Strange experience - Saw Efren González

[Former member 104506]

I was chatting at dinner last night about Efren Gonzalez's camino videos, and how good they are. Anyway, this morning, whilst having a coffee in Los Arcos...who should pull up outside on a bike!? 😮😅

 

[Former member 104506]

Who was it??? Jennifer Lopez??

No! It was Taylor Swift.

😅. I can confirm it was Efren himself. Had to do a double take, given the electric bike. He was great company for the half hour we spent talking about all sorts. Hopefully I'll meet Ms. Swift tomorrow.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

I was tempted to post - "I hope he didn't include you in any intrusive drone footage" but thought better of it as it might derail your thread!

 

[Former member 104506]

I was tempted to post - "I hope he didn't include you in any intrusive drone footage" but thought better of it as it might derail your thread!

We did talk about that. He is very charming. I think that topic has been covered in other threads. Thank you for your discretion 😉

 

[Peregrinopaul]

He is a master of the art.

 

[Peggy McLaren-Villeneuve]

I was chatting at dinner last night about Efren Gonzalez's camino videos, and how good they are. Anyway, this morning, whilst having a coffee in Los Arcos...who should pull up outside on a bike!? 😮😅

Wow - excellent - we have walked 4 Caminos and always thought it would be nice to meet up with him… but missed him each time. Anyways good for you!!!!

 

[Former member 104506]

Wow - excellent - we have walked 4 Caminos and always thought it would be nice to meet up with him… but missed him each time. Anyways good for you!!!!

He's in Logrono tonight Peggy. If you are quick...you can be in Calle Laurel for Pintxos 😅

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Is he shooting more 3-d?

 

[Former member 104506]

Is he shooting more 3-d?

Yes. He'll do alot more by bike. Amazing setup...can control the drone (no comments on this thread about acceptability please from the handlebars. 14 days SJPdP to SdC.

 

[LavanyaLea]

Is he shooting Taylor Swift on his drone while riding his bike??

Argh! We are starting Primitivo tomorrow but I think he’ll get to SdC before we can get there! And while on the Salvador we missed seeing Ender the Great himself by one day as well! FOMO we have to do this all over again then 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

[Wanderingfriend]

I was chatting at dinner last night about Efren Gonzalez's camino videos, and how good they are. Anyway, this morning, whilst having a coffee in Los Arcos...who should pull up outside on a bike!? 😮😅

I heard he was going to be there. That is very fun!

 

[Former member 104506]

I heard he was going to be there. That is very fun!

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Yes. He'll do alot more by bike. Amazing setup...can control the drone (no comments on this thread about acceptability please from the handlebars. 14 days SJPdP to SdC.

Love hearing this! I have a headset and wept with his first 3D video…. I think he is also using spatial sound because it is SO REAL. Showed my ageing mother who is house-bound and she wants all retirement homes and seniors to be able to use 3D for virtual travel. Not much of what is out there is at his quality though. She will be ecstatic to hear!

 

[Wanderingfriend]

Love hearing this! I have a headset and wept with his first 3D video…. I think he is also using spatial sound because it is SO REAL. Showed my ageing mother who is house-bound and she wants all retirement homes and seniors to be able to use 3D for virtual travel. Not much of what is out there is at his quality though. She will be ecstatic to hear!

His videos are a gift to those planning or to those who actually can’t walk.

 

[mattythedog]

I was chatting at dinner last night about Efren Gonzalez's camino videos, and how good they are. Anyway, this morning, whilst having a coffee in Los Arcos...who should pull up outside on a bike!? 😮😅

I love Efren's vlogs with his unique commentary AND especially the great drone footage.

 

[Levi]

Met Efren in León today

 

[Susan Maria]

I feel very under-informed! thank you for telling me about Efren Gonzalez's stunning camino videos, but what is the connection with Ms Swift?

 

[C clearly]

I feel very under-informed! thank you for telling me about Efren Gonzalez's stunning camino videos, but what is the connection with Ms Swift?

