Misc pointers for a newbie?

[musicagl]

Hello:

I start in seven weeks (but who's counting?). A couple of questions:

1. My Spanish is quite limited -- I've been listening to Pimsleur tapes for the past year and am halfway through Spanish II. I'll be a solo traveler. Will I be OK?
2. Kindle -- Anyone taken a Kindle as an alternative to books?

Ann

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Welcome.

Spanish. This question has recently come up several times in the "View active posts" section and the short answer is that you can get by without Spanish though if you know some you will find benefit from doing so.

Br David wisely says that when you really need someone to translate they will turn up. My experience also.

I don't own a kindle and choose not to carry books so others must answer that one for you. However, power points at albergues are usually sparse and with the growing plethora of phones, cameras, IPods, and Kindles getting your batteries recharged might be an issue.

Others will give their experience.

 

[CaminoGen]

Hello Musicagl,

I will also be joining you in 7 weeks (arriving at SJPDP on May 13 in the afterenoon). There is a thread that talks about the use of a Kindle for pilgrims: pilgrim-books/topic7103.html . I am also thinking about bringing a tablet on my Camino. Haven't mad up my mind yet.

 

[ffp13]

Kindle is very light!

 

[revrenjen]

Ann--

I'm a newbie, too, also starting in in about 7 weeks. May 11 from SJPP. Since I'm a slow walker (staying at Orisson the first night) we may well cross paths. I hope so.

I've been brushing up on my ancient high school Spanish. I graduated in 1969, so you do the math. But my high school Spanish teacher Mrs. Jones will be glad to know a few things have stuck! I've been using the Michel Thomas tapes, which are very oral, very user friendly, and geared to getting you going in just a few lessons. Can't recommend them highly enough.

After much thought--and careful attention to this forum--I bought a Kindle. It is the lightest of the e-book readers, the battery life is loooooong, and there is a very helpful e-guide put together by (I think) one of the persons who regularly posts here. Plus I can put all travel info, itinerary, contact info etc as a pdf on it.

Looking forward to our caminos crossing.

Buen Camino--
Rene
Omaha, NE

 

[peregrina nicole]

My top tip for a newbie? Pack light!!!!! I was at a cofraternidad meeting in Glasgow today and someone who did the Via de la Plata recommended a kindle. He said that you could load books onto it, including camino guides. I would keep it in a ziplock bag and don't forget to bring a plug adaptor. Another top tip, rub your feet with a light layer of vaseline or Vick vaporub in the morning. This reduces friction and hence blisters. Take care of your feet. Bring a pair of sandals (like Teva) to wear at night. I strongly recommend the Brierly guidebook. Safety pins are good to use for attaching socks to your backpack so they can dry while you walk. I only took two changes of clothing: something for the camino and something for the evening while the camino clothing were drying out. I took three pair of socks (Bridgedale) with sock liners. Ear plugs, a head torch and anti-histamine pills (for bed bug bites) are also useful.

 

[musicagl]

Many thanks to everyone for the feedback. I have a Kindle, I have the Brierly Guide (but not on the Kindle) -- I do worry about outlet space a little -- too many folks lining up for the same plug. But -- I'll probably take it (yes -- it is light -- certainly lighter than my books!).

But I'm looking forward to the walk and trodding the path that thousands (millions) have trod before. I actually don't get to SJPP until 18 May so I guess its closer to 8 weeks than 7.

I've been preparing mentally for this walk for 18 months.

Ann
Milton, MA

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

I don't own a Kindle. I'll probably never own a Kindle but I have picked up that if you shut the Wfi feature off the battery could be good for upto three weeks.

While others are fighting for the sockets you'll be sitting in the sun, reading your book and grinning. :lol:

 

[jl]

I usually stay in a cheap hotel when I am having a rest day (no point in staying at an albergue and being woken by the early risers anytime after 5.00 a.m. when one is trying to rest!). I save my charging (camera battery) till then. That way I don't have to stress about security and I can let it charge happily overnight. I actually take 2 batteries - one in use and the other in the camera case, ready to insert when the "in use" battery goes flat, and then I know that it is time to look for charging facilities! Cheers, Janet

 

[ffp13]

I had a nice camera used 2x AA, I used lithium AA and they lasted for more than 1 month about 450 photos , had 2x spare which I never needed

 

[jl]

Yes so did I Frank, it ceased working, and so I had to get a new one, and the one that suited my perposes most didn't use AA batteries unfortunately. Some say all the tchnology is an advantage, but one must wonder sometimes! regards, Janet

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Very good point jl about the advantages in having your rest day in a hotel.

