Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Returning home from Spain

On Friday, May 12, four months ago, I arrived home in San Diego from Spain leaving my shortened Camino pilgrimage walk behind. How did I get home? I gave a very basic outline of my plans to get home in my last post. Because of the worsening tendonitis in my left leg after walking about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Seville, I stopped walking in Granja de Moreruela. In the map, where the red line makes a turn to the left is Granja de Moreruela.

The Via de la Plata continues north to Astorga (which would be a little to the left or west of León) and the Camino Sanabres splits off to the left northwest to Santiago de Compostela.

I took a local (yellow and blue) bus to Benavente and a then regional (orange and silver) bus to Ourense. [They appear to be the same model bus with different paint.]

I chose Ourense because of the hot springs there, and I thought visiting the hot springs would help me relax and heal. I booked an apartment-type room in Ourense for three nights and was so emotionally and physically exhausted that I seldom left the room and never made it to the hot springs.

I took a train to Santiago de Compostela to retrieve the package I had sent to Casa Ivar (of the Camino Forum). That package had the bag in which to check my hiking poles for my return flights since hiking poles are not allowed as carry-on luggage. Here is the entrance to the Ourense train station and the very sleek and fast-looking train that would take me to Santiago de Compostela.

After arriving at Santiago de Compostela, meeting Ivar, and retrieving my package, I went to the square in front of the cathedral wishing I had been able to complete the walk all the way. Here is the Santiago de Compostela cathedral at dusk, this photograph is courtesy of Leonard Vance with whom I walked until Mérida.

Reflecting on my recent pilgrimage walk in Spain

I arrived home on Friday, May 12, 2023. After a few weeks of letting the tendonitis in my left leg and the blisters on my right foot heal (and seeing my doctor to make sure there were no stress fractures), I returned (gradually) to my exercise routines: walking, strength training (lifting weights), cycling, and yoga practice. Then in mid-June came another interruption for surgery on my gums. This was followed by three weeks of soft food only and no exercise that would raise the blood pressure. Walking was allowed. My food was smoothies, yogurt, apple sauce, soup, and food that needed no chewing. After a couple of weeks, I graduated to soft rice, eggs, oatmeal, refried beans, and very soft fruit. By the middle of July, I was allowed to carefully eat almost anything and approved to resume my exercise routines.

During that time, I reflected on my Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk with Tom, my friend from Sydney whom I met at Wild Rose Yoga in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2016. We started the walk in Seville in the south of Spain on April 10, and I gave in to what was essentially peer pressure and stayed in the pilgrim’s albergues (what would in the U.S. be called a hostel with a large room of bunk beds for sleeping, shared showers and bathrooms). Tom loves the albergues – he gets reenergized being around other people, so he chose the albergues as that was best for him. I do not like the albergues. I prefer and do much better getting reenergized with some downtime, preferably solitary. I reluctantly went with the albergues. My thinking was that because only about 5% as many pilgrims walk the Via de la Plata compared with the Camino Frances, it might be all right. And I was reminded of a favorite quote:

If you don’t open yourself up, how can you ever be surprised by life?
And if you’re not surprised, then what is the bloody point?

So I tried to stay open and go with it and ultimately, I was surprised, but not in a good way. With fewer pilgrims comes much less infrastructure, and in almost all of the towns, there was only one albergue, so all of the pilgrims were there. At Samalanca more pilgrims started their walk, so there were more pilgrims than beds available in the albergues. This forced us to start early and walk quickly to ensure we would get a bed for the night. We increased our pace from about 4.0-4.4 kilometers per hour to 4.8-5.5 kilometers per hour. While that does not seem like a huge increase in speed, carrying a backpack and walking all day the increase in speed takes a toll. And because of the hurry, there was little time to enjoy the landscape, stop along the way, or even enjoy the walk. It was after the “bed race” started that my tendonitis emerged and grew worse every day, causing a darkening of my mood. I could deal with the dark mood, but the pain in my leg had become severe, and I needed to stop. So I stopped walking and planned my return home.