I assumed this was a case of humour by bizarre random association. With that assumption, I don't need to be "in the know" about pop culture, and I can merrily laugh along. 🤣

 

[JustJack]

Love Efren's videos! I've watched many hours of them. He's headed to Japan next to walk the Shikoku 88 temples pilgrimage. Really looking forward to those videos.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Awww, I was walking the Via Francigena in October and totally missed seeing this thread.
I hope I have opportunity some day to meet Efren!

 

[henrythedog]

I wouldn’t like every second bicigrino to be ploughing along at speed whilst thinking about the audio and video quality from their accompanying drone and composing a narration.

I agree that Snr. Gonzales’ videos are superb - but test the acceptability of the actions of one by extrapolating it to all …

 

[peregrina2000]

I had heard of Efren González and probably seen a video or two but had no idea that he was creating such an empire! He is up front about it, honest and open, that his goal is to monetize his youtube channel as much as possible. It’s at the point that the commercialization potential is really what dictates where he goes next. I think many youtubers have that same goal but most are not as explicit about it!

I just watched a recording of a live zoom he had with his fans, from a month or two ago, and was fascinated. The first ten minutes or so are about his recording equipment, all of which looked professional and very expensive. Cameras, microphones, drones, mounting equipment, wind-deadening equipment, etc. He even explained things about how he raises money from subscribers and from “special subscribers” who get access to his vlogs before anyone else. No one can claim to have been fooled into thinking that this is just a guy walking the camino who is recounting his personal journey. In fact, he says on this zoom chat that he is not interested in an ”inner journey,” he doesn’t have time for that, because he’s always thinking about which shots will look best on his vlog, which views will grab the audience more. That’s not a criticism at all, and I appreciate that he is clear about what he is doing. I think camino videos serve different purposes, and his product is definitely in a class by itself, at least based on what I have seen.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I had a strange encounter with Efron today, sort of. Yesterday I saw two posts by him here (or someone using his name). The second one was on this thread. I hadn't seen any by him before and wondered if he had just signed up. I clicked on his name and saw that he had signed up some time ago but only had two posts. I finished my browsing and left with this thread up.

This morning when I checked the forum I wondered if he had posted anything else so I refreshed and looked at the number of his posts and the number had been reset to zero and his posts had been deleted. This afternoon I can't even find his account.

 

[peregrina2000]

I had a strange encounter with Efron today, sort of. Yesterday I saw two posts by him here (or someone using his name). The second one was on this thread. I hadn't seen any by him before and wondered if he had just signed up. I clicked on his name and saw that he had signed up some time ago but only had two posts. I finished my browsing and left with this thread up.

This morning when I checked the forum I wondered if he had posted anything else so I refreshed and looked at the number of his posts and the number had been reset to zero and his posts had been deleted. This afternoon I can't even find his account.

I don’t think it’s breaching any confidences to say that the account had the name Efren González but was not THE Efren González, and the account has been deleted.

 

[Tincatinker]

Will the real Efren Gonzalez please stand up?
It’s good to know that the Camino are just a source of income and not anything of spiritual or social significance. That’ll explain all those volunteers keeping the Camino alive - they’re in it for the….

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Will the real Efren Gonzalez please stand up?
It’s good to know that the Camino are just a source of income and not anything of spiritual or social significance. That’ll explain all those volunteers keeping the Camino alive - they’re in it for the….

All of Santiago makes a living off the camino. Nobody who lives there has to make the pilgrimage.
As the sidewalk into Santiago says from the Primitovo/Frances entry point: "Europe was built on the road to Santiago." Hyperbole? maybe... maybe not. But if the locals are not offended by its being an economic mainline, then I don't see why we should be.

Some people are focussed on what others will enjoy and not on a mobile solipsism. Surely there is room for the many thousands of pilgrims who came for hundreds of year before us for whom the idea of an "inner journey" would be of limited value even if they could recognise it (which is doubtful).

Anyway, I don't see any indication that these walks are not spiritually significant to him (he's keen to visit every church, for example, and from correspondence with him I know he holds some things to be for him alone) merely that he focusses his efforts not on what he likes, but on what others will enjoy. That's a very generous orientation, I think.

