Author: James Geier

Day 3 – Castilblanco de los Arroyos to Almadén de la Plata

April 13, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Camino

Wednesday, April 12, 2023Walking from Castilblanco de los Arroyos to Almadén de la Plata18.2 kilometers, 18,540 steps Today turned out to be more interesting than expected. There are two section of the route from Castilblanco de los Arroyos to Almadén. The first section is 16 kilometers on a very narrow path adjacent to a highway. The second section is about 14 kilometers through what is called a park, but really more of a nature preserve. […]

Day 2 – Guillena to Castilblanco de los Arroyos

April 12, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Camino

Tuesday, April 11, 2023Walking from Guillena to Castilblanco de los Arroyos18 kilometers, 20,600 steps Today was a challenging day, not because of the difficulty, but because we are still finding our Camino fitness. And, somehow, when we took a break, both the Samsung Health and Google Fit applications reset. Samsung Health reported that I only walked 1.8 kilometers and I know the walk was much longer. Google Fit broke the walk into two sections where […]

First Day – Seville to Guillena

April 10, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Camino

Monday, April 10, 2023Walking from Seville to Guillena22 kilometers, 33,700 steps Today is our first day walking the Via de la Plata route of the family of Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes. Southern Spain is having slightly warmer than normal temperatures, with the high in Seville expected to be 33-34 C or about 90-92 F. We decided to get a fairly early start, and met at the cathedral at about 8:30 AM. Here is my […]

Traveling to Seville, Spain

April 8, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Camino

Friday & SaturdayApril 6 & 7, 2023 Traveling to Asia or Europe from southern California is a long process. I will be making the 1000 kilometer pilgrimage walk from Seville to Santiago de Compostela with my long-time friend Tom from Sydney, Australia. We will start the walk on April 10, the day after Easter Sunday. Tom has been in Seville all of Easter Holy Week, and has sent me a few pictures of the elaborate […]

Returning to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago

March 31, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Camino / 2023 Thailand

Friday, March 31, 2023Planning a return to Spain I am returning to Spain, leaving from home in a week on Thursday April 6, 2023. Very early on Friday I’ll fly from Los Angeles to Atlanta then to Madrid, arriving Saturday morning. That afternoon I’ll take a train to Seville where I’ll have two nights to adjust to the 9-hour time difference and ready myself for a long walk starting Monday, April 10, 2023. In Seville, […]

Traveling Home and Reflections

February 15, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 A notable highlight of my winter in Chiang Mai Before I get to traveling home and my reflections on this longer visit to Chiang Mai, there is one highlight to share. When I returned from Thailand a year ago, I went back to my routine of walking in the morning, cycling most days (about 120-140 miles per week), and practicing yoga at home. But I had some recurring lower back problems. […]

Last Day in Chiang Mai

February 13, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Wednesday, February 1, 2023A short walk on my last day Today is Wednesday, February 1, and my last day in Chiang Mai. The day started fairly normally with breakfast and then my last yoga practice at Wild Rose Yoga with instructor Annie. I said goodbye to Rose and John after practice, and went back to See You Soon to finish packing and mentally prepare for the long journey home. The flight does not leave until […]

Woo Cafe and the Kamphaengdin

February 9, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Saturday, January 28, 2023Lunch at Woo Cafe I am in my last week, and have been busy seeing various friends for the last time during this visit. I leave in five days, so today is my last Saturday here. And the day started with breakfast, then a walk to the O2 Gym and a strength workout with Ning, my trainer. These workouts balance my fitness and while challenging, I find them interesting and fun, too. […]

Three Temple Monday 3 – Wat Santitham

February 8, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Monday, January 23, 2023Third temple on this Monday After walking through a few sois and finally getting to Hussadhisawee Road, I continued south, into a familiar area and near Wat Santitham. The last temple I visited, Wat Chiang Chom, was a little uninspiring, and it was odd to see not a single person there. Nevertheless, I soon arrived at Wat Santitham. As I mentioned in my previous post, why Wat Santitham is not on Santitham […]

Three Temple Monday 2 – Wat Chiang Chom

February 7, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Monday, January 23, 2023Visiting a second temple this Monday Being up north of the old Chiang Mai city, I perused the map and decided to visit a temple I had never seen, a little closer to the old city. I would still need to get a ride because crossing the busy highway can only be done at major intersections, and in either direction that would mean walking 2-3 kilometers out of my way. Wat Chiang […]

Three Temple Monday 1 – Wat Jed Yod

February 6, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Monday, January 23, 2023Visiting three temples on Monday I will be leaving Chiang Mai and returning home in just nine days. I have been in the Kingdom of Thailand for 50 days now. As is often said, time flies by when you’re having fun. And I am enjoying my time here in Thailand, mainly Chiang Mai. I am comfortable here, this being my tenth yoga-focussed visit to Chiang Mai. I have Rose (the owner of […]

Hike to Montha Than Waterfall

January 29, 2023
by James Geier
2023 Thailand

Wednesday, January 25, 2023Hiking to Montha Than Waterfall Rudy and I are both in our last week in Chiang Mai for this winter. We wanted to do one more hike up in the jungle/forest on Mount Suthep, and Rudy always wants to find a new trail to explore. Using the All Trails app, Rudy found a suitable, very challenging trail that is VERY steep for almost 1.5 kilometers with no leveling off. Almost more of […]