| For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
|---|
Last time I was at O'Cebrero, there was no shower curtain on any of the cubicles or curtains over the window, side on to the showers. But by that time, I'd dealt with a lot of things that I had earlier thought important re: privacy.@trecile , My towel does not wrap all the way around me. Will I be able to dry off and get dressed before leaving the shower area in privacy? Or do I need to get a towel that covers? Thanks for your help!
Oh, and in O'Cebrero the bunks are set up so that you might be next to complete stranger. But no issues, just more memories. It's the Camino.Last time I was at O'Cebrero, there was no shower curtain on any of the cubicles or curtains over the window, side on to the showers. But by that time, I'd dealt with a lot of things that I had earlier thought important re: privacy.
I am with you, I think my sarong was the most useful item I took with me.I always carry a sarong. It works as towel, blanket, cover up, something to sit on and dries quickly. My hard to justify item though would be my giant beach hat. The brim is quite large and would ensure that not an ounce of my face will get burnt. I'm sure though it would look ridiculous but I hate getting burnt and I have fair skin.
Sorry for late reply. I've been away for a couple of weeks. I'm still working on Iberia so you'll have to rely on Amazon for a complete review. Some really like Mitchener and some not so much. Iberia has mixed reviews and it is a bit dated. In my opinion it does give some wonderful insights into Spain and Spanish culture. He did walk a camino or perhaps three and his final chapter, chapter XIII, is titled Santiago de Compostela and is one hundred pages on the Camino. Pretty good for something published almost 50 years ago.Is this book worth taking the time to read? Did it make you appreciate being in Spain or relate to your Camino experience? I've considered purchasing it a few times, but always hold back.
What was your decision regarding the Turkish towel? I am choosing between microfiber towel and the Turkish one.I bought a Osprey 12 liter ultralight dry sack which weighs 1.2 ounces that I plan to use in the same way as a Scrubba. I've tested it at home, and it works well.
Both of which you can download to a smart phone for no extra weight!
I have a travel type microfiber towel, but mine is extra large so that I can actually wrap it around my body. I've bought a cotton turkish towel to try out. It is even larger and weighs a bit more, so I'll see if it works better for drying off. I can always cut off a bit of it, and hem the edges to reduce weight. I'll definitely remove the fringe if I use it.
I bought a Turkish towel, but it's much heavier than my PackTowl Ultralight. TheTurkish towel weighs about 10 ounces and is bulky, and the full body size PackTowl weighs 3.4 ounces. I had a Sea to Summit Pocket Towel microfiber towel previously, and I think that the PackTowl does a much better job of drying, and not just moving the water around. If you want something in between the Turkish Towel and a microfiber towel consider a sarong. I have a rayon one that I bought in Mexico.What was your decision regarding the Turkish towel? I am choosing between microfiber towel and the Turkish one.
I didn’t know you could get material! I’ll definitely go looking. I carry my scales to the shops and the dresses there were very expensive and heavy. I was even thinking of taking a cheap dress I bought in Singapore but, I shudder when I think of the creasesI wear mostly tank style dresses in warm weather, so made a couple out of merino wool t shirt weight fabric to wear on the Camino. I extended the shoulder to create a cap sleeve, and added zippered pockets. They were the perfect thing for me to walk the Camino in. Merino leggings underneath kept me warm on cooler days.
Here are a couple of sources: https://www.newzealandmerinoandfabrics.com/collections/100-merino-fabrics?sort_by=created-descendingI didn’t know you could get material! I’ll definitely go looking. I carry my scales to the shops and the dresses there were very expensive and heavy. I was even thinking of taking a cheap dress I bought in Singapore but, I shudder when I think of the creases
Re towels: what about the idea of just carrying an extra synthetic or Sfmartwool t-shirt to use as a towel? It should be absorbent and quick-drying, and in a wardrobe emergency you can use it as a shirt!
Peg got her results. The vitamins were real, the fish oil wasn't.Peg volunteered years ago for a five year medical study on vitamins and (fish?) oil. I tease her by saying that she walked for months across Spain carrying cardboard card blister packs of placibos. There's about a year left to the study.
The albergue at O Cebreiro is the only one that I stayed at that I would definitely avoid in the future. It just didn't have a friendly vibe to it. And I don't think that it was the size, because I thought that the albergues in Roncesvalles and the large donativo in Ponferrada were wonderful.
I'd take the horn. Much more original. I've seen several guitars on the Camino.I’ve been thinking of walking with one of these.
View attachment 42648
Or at least one of these.
View attachment 42647
Ah yes a universal sink plug. Keeps me happy with contact lenses. I just bought couple new ones in France-much lighter than ones in USA.I am absolutely LOVING this thread - quirky items indeed ... no one has mentioned a universal sink plug ... so many sinks without plugs and one can use it in the shower to build up the water so that one soaks one's feet.
my quirkies? a universal sink plug, a flannel (face flannel? washcloth?), and a linen napkin (dyed brown of course)
The baby towel is a great tip! - didn't know about that. I have tried the microfibre travel towels and they seem to stick to my skin and not dry me properly so I usually carry a worn 'normal' towel - but am off to Mothercare to look at these baby towels today!!
Well, that certainly is a quirky little item for sure! I've never seen anything quite like it. I bring a simple little S hook to hold my showering bag as it's flat and weighs next to nothing. The only truly quirky thing I bring on the Camino is...myself!
I'm with you on the horrors of microfibre towels, but don't agree that bamboo is a good replacement. All the bamboo I've tried has taken forever to dry. My substitute for the microfibre towel is a fine cotton muslin baby-wrap. Being a wrap they are quite large, but the fabric is very thin, so light and it dries quickly.There's three pairs of flip-flops living under my bed because I found lighter ones and they aren't the only items that have been exiled from my backpack in order to keep my pack under 6kg ... my one luxury is a bamboo bath towel ... it's heavier than the last couple of microfiber towels I bought, but I can't stand the feel of those.
Thank you, I'll look into those.I'm with you on the horrors of microfibre towels, but don't agree that bamboo is a good replacement. All the bamboo I've tried has taken forever to dry. My substitute for the microfibre towel is a fine cotton muslin baby-wrap. Being a wrap they are quite large, but the fabric is very thin, so light and it dries quickly.
I have a 1-2 oz ball that I use in the same way.My "Stick"! To roll out sore muscles-- I use it each morning before walking and usually after stopping for the day. I credit it with getting me through the first week of my first Camino. Took it on the second, and will pack it once again in a few months for the third. Many many other pilgrims have enjoyed using it along the Way, too
I have a small massage ball too. I found mine at Decathlon.I have a 1-2 oz ball that I use in the same way.
Much easier to pack...
Ruth
I can't stand the feel of microfiber towels either, and in my trials it seemed like they pushed the water around on my skin rather than absorbing it. I like baby towels made of thin cotton flannel, first mentioned by @Anniesantiago. They weigh little and take up almost no room in a backpack.it's heavier than the last couple of microfiber towels I bought, but I can't stand the feel of those.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?