And I think surely any of us who finds that nebulous "something" on the roads to Santiago cannot possibly have that something diminished because someone else experiences it differently.

Apologies if I'm misread your intended meaning here, of course.

 

[David Tallan]

Will the real Efren Gonzalez please stand up?
It’s good to know that the Camino are just a source of income and not anything of spiritual or social significance. That’ll explain all those volunteers keeping the Camino alive - they’re in it for the….

The Camino has been many different things to many different people over the centuries including, for some, "just a source of income and not anything of spiritual or social significance". There are certainly accounts dating back to the middle ages of people who considered the Camino just like that and acted on the Camino accordingly. Of course, there are also those who see the Camino quite differently, explaining those volunteers you refer to. And there are those who start by seeing the Camino one way and eventually come to see it a different way. We've all heard stories of those who enter the Camino in a non-spiritual frame of mind, more as "adventurers" than as "pilgrims", as it were, and leave the opposite. I think, perhaps, Efren has evolved in a different direction. I've been watching his videos since his first Camino, and I don't think that one was undertaken with the same pecuniary motivation as his most recent trips have been. But as the response to his videos grew, the realization of the potential to quit his "day job" and make a career of the type of travel he loved took hold more and more, and when it became real, obviously supporting himself and his family became an important consideration, driving his focus on his travels.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

I wouldn’t like every second bicigrino to be ploughing along at speed whilst thinking about the audio and video quality from their accompanying drone and composing a narration.

I agree that Snr. Gonzales’ videos are superb - but test the acceptability of the actions of one by extrapolating it to all …

Fortunately, few people are even vaguely interested in carrying what he does. And even fewer have his ability with visual narrative. Far more common are the vlogs that gush about this or that day being awesome (without showing or telling a viewer why), or they are beer-soaked giggle-fests...

The far more serious problem from an impact perspective is the rest of us not trying to do anything in particular. The ones heading out to experience a mobile summer camp for the newly retired... The ones who leave their TP and plastic bottles strewn from one end to the other... Our shared resource use in all that hiking gear (I implicate myself here as well)...

But the suffering of the local economies should camino disappear is precisely why the Vatican extended the holy year... so that those who make their living on camino could recover. So *not going* wold present its own terrible costs...

 

[henrythedog]

All of Santiago makes a living off the camino. Nobody who lives there has to make the pilgrimage.
As the sidewalk into Santiago says from the Primitovo/Frances entry point: "Europe was build on the road to Santiago." Hyperbole? maybe... maybe not. But if the locals are not offended by its being an economic mainline, then I don't see why we should be.

Some people are focussed on what others will enjoy and not on a mobile solipsism. Surely there is room for the many thousands of pilgrims who came for hundreds of year before us for whom the idea of an "inner journey" would be of limited value even if they could recognise it (which is doubtful).

Anyway, I don't see any indication that these walks are not spiritually significant to him (he's keen to visit every church, for example, and from correspondence with him I know he holds some things to be for him alone) merely that he focusses his efforts not on what he likes, but on what others will enjoy. That's a very generous orientation, I think.

And I think surely any of us who finds that nebulous "something" on the roads to Santiago cannot possibly have that something diminished because someone else experiences it differently.

Apologies if I'm misread your intended meaning here, of course.

‘solipsism’ - contrary to the general impression I give on here I’m reasonably well-read; but you just had me reach for an English language dictionary for the first time in quite a while.

I’m not so certain that all the residents of Santiago either make a living from, nor actually welcome, those arriving on a Camino route.

I live in a part of England which sees many tourists. Those focussed on that market welcome their customers, but - I’d guess - some 75% of the local residents would rather they went elsewhere.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

‘solipsism’ - contrary to the general impression I give on here I’m reasonably well-read; but you just had me reach for an English language dictionary for the first time in quite a while.

I’m not so certain that all the residents of Santiago either make a living from, nor actually welcome, those arriving on a Camino route.