When I stopped walking I was emotionally and physically drained. I spent three days in Ourense doing almost nothing but resting and reflecting. My mood was dark. My leg and foot hurt. I was frustrated over not completing the pilgrimage walk, and my anger was really disappointment with myself for not standing up for what was best for me. I really wanted to accomplish what I had set out to do. Over the past four months, the negative feelings have mostly dropped away. What I remember most were the beautiful views and landscapes through which we walked, and the camaraderie with other pilgrims: Tom, Javier Moreno Barranco, Leonard Vance, Sharon from Taiwan, and others. Every day was difficult and every day was beautiful.

I plan to return to Spain next spring to complete the pilgrimage walk, walking about 420 kilometers (260 miles) from Zamora at the start of May. I chose Zamora because there is easy, direct train access from Madrid to Zamora. I have been in contact with an agency based in Santiago de Compostela to book private accommodation for me on that pilgrimage walk. A bit of a surprise came when my brother-in-law Ron Melton said he wanted to join me (provided we did not have to stay in albergues). And more recently, a close friend of his, Dan Hansen (with whom he has run thousands of miles of training and at least 10 marathons) will also join us. There is also a chance that another friend of mine will join us, too. This Camino pilgrimage walk next spring will be a very different experience. I am looking forward to all the planning, the coordination, and the walk itself.

Planning a Return to Chiang Mai, Thailand

I am planning my eleventh yoga-focused visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’ll be leaving from Los Angeles late at night Saturday, November 18, 2023, to Bangkok via Incheon (Seoul’s airport) on Korean Air. I’ll arrive in Bangkok on Monday, November 20 (November 19 will be lost as I cross the International Date Line). My return from Chiang Mai to Incheon and then to Los Angeles is set for February 2, 2024. I’ll be in the Kingdom for 75 days and away from home for 77.

I will be in Bangkok for only two nights, staying in the Novotel Ploen Chit on Sukhumvit Road in central Bangkok. I have stayed at this hotel in the past, and it is right on the BTS, or Sky Train Sukhumvit line (what can be thought of as an elevated subway). The bonus is that I can take the Airport Rail Link train from Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok’s main airport, also known as BKK) to the Playa Thai stop on the BTS Sukhumvit Line, then it is four stops on the BTS to Ploen Chit, right in front of the hotel.

Although my time in Bangkok will be brief, I am eager to visit some of my favorite temples, including Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and Wat Phra Kaew. One night I plan to revisit the Crimson Room, a jazz bar I enjoyed during my last visit. The location is quite convenient, being only a 20-minute walk from my hotel and within a block of the U.S. Embassy. On my second evening, I look forward to visiting The Saxophone Club, a jazz venue situated a few stops north on the BTS Sukhumvit Line near Victory Monument. The Saxophone Club is a good choice since I recently acquired an alto saxophone and have started practicing again after over 50 years. I am thoroughly enjoying the practice.

After two nights in Bangkok, I’ll fly up to Chiang Mai, about an hour-long flight. Once there, I’ll practice yoga several times a week at Wild Rose Yoga, work out two or three times per week at the O2 Gym with my trainer friend Ning, eat good food, see friends, visit temples, and update my blog when I have time. I say that because in past trips, I think I’ll have a good deal of free time, but I get busy, and the blog gets updated less frequently than I’d like. This year, however, I will not be working part-time as I have in past visits, so I am hoping to have additional free time.

The Beach at Del Mar

Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand, in the foothills of a mountainous area north and west. I’ll be away from the ocean and will miss my frequent early-morning walks at the beach, listening to the meditative sound of the waves as the day breaks. Recently on one of those walks, I brought my camera to share the views at sunrise. Today was overcast and the light very grey. The Pacific Ocean was very peaceful today. The waves were not dramatic, and few surfers were out.

Occasionally a few slightly more intense waves rolled in. Generally, it was a peaceful ocean.

I shall miss the beach. Being in Chiang Mai I will not see a beach for more than ten weeks.

Next: Preparing for the two-and-a-half-month trip to Chiang Mai