Charles Ross
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Two people to walk the Camino de Santiago in the spring of (2018)
I and my Partner set out from Porto March 16th with the intention of reaching Santiago on or about April 1st. We reached Tui, checked into a hotel and went out to dinner. On the way back to the hotel, my partner slipped on the sidewalk and twisted her ankle. We limped back to the hotel and, next day, taxied to the train to get us into Pontevedra, a comparatively major city on the Camino.
We checked into the Hotel Avenida de Pontevedra. The manager urged us to get it looked at and made a few recommendations. We went to the public hospital near the hotel, had an examination and X-rays. It was determined that the ankle was fractured in two places and she could simply not walk on it. It was so serious that the surgeon suggested we return to our home city, Portland, Oregon, and go immediately to the hospital emergency. Once again, employees and management at this hotel were just outstanding in the help and advice offered. I can't say enough about these people.
When we got back to the hotel they brought a chair out to the taxi and carried her up to our room on the 3rd floor! Think about this: we were halfway around the world from our home, immobilized, and having to go home NOW!
I spent a couple of hours searching for connections that would work and eventually settled on Vigo-Madrid-JFK-Portland; total one way price for two was about $2,800. (Keep in mind that the initial cost, round trip, Portland-Lisbon-Portland was $980 for two people). We had two connections to make, one was a 3 hour layover at JFK. We barely made them. when you are disabled, you get off the plane last. You have to wait for an aisle chair and then be transferred to a regular wheel chair.
At JFK we nominally had plenty of time but had to wait for the aisle chair. Then customs, then getting our bags, rechecking them, then transfer to new people at Delta who would get us to our next flight, go through security again and then run about a quarter mile to gate 53, terminal 4 to catch a flight that was finished loading and waiting for us!!
We are not newbies. This was our 3rd Camino and, nominally, the shortest one. I've long thought of travel in Europe as enjoyment, good experiences and fulfillment, never seriously considering what a position we'd be in with a serious illness or injury.
What we learned from this. People in Spain were incredibly helpful. When my friend fell down we were quickly surrounded by a dozen people, individuals, families, all very sympathetic and concerned. They called the police, transportation was called. Taxi drivers, the people at the hospital, the Avenida Hotel. We are really shocked at how helpful people were.
Here in Portland, if you are on the ground you might have a few people step over you before some asks how you are. (and that's no exaggeration!). Occasionally life presents situations where you quickly realize that you are totally screwed with no immediate, workable options in front of you and it all becomes a triage, solve this problem, make this connection, pay this money and move on to the next. Also, we learned that there is very little that is not solvable if you are willing to throw a lot of money at it!! That's it.
We checked into the Hotel Avenida de Pontevedra. The manager urged us to get it looked at and made a few recommendations. We went to the public hospital near the hotel, had an examination and X-rays. It was determined that the ankle was fractured in two places and she could simply not walk on it. It was so serious that the surgeon suggested we return to our home city, Portland, Oregon, and go immediately to the hospital emergency. Once again, employees and management at this hotel were just outstanding in the help and advice offered. I can't say enough about these people.
When we got back to the hotel they brought a chair out to the taxi and carried her up to our room on the 3rd floor! Think about this: we were halfway around the world from our home, immobilized, and having to go home NOW!
I spent a couple of hours searching for connections that would work and eventually settled on Vigo-Madrid-JFK-Portland; total one way price for two was about $2,800. (Keep in mind that the initial cost, round trip, Portland-Lisbon-Portland was $980 for two people). We had two connections to make, one was a 3 hour layover at JFK. We barely made them. when you are disabled, you get off the plane last. You have to wait for an aisle chair and then be transferred to a regular wheel chair.
At JFK we nominally had plenty of time but had to wait for the aisle chair. Then customs, then getting our bags, rechecking them, then transfer to new people at Delta who would get us to our next flight, go through security again and then run about a quarter mile to gate 53, terminal 4 to catch a flight that was finished loading and waiting for us!!
We are not newbies. This was our 3rd Camino and, nominally, the shortest one. I've long thought of travel in Europe as enjoyment, good experiences and fulfillment, never seriously considering what a position we'd be in with a serious illness or injury.
What we learned from this. People in Spain were incredibly helpful. When my friend fell down we were quickly surrounded by a dozen people, individuals, families, all very sympathetic and concerned. They called the police, transportation was called. Taxi drivers, the people at the hospital, the Avenida Hotel. We are really shocked at how helpful people were.
Here in Portland, if you are on the ground you might have a few people step over you before some asks how you are. (and that's no exaggeration!). Occasionally life presents situations where you quickly realize that you are totally screwed with no immediate, workable options in front of you and it all becomes a triage, solve this problem, make this connection, pay this money and move on to the next. Also, we learned that there is very little that is not solvable if you are willing to throw a lot of money at it!! That's it.