I live in a part of England which sees many tourists. Those focussed on that market welcome their customers, but - I’d guess - some 75% of the local residents would rather they went elsewhere.

Not meaning to be contrarian here, I am thinking aloud as it were, and wondering why Efren gets special aprobrium not directed at other imperfect humans who have either made camino videos or guidebooks. For example... the advice about partaking in the clothing burning at Fisterra was read directly out of the Brierley guide in Efren's first CF series. Brierley had then and has now a far greater reach than Efren.

It matters not whether every single individual in Santiago makes a living directly on Camino for Santiago de Compostela exists as such because of the economic powerhouse that is the tomb of St James. The university houses some of the most important archives related to pilgrimage... the school teachers teach the children of the families who own the tschotchke shops... it's an imbricated system that cannot do away with the economy of the visitors. Ivar sells things on this site and offers perks to those who pay a monthly fee. In return, he delivers something far superior (IMHO) to the social media groups that run without the quality control here.

I see Efren's work in similar terms I guess. He has more talent and training than most, and camino changed his life to get him out of the Miami TV setting. For the most part, I think those curious about camino benefit from that change in his life.

Ambivalence toward tourism in tourist areas is common.... and as COV demonstrated for those of us who had forgotten... places that are driven by tourism while they can be threatened by that tourism as are places like Barcelona and Venice, for example, suffer if tourism is lost. It is only those locations with varied economic structures -- so Barcelona more than Venice -- that can survive a significant tourism downturn. Where I live, the economy is driven mostly by summer visitors, cottagers and the like. They are a complete pain sometimes. And without them... well, many businesses were closed when COV shut things down...
It is complicated.

I just don't think most of us would qualify as "pure enough" to be in the right to chuck stones at Efren for making a living off his videos. He is, at least, unlike most of us, the grandson of a Galician family (explained in an early video). And, as far as I can tell, an observant Catholic too, not that it's my business whether he is or not.

Having been to a few of Fr. Manny's masses in SdC, though, I can say that I am grateful to the father for his commitments to the needs of the arrivals, and to Sister Mary who has volunteered in the chapel for 12 years... they are not focussed on an inner journey, but on seeking to meet what visitors need...
And when I was just in SdC there was a massive Vatican supported conference on "Pastoral Care of the Tourist" as a central obligation of the church.

So I'm not finding the sin in making a living from camino, nor in being focussed on the needs of others rather than on one's own navel.

 

[VNwalking]

The far more serious problem from an impact perspective is the rest of us not trying to do anything in particular. The ones heading out to experience a mobile summer camp for the newly retired.

Some people are focussed on what others will enjoy and not on a mobile solipsism.

I'm not finding the sin in making a living from camino, nor in being focussed on the needs of others rather than on one's own navel

Why do you have an issue with 'navel gazing,' or a 'mobile summer camp for the newly retired'?
Please lighten up, PG. Someday you may find yourself newly retired and/or in a reflective state of mind. Many go from that kind of camino to lives of ever deepening service.

Efren's free to do what he wants, and certainly to make a living off the camino. Plenty of people do, in various ways. To think otherwise would be naive.

That said, it's a bit sad when a sincere reflective journey evolves into a shallow seeking of followers and clicks and reposts - and money. So for his sake I hope that's not happening - that the dog is still firmly wagging the tail, rather than the other way around.

But who knows? Only Efren does. It's not our business, and no skin off our teeth.

 

[jeanineonthecamino]

I had a strange encounter with Efron today, sort of. Yesterday I saw two posts by him here (or someone using his name). The second one was on this thread. I hadn't seen any by him before and wondered if he had just signed up. I clicked on his name and saw that he had signed up some time ago but only had two posts. I finished my browsing and left with this thread up.

This morning when I checked the forum I wondered if he had posted anything else so I refreshed and looked at the number of his posts and the number had been reset to zero and his posts had been deleted. This afternoon I can't even find his account.

I had noticed this too in one post - I thought the reply was "strange" to say the least.

