mmm...yes offcourse you are right (all of you), we think that you didn`t get our idea right, we mean "cheapest'" as "not commercial". Camino is spiritual experiance (you are absolutly right) and should be as less commercial as possible. That what we liked about albergues donativos, is that there we felt that hospitaleros don`t think about earning, but try to share their own experiance, to help and give inspiration to continue the camino and there we are ready to share all what we have - money, help in cooking supper for all the pilgrims, to do some housework, buying food for all the pilgrims, etc. So the atmosphere there is different.
Sleėping in a tent, being so close to nature developes responsibility for all the actions, we start to appreciate all what nature gives us, we start to think how to save it, keep it clean , because we depend on it and it makes us care more obout environment. And taking into consideration toilet paper on each step of the camino, we don`t think, taht all the pilgrims is not "toileting" during the day and only use toilets in albergues =) So we don`t think, that those who make the camino with a tent damage environment more then other pilgrims during some hours walking.
Many pilgrims said, that there is some kind of "racing" on the camino because there are many pilgrims and not enaugh beds, so startimg early in the morning everybody runs to get faster to the albergue, and after 2-3 o`clock nobody walks, we think that every step should be done "with a spirit", without hurry and rush, at 2 o`clock when everybody already finished walking, we had dinner and continued walking in the evening, and it was the most beautiful time for walking, we could feel the spirit of the camino exactly in the evenings, finishing walking with a sunset or even with a stars. For us the philosopy and spirit of the camino is in moving forward being in hormony with all what surrounds you, and we really got that feeling of hormony.
We also think, that pilgrimage doesn`t mean "travelling with comfort", sleeping in comfortable albergues, eating in restaurants, camino should be some kind of "suffering" without that comfort we have in our everyday life. For us that is real camino.