Incident between Arre and Larrasoana

[justine03]

Hey all,

I just finished my camino from St Jean to Finisterre on November 1. It was the best experience I have ever had in my life! So after traveling around Spain for 10 days with my best friend and feeling completely lost in big cities, I decided to return to Logrono and walk back east into France from Puente la Reina.

After leaving Pamplona on November 13, en route to Larrasoana, I had a really disturbing incident. I was walking out of Arre and just after I crossed the medieval bridge and started walking up the hill there, I saw a man come out of the woods onto the road who was staring at me. I got a really bad feeling and so I put my ipod away pronto. When I looked back up he was gone again, back into the woods. I definitely knew something was not right. Then I saw a couple walking towards me from the top of the hill. After we passed each other, I looked back, and the man who had come out of the woods was there again and masturbating. Immediately I took my knife out and after following me for a couple hundred meters, he disappeared again. I carried my knife out all the way to Larrasoana and I was very disturbed and scared for the rest of the day.

A similar incident happened to one of my camino amigos when she was walking from Ponferrada to Villafranca back on October 21.

So just a heads up to any single ladies walking out there...

You may want to carry a knife or a pilgrim's staff with you, just in case!


BUEN CAMINO

J

 

[FatmaG]

Hello Justine,

what a terrifying episode for you ! And even more terrifying because the camino is the place where we feel so secure - even on our own...
I imagine very well your fears alone on the camino - and even if, generally, these individuals keep their distance and won't harm you (at least physically), you never know for sure...

Did you go to the local police to make a report ?

.

 

[dutchpilgrim]

And that is one of the reasons why I advised ,in another thread, to take a whistle, not in your back-pack, but at hand.

A knife is very aggressive, and were you ready and able to use it? Or did it add to your unsafe feelings?
A whistle does something different: it tracks attention from your surroundings, possibly and hopefully providing you with some companions, and that is the last thing a flasher wants.

Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo

 

[Vigdis]

I experienced the very same thing on my Camino-trip from Ponferrada to Santiago in 2009. Twice. Just before Monte de Gozo there was standing an elderly man masturbating by the trees. He did not really scare me too much though. I knew there were people not very far behind me. Later I found out that they had seen him too.

The first incident, and the scariest: After walking some hours from Ponferrada I crossed a bridge going over the motorway, then I went through fields of wine acres, no one else was around. I felt as I was alone in the world. Then a car came, and the road was so narrow that I stopped while it was passing me. A young man was sitting inside, we nodded, he did not smile or anything. The car continued, driving very, very slowly (and cars who is driving slow is actually very scary just by doing so…).
Then it stopped maybe 50-70 meters in front of me, and I remember I wondered why, as there was no farmhouses or anything around. There was nothing. There was a wooden bench there set up for pilgrims, so I sat down, hoping that the car would disappear while I was sitting there. It didn’t. I walked on, and as I nearly reached it the man got out of the car and disappeared into the woods. Where is he going to, I thought.
The camino turned left, and so did I.
Then I saw him. He was standing towards me with his pants down.

I hastily walked on, really scared, all the time waiting for him to come after me, the road was still empty with no one else around. I thought I did not have a change if he wanted to rob me, rape me, or do other things.
Fortunately nothing more happened. I passed a sort of alley, and soon I could see the road with all the cars and felt safer. Later I thought I should have told someone, or gone to the police, but it was hard to explain just where about this took place. I just told other pilgrims.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Luckily most exhibitionists are only that, and not dangerous.
They get their thrill from the shocked look on your face.
Better just to act like they don't exist, in my opinion.

I've posted this before. An exhibitionist drove up next to my girlfriend and her young daughter in the supermarket parking lot. She laughed, pointed and said very loudly, 'Look Megan! Like a penis only SMALLER!"

The guy drove away in a hurry.

They're everywhere! I saw a guy on the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon in rush hour traffic masturbating at the cars and bicyclists as they drove by. It was crazy.. Where were the police?

If you're walking alone and tend to be frightened, wouldn't hurt to buddy up with a group for those lonely stretches, or at least stay within sight. You also might consider taking their photo if you have your camera or phone. That way you can report them in detail!

