tyrrek said:
Apart from the obvious and usual differences could you please explain this in more detail?
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.
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