I don’t think it’s breaching any confidences to say that the account had the name Efren González but was not THE Efren González, and the account has been deleted.

Thanks, I was a bit - confused!

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

@VNwalking
You don't know if I'm retired or not. I happen to be on the cusp, half in and half out on a "gradual exit plan".

I have an issue with the "summer camp for new retirees" because when it comes to spiritual pursuits seeking out camino romances, and being drunk regularly certainly calls the spiritual into question. Aiming to go to Spain and not interact with locals... aiming only to find (usually) English speakers... not being interested in anything except whether they can find a group of people just like themselves... Not being interested in the church history, the architectural history, the shifting cultures along the way... just in whether there will be people like them out there. But that's all fine and good. No problem there. Just treat the lands of the hosts as a mobile party palace.

And the fact is that in terms of "negative impact" it is the collective footprints of those who do not think about the impact of doing nothing in particular that threatens the regions trammelled. The view that he is somehow more guilty of something than the rest rubs a nerve because it seems to be looking for a reason to project all kinds of sins onto this one person when others get a free pass.

I don't care if people navel gaze. I care if they think they are superior to those whose motivations are more outward-facing. I am reminded of the hermit founder of Monserrat who was finally ordered by the Pope to come out of his own head and do his duty for the world.

As to Efren's making money by making camino videos, I've already made my case for leaving viewers to decide for themselves if they want to watch or not watch, rather than to write him off as "shallow".

There's a level of hostility directed at him that I think does not make sense given what people regularly give a pass to.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hoping to be able to leave this thread up for a respectful exchange of opinion. Those who use sarcasm frequently trigger an angry response and that’s not helpful. There’s enough of that in the pro-Efren and anti-Efren camp now, so let’s call it a draw. Respectful disagreement is what we’re looking for.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

There is really nothing more that can be added to this thread on either side of the coin...it's definitely run the gamut between this one and those other recent threads.

 

[RJM]

There is really nothing more that can be added to this thread on either side of the coin...it's definitely run the gamut.

Says you. I find it to be an interesting thread. A change of pace from the usual how much water should I carry, do I need a sleeping bag or how difficult are the Pyrenees to walk over?

 

[VNwalking]

As to Efren's making money by making camino videos, I've already made my case for leaving viewers to decide for themselves if they want to watch or not watch, rather than to write him off as "shallow".

We agree entirely!

There's a level of hostility directed at him that I think does not make sense given what people regularly give a pass to

With this too.

And FWIW, I dislike the mobile party scene as much as you.

This is what is not clear:

And the fact is that in terms of "negative impact" it is the collective footprints of those who do not think about the impact of doing nothing in particular that threatens the regions trammelled. The view that he is somehow more guilty of something than the rest rubs a nerve because it seems to be looking for a reason to project all kinds of sins onto this one person when others get a free pass.

Can you give a specific example? I'm not sure I understand.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

We agree entirely!

With this too.

And FWIW, I dislike the mobile party scene as much as you.

This is what is not clear:

Can you give a specific example? I'm not sure I understand.

Of course. I'm sorry... blame the recent major surgery I've had if my cognition is not connecting the dots.

My basic line of thinking: Efren is not unlike the pilgrims who travel yearly (or more) via airplane etc. to walk various pilgrimage routes. We have learned that he's not at all interested in "nature trails" because they are missing the culture of the pilgrimage routes and they are fuelled by sugary candy and McDonald's every 3 days (short form of his misery on the APT). We have learned that he prefers to include things like attending pilgrim masses and has received special blessings in places such as Canterbury Cathedral... This suggests to me a person who qualifies for having a pilgrimage orientation.

But many, many people on the most popular caminos are there for no reason other than a cheap holiday (The CF), or a physical challenge (The Salvador when I went was half people who had no idea it was a pilgrimage... just knew it was a challenging hike). That's fine as it goes, but there's a big VENN diagram in there of people who toss their trash on the pathway because they are not thoughtful.... because they are entitled to whatever they have paid for... who have distorted "it's my camino" (away from it's mine to be responsible for meeting) to "I paid for it so get out of my way."