 

[Vigdis]

Sure, Annie, those guys can be seen everywhere. And we all know that laughing is what you are supposed to do, not very easy being all alone, though. I think.

Must say I wondered if it meant something; haven't seen exhibitionists since I was a young girl, then suddenly several. Did the Camino want to tell me something?? I have my own theory about that

That was the first time being afraid on the Camino, and I don't really tend to easily be so.
It stroked me every time I was there; how very safe one feel on The Camino

 

[Anniesantiago]

Oh no.. there's a great deal of difference between knowing what to do and doing it!
When I was riding my bicycle on the bridge and saw the guy, I was stunned!
I didn't laugh until later. :lol:

And yes, it's quite unnerving.
At those times I wish I had a "canned dog" to sic on those guys... :twisted:
but then, that wouldn't be nice.

I think it's better just to ignore them if you can...
but it's easy to say what you'd do until it happens to you, right?

 

[justine03]

And that is one of the reasons why I advised ,in another thread, to take a whistle, not in your back-pack, but at hand.

A knife is very aggressive, and were you ready and able to use it? Or did it add to your unsafe feelings?
A whistle does something different: it tracks attention from your surroundings, possibly and hopefully providing you with some companions, and that is the last thing a flasher wants.

Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo

Carli,
You are certainly right that a knife is aggressive, and no, I was not prepared to use it, but it's all I had after a hostel in Madrid threw my staff in the garbage

I think you are right, that a whistle would track attention from one's surroundings, although in this particular case I didn't see another pilgrim or person for nearly an hour, so I'm not sure how much good it would have done for me. Perhaps it would have scared him enough to bugger off (for all either of us knew there may have been more pilgrim's just around the corner)

It is easy to say 'just ignore them' but in the back of your mind you are wondering what they could/might do to you, especially when this guy followed me for a couple hundred meters...

I never once felt unsafe walking from St Jean to Finisterre by myself...and my message wasn't meant to frighten anyone...just to raise awareness and hear how others deal with similar situations, as I know that I am not the only one who has experienced this!

Thanks for your ideas

be safe!

J

 

[Steve.Belfast]

It's sad that the behaviour of one man like that could spoil your experience of the Camino and maybe even make others who were thinking of walking reconsider their plans after reading your report.
Hopefully, what you experienced is a very rare occurrence.
I think bringing a whistle is a far better idea than carrying a knife. The 'flasher' would know that the sound of it would attract other pilgrims but wouldn't know how far away they were. He'd want to get away as soon as possible.

 

[peregrina2000]

Like many others, I have been flashed numerous times on the Camino Frances. But one thing that I've harped on before and will stress again here is that the only way for the authorities to take care of the problem is if they have the information they need -- description of the perpetrator, location, time of day, vehicle number, etc.

Think about it -- if you were a flasher (to the extent that any rational decisionmaking goes through their brains), wouldn't you look for a population that was passing through, here today, gone tomorow? These guys aren't going to flash their neighbors because their neighbors will report them. We've got to do the same thing. I have reported all my incidents, to both the hospitalero at the next albergue and to the next police station I encounter. In one instance, I even told the street cleaner in Los Arcos early in the morning (since I found no police around), and heard later on the way into Viana that the guardia civil was out looking for a guy based on the description I had given the street cleaner. The Spanish authorities take this very seriously and are ready and willing to help, but they can't unless we give them the information.

So, to sound like a broken record, if and when this happens to you, please report it to as many officials as you can. If you can't find officials, report it to a responsible member of the community where you are -- pharmacist, post office, town hall. Though it's true that these guys are usually not "dangerous," it is a terrible experience and I think we should try to help others avoid it. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Vigdis]

Just some quick words before I go to bed, it's late:
I also did post this mostly because I wanted to let people know about it. Not to scare anyone from walking.
Sorry I did not "say" anything directly to you, Justine, who started this tread.
A whistle is a good idea to carry around, one never know when to be useful.
Peregrina2000: I will take your advice if it happens a next time and report it to everybody!