Nowt more to be said really.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Spanish: You'll do fine
Kindle: I was too tired at the end of the day to read. I preferred to see the country with free time I had. I also did not want the WEIGHT or the RESPONSIBILITY of carrying a book, Kindle, charger.

 

[Corina]

Hi, Ann,
We might meet on the Camino! I commence on the 2nd May, on the Camino Frances. I was worried about the same things (and a few hundred other things). I have a Kindle reader on my phone, though battery life is not so good. I'm also taking a book to write and draw in and I'm also taking my penny whistle. I can't live two months without music, so I hope I'll find a few lonely places where the music doesn't bother anybody. I don't speak much Spanish, either, but have heard wonderfully encouraging stories from other pilgrims on this forum.
Buen Camino, Ann, and God bless!
Corina.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Hi Nicole,

You mentioned using Vick on the feet.
Does Vick have any advantages over plain vaseline?
I have been trying to figure out if the menthol it contains has a drying effect.
In fact the other day I put vick on one foot and vaseline on the other before I went out walking but I could not discern any difference in the effect.
I would be interested to know if anybody has expeienced a difference

Lydia

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Vicks:

Active Ingredients (Purpose)

Regular:
Camphor 4.8% (Cough suppressant and topical analgesic)
Eucalyptus oil 1.2% (Cough suppressant)
Menthol 2.6% (Cough suppressant and topical analgesic)

Lemon:
Camphor 4.7% (Cough suppressant and topical analgesic)
Eucalyptus oil 1.2% (Cough suppressant)
Menthol 2.6% (Cough suppressant and topical analgesic)

Inactive Ingredients

Regular: Cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, special petrolatum, thymol, turpentine oil

Lemon: Cedarleaf oil, lemon fragrance, nutmeg oil, special petrolatum, thymol, turpentine oil

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Does Vick have any advantages over plain vaseline?
Lydia

Only that it is more expensive!

 

[renegadepilgrim]

The Kindle battery, if used without WI-fi should last you for at least a few weeks, if not more. I wouldn't worry. I never had trouble charging my camera battery once a week. I did find that the cold shortened the battery life a wee bit. I will be interested to hear how the Kindle with guidebook works!

 

[daesdaemar]

Hello and welcome,
I used Bodyglide on my feet with a thin liner sock and then hiking socks. No foot problems/blisters at all. I like Bodyglide because it was very lubricating without being greasy. It also worked great to put on your waist and shoulders (for backpack straps) or anywhere else where the skin might rub.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Bodyglide ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Allantoin (Comfrey Root) (Skin Protectant)

Inactive Ingredients: Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, C18 36 Acid Triglyceride, Capric/Caprylic Stearic Triglyceride, Tribehenin, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)

There is not much in there to prevent friction. Aloe is a moisturizer (bad). Topical application of Vitamin E is not really a cure for anything. If it works for you, by all means use it. But if you are looking for something that works, look for something that has ingredients that work. Just my opinion.

The herb contains allantoin, a cell proliferant that speeds up the natural replacement of body cells. Comfrey was used in an attempt to treat a wide variety of ailments ranging from bronchial problems, broken bones, sprains, arthritis, gastric and varicose ulcers, severe burns, acne and other skin conditions. It was reputed to have bone and teeth building properties in children, and have value in treating "many female disorders". Constituents of comfrey also include mucilage, steroidal saponins, tannins, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, inulin, and proteins.

The flowers of Russian comfrey
Internal usage of comfrey should be avoided because it contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Use of comfrey can, because of these PAs, lead to veno-occlusive disease (VOD). VOD can in turn lead to liver failure, and comfrey, taken in extreme amounts, has been implicated in at least one death.[5] In 2001, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against internal usage of herbal products containing comfrey. There are ways to remove the pyrrolizidine alkaloids from comfrey, and some herbal product manufacturers have begun doing so (although the products will still be labelled “for external use only”).

Excessive doses of symphytine, one of the PAs in comfrey, may cause cancer in rats. This was shown by injection of the pure alkaloid. The whole plant has also been shown to induce precancerous changes in rats.

 

[Beverley]

Not sure where this idea of lubrication of the feet started years ago but I don't see the need for it. Here's my guess, before the shoes and socks were as good as they are now, someone started the trend.
I have walked 1500 k across 2 caminos and I never had a blister or used anything on my feet except good shoes and good socks. Don't forget the additional weight that a bottle of "something" adds to your pack, Anywho... my comment for what it is worth.

Bev


DO YOU HAVE YOUR CAMINO BUFF, P.M. ME TO GET YOURS!