The collective negative impact of mass tourism -- exacerbated by those who do not think about what it means to leave their little wads of TP hither and yon.... I gather from the strong aspersion hurled at Mr. Gonzales that he is to take the brunt of all frustrations and I do not know why.

Upthread you said something about being reflective as though I lacked that capacity when I've been writing precisely about the lack of awareness/presence of pots and kettles, so to speak... and my point is that a great great many walkers are not reflective... or are only reflective on their own interiors without much consideration for the communities that have supported their journeys. They hate the food, complain about siesta, complain that the walk is too Catholic (!), complain about supper not being served when they want it.... It is to that set of problems and not to one man joining his training to the camino that I think would make more sense to put our energies.

I'm not saying anyone has to like his way of doing things. I'm suggesting there is deep inconsistency in being uniquely peevish about him and not reflecting on our own implication in the destruction that comes of unthinking/inconsiderate trammeling. If I seek to leave no trace of having been on the road, but I encourage someone else who is less attentive to go, then I am implicated... even if I did not intend it.

I know from reading around that this community gets frustrated about TP and litter... what I'm getting at is that Mr. Gonzales seems to become the whipping post for that, and subjected to a vitriol that suggests nobody unfamiliar with his work should find out for themselves if they enjoy it...

He's been accused of being shallow because he is making a living this way. But why? Why be angry at him and not at others who make a living from guide books or augment their incomes with video series?

There are a few sequences in Mr. Efren's videos that have made me wince... but for the most part, I find his videos gentle, encouraging, and good for dreaming or remembering.

I am reminded of how terrible it is to publish anything, to create anything and then to keep changing as a person and to have people persist in sticking you to a thing that is 5-10-20 or more years old.

I was introduced to Efren's work by a Mennonite minister whom I know through a community organisation we both volunteer at, and by coincidence, we'd both walked the CF about 2 years before we met. And so it was way back with the first CF series, and I found Efren's gentle, goofy humour to be as generous as his camera work. That his visual narrative has improved and he has stopped relying on guidebooks to explain where he is provides us now with more neutral footage. My friend, the minister, has Parkinson's now... and Efren's growing collection provide access to a world my friend will never see again.

Shallow focus on clicks and likes indeed.

 

[Tincatinker]

I will never get to see Orca lunging out of the surf to snatch seals off the beaches of Patagonia. That David Attenborough and an extensive BBC film crew and production unit get to see it, film it and transmit it does not provide me access. It simply provides spectacle; bread and circuses.

At least the guidebook writers provide some coherent information and the odd phone number.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I will never get to see Orca lunging out of the surf to snatch seals off the beaches of Patagonia. That David Attenborough and an extensive BBC film crew and production unit get to see it, film it and transmit it does not provide me access. It simply provides spectacle; bread and circuses.

I see things like this as an inspiration to go see something like it.

 

[Tincatinker]

I see things like this as an inspiration to go see something like it.

Like all those adverts for luxury resorts in Qatar?
I can watch TV chefs having their spontaneous lunch in that perfect little bar off the Via Romana while knowing that there’s a 6 month wait for a table. I can watch art critics expounding against their uninterrupted view of Michelangelo’s Last Supper while very aware that that view simply isn’t obtainable with the €35 entrance ticket.

It’s nothing personal. I think Efren is a very competent filmmaker. Just not a pilgrim

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

I see things like this as an inspiration to go see something like it.

Yes... and my mother, for whom I walked a vicare pro, who has multiple disabilities, she does experience Efren's video work as "access" -- especially his new, immersive 3D work.

 

[Flog]

I'm not a particular fan of his style, but would agree his work makes the caminos accessible to many in a way that no amount of reading could. Who's to judge if he's a pilgrim or not, who cares?

 

[VNwalking]

Thank you for the long and clear answer, @Perambulating Griffin. I am so with you about most of what you say.

