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Sketching his way along the Camino trail
Published on Jan 14, 2013
Armed with little more than three T-shirts, two pairs of bermudas and a drawing kit, Alvin Mark Tan set off on an 800km trek from Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. -- PHOTO : ALVIN MARK TAN
By Lisabel Ting
Armed with little more than three T-shirts, two pairs of bermudas and a drawing kit, Alvin Mark Tan set off on an 800km trek from Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
The result of the 37-year-old's ramble is a self-published 96-page sketchbook, Thirty Days On The Camino, which documents the highs and lows of Tan's journey on the Camino trail, which has become a tourist attraction in recent years.
Tan decided to walk the trail after a backpacking trip to Santiago, the end point of the trail, where he witnessed the camaradarie of the pilgrims coming in. He was also trying to make a name for himself as an artist, and decided that publishing a sketchbook would be good publicity.
Tan's quest was not an easy one. He almost gave up on the first day, but was spurred on by the beauty in his surroundings. He also made over 150 friends on the trail, and keeps in touch with about 100 of them on Facebook.