ilokanawalay
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Hi Nancy. Apart from the obvious and usual differences could you please explain this in more detail? I've walked with both men and women and I didn't notice that much difference in the experience really. Buen Camino!nreyn12 said:Being a woman on the Camino is different than being a man on the Camino.
Probably most of what I am referring to is the obvious and usual, but on the Camino they play out in ways that a first-time pilgrim might not know to be on the look-out for. If one is with an organized group, or a group of new Camino friends, these things might not ever come up.tyrrek said:Apart from the obvious and usual differences could you please explain this in more detail?
Sorry to be picky Nancy and I agree there are differences between gender, and that everyone has to be careful and sensible, especially in the cities. But in the context of the Camino I think women are pretty safe (as you have also said). I'm sorry I extended this discussion really. Buen Camino!nreyn12 said:Probably most of what I am referring to is the obvious and usual, but on the Camino they play out in ways that a first-time pilgrim might not know to be on the look-out for. If one is with an organized group, or a group of new Camino friends, these things might not ever come up.tyrrek said:Apart from the obvious and usual differences could you please explain this in more detail?
Yep, organised groups are obviously best....
Again, not to be alarmist, but women have to think of things a bit differently. And I will add that I have never felt unsafe on the Camino, but as you will see, I have had to be vigilant a few times. I have traveled extensively, not just on the Camino, and I have learned how and when to have my 'game face' on.
Men too.
Here are some Camino-specific examples for you:
In the albergues, sometimes the bunks are very close together, so close that it's more like a double bed than a single bunk. I've been assigned one of those bunks next to a man I didn't know, and the hospitalero challenged me when I asked to be moved. Women need to know that they can insist on another bed if they are uncomfortable with the man next to them.
OK, I'll give you that. After all, men just can't be trusted.
If a man was the only pilgrim at a male-hosted albergue, he probably wouldn't think twice about staying there. A woman would. Why exactly? I suppose see above.
If a man is assigned the last bed in a dorm room full of men, no problem. A woman might not feel comfortable. I accept that.
There is another thread on this forum about the STATISTICALLY RARE occurrence of a local man exposing himself - it's always to a woman, and usually she's walking alone. That's probably because it's a sexual thing and STATISTICALLY most men are straight.
I suspect that men traveling alone on the Camino don't often have to make up a fake wife to fend off aggressive Spanish women. I have a fake husband and have had to use him three times on the Camino. Again be specific about the aggression you encountered.
A man might feel comfortable starting out in the morning in the dark alone; I probably wouldn't. I wouldn't without a torch.
A man who goes out in Leon (or anywhere) and drinks one too many would probably get helped back to the albergue by his new Spanish friends. A woman might have a different experience.
A man would find himself stripped naked and tied to a lampost with someone's bootlaces. A woman would probably not.
For the record, much of this is common sense for wherever you are in the world. Be smart and be safe. The Camino is probably one of the safest places in Europe. Regardless, women have to think about these things. So do men.
Nancy
The exception proving the rule, I, a male, was flashed after Puente la Reina. The man was standing in a drainage culvert a couple of hundred meters away, and dropped his pants around his ankles.There is another thread on this forum about the STATISTICALLY RARE occurrence of a local man exposing himself - it's always to a woman, and usually she's walking alone.
Totally agree. Just as in every area of life. The Camino is no different. Buen Camino!falcon269 said:...men should be aware of their impact on single women.
Obviously you can't detail them all Pieces as the thread would be endless. But seriously, just give us a few examples of where you think female pilgrims should be aware. Buen Camino!Pieces said:the endless uncomfortable encounters most women confront....
Falcon has given a few specific examples. You mention women being raped on the Camino. When, and how often does this happen among the quarter of a million people walking the route each year? Every one is horrific, but do you know how often this happens? Is it in albergues?! Buen Camino!Pieces said:I think there are plenty examples all ready in this thread...
Which one? I can't find any actual incidences of rape on this thread, and don't remember seeing any on the forum. Please send a quote, I'll be happy to apologise if I've overlooked something. Buen Camino!Pieces said:maybe read the post again ?
I think it's a very valuable discussion, if only to illuminate that men and women have different safety concerns on the Camino. Aggression towards women often has a different motivation than that against men, and we feel vulnerable in a different way. Feeling safe on the Camino is less about if the Camino is safe than it is about how a woman feels about being safe anywhere.tyrrek said:I'm sorry I extended this discussion really.
I once encountered an overly affectionate male hospitalero. Had I been the only pilgrim in his albergue, I wouldn't have stayed.tyrrek said:If a man was the only pilgrim at a male-hosted albergue, he probably wouldn't think twice about staying there. A woman would. Why exactly? I suppose see above.
In one incident I had a man invite himself back to my hotel room when I indicated I was going to go rest. Another time a man I was talking to in a park asked me to come home with him for the evening. Both of their intents were obvious, and while I felt no physical threat, it was very difficult to fend them off in my second language of Spanish.tyrrek said:I suspect that men traveling alone on the Camino don't often have to make up a fake wife to fend off aggressive Spanish women. I have a fake husband and have had to use him three times on the Camino. Again be specific about the aggression you encountered.
tyrrek said:A man would find himself stripped naked and tied to a lampost with someone's bootlaces. A woman would probably not.
It's not a competition on who has to feel more cautious or who might face a greater threat. The OP is a woman, and she asked the question from a woman's perspective, not from a man's. EVERYONE should be vigilant about their safety when walking the Camino.tyrrek said:Regardless, women have to think about these things. So do men.
Falcon, I'm curious, how did you handle it?falcon269 said:I, a male, was flashed after Puente la Reina.
Thanks for this. This is a perfect approach and I am sure very much appreciated.falcon269 said:I do things like take the bunk the farthest from theirs, and leaving when they head for the showers. I suppose there is no universally proper technique for giving assurances, but men should be aware of their impact on single women.
Pieces said:I myself was mugged coming out of Leon very early in the morning
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I would have reported it had the opportunity presented itself, but it was a Sunday, and I did not find an open bar for a couple of hours. Since I doubted that the fellow would stand in that pipe for hours, there would have been little chance of finding out who he was, so I ordered and drank a coffee, and moved on. It was in March, so foot traffic was light, and the albergues were closed except in the major destinations. I stayed in a hostal in Estella, so did not congregate with pilgrims until Los Arcos, by which time telling the story would have done little more than make the women nervous! Information is useful, but I am not sure scaring people with old news, or catering to their curiosity, is the best use of information.falcon269 wrote: I, a male, was flashed after Puente la Reina.
Falcon, I'm curious, how did you handle it?
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