Why Efren gets so much heat is complicated. TBH I have not watched his videos, because I don't watch any camino videos. So I will own a tendency to assume anyone who does a video for public consumption about their camino is on a bit of an ego trip. But that assumption could eadily be wrong. Only he knows if he's a pilgrim.

 

[dick bird]

Will the real Efren Gonzalez please stand up?
It’s good to know that the Camino are just a source of income and not anything of spiritual or social significance. That’ll explain all those volunteers keeping the Camino alive - they’re in it for the….

Monetizing the Camino is hardly a new phenomenon.

 

[Tincatinker]

I agree. The Cathedral kicked that one off somewhen around 820. I guess it’s the disassociation of holy road and leisure spectacle that keeps poking me in my slumber. I’ll shut up now

 

[Corned Beef]

Monetizing the Camino is hardly a new phenomenon.

Like this forum, Efren Gonzalez's videos provide useful information for those that don't want to wander off into the unknown. I know the Camino provides .. but I'd like some certainty.

For example, there is a rail bridge on the Norte at Poo which is indicated on the maps as a crossing point. The suggestion in the video was to take the train across and remove the very small risk of crossing there. Instead I took the long way round and was delighted my caution yielded a very nice lunch at a restaurant near the albergue in Poo

 

[Bristle Boy]

I have read this thread with some interest.
What started with some positivity, like many threads, seems to turn with a noted degree of negativity
If Efren inspires anyone to walk the way of St.James I see this as a positive.
I see many double standards being applied and I'm not sure it is fair.
What is a sacred path to many is only a highway and byeway to many of the Spanish who live along the route and make their living accordingly.
To many of the Spanish the pilgrim is seen as nothing more than a transient tourist and the monetizing of such a phenomenon is nothing new.
I see videos and imagery on this forum which, although not posted for monetary gain, provides for many, the same enjoyment, fascination and awe that Efren is very skilled at. For an audience for many who may be unable to see it for themselves.
Efren has been able to provide himself with a living that enables him to continue to do something he loves, is trained and is skilled at. He is a lucky man. He also utilises the media platforms that enables him to do so.
I cannot help but feel that there are a lot of double standards being applied to him.
He is not the first to monetise the camino in a shared land of which i have no ownership but have the privilege to experience.

 

[RJM]

I'm sure Efren Gonzalez is loving the attention he's getting on this forum right now. Publicity, good or bad, is attention and attention equals viewers which in turn equals monetary gain and that's why he's doing it.
I personally don't want to encounter him or any other vlogger who uses a drone on the Camino simply because of the annoying, invasive nature of a drone. They sound like an angry swarm of bees and are a bit creepy.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm sure Efren Gonzalez is loving the attention he's getting on this forum right now. Publicity, good or bad, is attention and attention equals viewers which in turn equals monetary gain and that's why he's doing it.

I had contacted Efren myself when all that confusion ensued a few days ago and he said he has never been a member of this forum. I doubt that we "regulars" here who occasionally mention his name are but a pittance in monetary gain compared to his successful Youtube channel, and his subscribers due to his well rounded offerings. If you like to hike, there is something of interest far beyond the caminos for everyone. He has also branched out to film many other of his treks in faraway places. He doesn't particularly need us.

 

[RJM]

I had contacted Efren myself when all that confusion ensued a few days ago and he said he has never been a member of this forum. I doubt that we "regulars" here who occasionally mention his name are but a pittance in monetary gain compared to his successful Youtube channel, and his subscribers due to his well rounded offerings. If you like to hike, there is something of interest far beyond the caminos for everyone. He has also branched out to film many other of his treks in faraway places. He doesn't particularly need us.

Yeah, doubt he shuns this forum as so many of his YouTube videos are done on the Camino. No doubt his not admitting it just a case of staying low key. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a profile here under a pen name, so to speak. Easy enough to do and he is in the entertainment business. Filmmaking is entertainment first and foremost.
I would guess most of his income is based on stuff like Patreon etc. Send me some money please and I'll make more videos.

 

[peregrina2000]

I hope we can avoid getting into a debate about whether Efren González has a “secret account” on the forum.