day it already disappears. I do all the things which are described before. After a few more days it usually feels like spending days like this is so more natural then my days at home. Resting after physical efforts just seems the right thing to do, nothing to it.

I imagine it is the DNA of my pre-pre ancestors in my body. Mankind needed to do physical work every day and spend the rest of the day with resting and caring about your direct needs and that of others. On Camino's my life seems to be so much more in balance in which boredom seems to be none existing. It is a balance I just never find at home. It is a part of the ultimate (addicting) happiness I can find on a camino.

At the end of my last camino in september 2013, it was not so hot, there was no need to stop before 14.00, and I was in very good shape after three weeks on the way. Without thinking about it, I did start to stroll around with much more breaks. I sometimes stopped walking only at 18.00, after more than 40 kms. Walking became the thing to do during the whole day, instead of making km's in a few hours before it is getting too hot. No pressure any more, no time limit, just walk the whole day long. Because of more breaks there was not any exhausting moment.
To experience this was also very special.
Altogether it makes the camino so special for me; no matter where I'm and when, I'm on a right spot, at my right moment.

 

[naplesdon]

The Rx around 13h is: sit down for a cold beer, wait and watch for the albergue to open; grab a lower bunk; take a shower; do some laundry and/or dry wet clothing on the lines while they are still free; nap an hour or so and then grab some dinner and conversation before bed time. Repeat again for the next 40 days, you'll be a new person once you reach Santiago!

 

[Bumblebee]

I know this is prob a silly question, but when I get to the hostel in the afternoon and want to go for a meal/sightseeing etc, can I leave my backpack on my bed? Il be travelling on my own, so will have no-one to keep an eye on it for me!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

can I leave my backpack on my bed?

Always take your valuable stuff, and you will be fine.

 

[mspath]

Bumblebee,

Never put your backpack on the bunk but place it on the floor near the bunk since a pack could be dirty or carry bugs . Be sure to take with you all important items ie money, passport, credit card, Credential, camera and phone. Some albergues do have lockers which lock but many do not.

Buen camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[november_moon]

I have a small handbag that I am planning to take for my wallet, passport, etc. This will make it easker to take valuables with me when I leave my pack somewhere - be it at an alburgue, outside a bar, etc.

 

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee,

Never put your backpack on the bunk but place it on the floor near the bunk since a pack could be dirty or carry bugs . Be sure to take with you all important items ie money, passport, credit card, Credential, camera and phone. Some albergues do have lockers which lock but many do not.

Buen camino,

Margaret Meredith

Thanks, I didnt think of bugs!!!!!!!!!

 

[lynnejohn]

Or because there is dirt and possible bugs on the floor, you can hang your bag from the bunk either with a carabiner or whatever else suits the purpose.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Bumblebee,

Never put your backpack on the bunk but place it on the floor near the bunk since a pack could be dirty or carry bugs .
Buen camino,

Margaret Meredith

Ooooooooooooh Margaret, I have to disagree with you here. I NEVER put my pack on the floor. Bedbugs walk on the floor and walls. I first of all try to secure a chair to put near my bed and put the pack on it. That failing, I hang it somewhere. So far, I've never had to put it on the floor.

 

[mspath]

Whoops! Since I walk when it is cold and bed bugs are not generally a problem in the cold I have always used the floor. During all my caminos I have never seen a bed bug but I have heard lots about them being prevalent during 'the season'. In the future I'll hang the bag.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

In the future I'll hang the bag.

Excellent. That saves the chair for sitting.

 

[wawpdx]

Excellent. That saves the chair for sitting.

And, even better, it means the chair is available for stepping onto on the many times when there is no bunk ladder!

 

[Thomr]

Between washing yourself, clothes, writing diary, buying and cooking food there wasn't all that much time left! You can always go to the local bar and see who drifts in or take a page from the Spanish's book and take a siesta. There always seems to be plenty to do or just time to relax a bit

 

[jeffrey r aitken]

You g

Ahh , I can tell exactly what they do - they use all the hot water and go straight to sleep. THEN! They grunt and stare at you in discust when you arrive , during the day, and you wake them up as if it were an intensive care hospital -------THEN! They complain that they cannot sleep during normal sleeping hours -(They have already had 6 hours sleep by 9pm) because you are snoring - Then! they get up at 4 to make sure they get a bed at wherever :mrgreen: sad - I'llseep on the porch.

you got it about right.LOL ..Save a spot for me on whatever porch it is.Cheers

 

[Sraaen]

Ooooooooooooh Margaret, I have to disagree with you here. I NEVER put my pack on the floor. Bedbugs walk on the floor and walls. I first of all try to secure a chair to put near my bed and put the pack on it. That failing, I hang it somewhere. So far, I've never had to put it on the floor.

I thought they lurked in beds?

 

[Thomas1962]

Resting at home can change into a boring, passive thing to me in which I often don't feel happy.
Resting on a camino always feels like an active verb, I can be happy with just sitting down on a porch while I look around and feeling the past km's in my body...
What else a man needs?
OK, some food, nice company and wine at the end of the day! But it's all there too!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I thought they lurked in beds?

They hide in crooks and crevices during the day. They are nocturnal. At night, they WALK to find food, and they often walk across the floor and walls. Best thing you can do is learn to recognize their sign. It's pretty obvious.

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

 

[Sraaen]

Wow. Great article. Thanks!

 

[reuben79]

I agree with some of the earlier posters - hiking early avoids the worst of the heat. But either way boredom was never a problem, by the time I found a bed, unpacked, showered, tracked down some food/supplies, had a few drinks with fellow pilgrims, maybe had a nap, next thing you know it's dinner time, then bed time, then it starts all over again.

 

[mark stevens]

...in order to secure a bed what do they do to pass the time?
I can see this might not be a problem in the bigger towns and cities, but what about the one horse towns?

Just to chill after 8 hrs walking. Have a snooze, a beer and talk to people. That’s what I like to do.