Home Sweet Home

October 18

Kapoho Hawaii

After traveling for three days, we made it safely home last night. Craig and Suzan, our very dear friends, picked us up at the Hilo airport and delivered us to our corner of paradise. Suzan made some delicious potato soup for us, as she knew our fridge was empty. Since we left for our adventure across Spain only a few days after the power was restored from hurricane Iselle, we didn't stock anything. I don't think our refrigerator and freezer have ever been that empty.

Speaking of hurricanes, Hurricane Ana decided to skip the state, but has given us plenty of rain, along with some strong winds this morning. The few neighbors I've spoken with today were very concerned that Hurricane Ana was on a path to pay a visit to our Puna communities. The forecasts included 20' waves to be created in the hurricane surge. That is extremely frightening information to the low laying communities along the coast of lower Puna. To our great relief, Ana turned to the west and steered her eye away from Hawaii.

I can hardly recommend walking El Camino de Santiago as a weight loss program. John lost 40# before we left and looked great as we headed out of here. I was at my standard of hovering around 142. This morning we both weighed in and have each lost about 2 pounds while we were gone. Our overall shapes have changed, having moved some of the fat cells into the muscle variety. John tells me he can see my leg muscles when I walk across the room now and that I actually have bicep muscles showing off. Who knew that using trekking poles for most of the 775 km would work out my arms?

The only explanation for not losing weight, like so many other people do while walking the Camino, is that pilgrims are well fed and get wine at every meal. We enjoyed the wide variety of local food across the nation of Spain. I surely enjoyed the local wines. We also walked more slowly than most of the other walkers. Now we must adjust to our old eating patterns again. Tomorrow morning we will hit the Pahoa Farmers Market, our usual Sunday pre-church shopping spot, to get stocked up on fruit and veggies.

Having never flown from Europe to Hawaii, I'm not sure if we are suffering from traditional jet lag, or if we are simply exhausted. Perhaps it's both. Morning came at a very early 3:30 AM, therefore, I am assuming our bodies will take a few days to swing back into our time zone. What I am quite sure about is that I'm moving at half speed. Walking, steps, getting up and down from a chair, are all done at half of my regular pace. My body, especially my poor feet, hurt. Once my feet are happier, I think I'll be able to pick up my pace.

It's good to be back at our home, sweet home.  For the next few days and weeks, I'll be pondering our trip. The pilgrimage gave me a chance to reflect, but I hope that being home will help me process all of the thoughts, blessings and challenges. 

The Flight Time Ramblings

  Somewhere over Iowa or Nebraska 

Oct 17

As we prepare to enter back to our paradise real life, I'm still not ready for reflection, beyond some things I want to do when we return. Bear with me, dear readers, as I parade my terribly material thoughts of personal wants...

>Shave. It been weeks since I've scrapped the fur from my usually shaven legs and pits. This is going to happen on my first shower. 

>A soak in the hot tub. Roland (aka 'Roland the body') will have it set for us to 102 F, and ready to climb in.

>Oil. Specifically organic coconut oil. My skin is so very dry from the trip, as is my hair. I think I'll just dip into the jar of coconut oil and smear it all over body and head, and then sit on the lanai, giving it an hour or two to soak in. After my oil soaking a nice, long, hot bath in the jetted tub in our master bath. Maybe I can get John to help with the smearing?? (*,*) I'll need to clean the bathtub of the oil, but it's SO worth it.

>Soak my feet and give myself a personal pedicure. Scrape the grunge, calluses and deep down dirt off of these tired dogs. Clip and file. Find some polish and enter the world with presentable feet. Perhaps this should wait until after our family Doc Harmeling takes a look at them on Monday. I don't know...?some clean up and polish sounds good. 

>Ditto for my hands. While they aren't in the horrific condition my feet are, having some clipping, filing, cleaning and polishing will make me feel a bit more civilized. Miles of holding trekking poles can weather those hands. 

>Lipstick. Eyeliner. Mascara. My friends know that I don't do much of any of these items, but I've missed their occasional use.

>Papaya. Lilikoi. Chico sapote. Apple bananas. Avocados. Poke. I'll get some sunflower sprouts started on Saturday and they should be ready by late next week. I've missed our tropical foods and our salads. I wonder if my wild tomato plant is producing, or if it has been overtaken by the white flies?

>Spend endless hours in bed or in the recliner, with my sweet John. Recuperate with him. Love him. Sleep in. Make his coffee. Bake bread. Susie homemaker returns with a vengeance.

>Tune and play the ukulele. Poor girl is lonely. That must wait until the manicure, as my nails are a bit too long.

>After a few days I'm crazy to see our Hawaii family and friends. I've missed them all so much. 

Am I displaying hedonistic behavior, brought about by a bit of being deprived? Who knows? I just want to feel a bit slicker, after wearing the same 2 shirts, 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts and hiking books the for the past 7 weeks. I want to have some true one on one time with John, not distracted by our next agenda item for hiking. Or our exhaustion.

Or 100 other walkers sharing a dormitory.   

Reflection

Has walking 775 km from St Jean de Pier du Port to Santiago made me a more virtuous woman? No. I believe it has helped by get a better handle on the kind of Christian I am. With John's insights, I certainly understand why I am the way I am. God granted me a special time to spend Him, and to spend with myself. I feel closer to God and the Holy Trinity than I did before I started this journey. I feel closer to John too.  I'm also a bit proud of myself, that I accomplished this journey. There were no guarantees that I would finish, merely a commitment. I also proud of my John. Through the suffering, he just kept plugging along. 

Reality of an 11 hour flight.

It was 61 F when we left our hotel this morning.  My travel black skirt, that has been worn almost every day on this journey, black long johns, t-shirt, blue fast dry long sleeved shirt with fleece and scarf make my outfit. Socks and sandals. Comfy, but dorky looking. Into the flight by 6 hours, the cabin finally warms up. Off comes the fleece, the long sleeved shirt and the skirt. The scarf turns into a bit of a sarong, albeit a short one, to wear over the long johns. Socks are in place to keep the feet warm. Totally Puna. Try though I might, I cannot get a pic of this strange outfit while seated. Thanks for the scarf Lisa. Still using and groovin with it.

John is in sleep land and I should join him soon. A couple of hours of sleep would be good. But I'm charged on trail mix and Sprite Zero, so sleep must wait for a hour or two. There is also a child whose been completely loud and squealing  most of the flight. John has a gift and he knows it. He can be completely asleep before pushback. This gift works well in airplanes, not so good when he is driving. Nevertheless, no airplane sleep is refreshing enough to carry on for long after the voyage ended, so it will be an ETB (early to bed) night for us. Debbie, part of our great crew who keeps us pulled together in our absence, will have everything in ship!shape condition.

Shower, shave, bed. Coconut oil, pedicure and manicure on Saturday. Sunflower sprout start on Saturday.

How many of the sunflower seeds I sprout come from Spain? Could I have walked past some of their fields? Such is the extent of my deep reflection thus far. I think I need healing and sleeping time before reflection can really kick in.

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Anyone who has had to make a pitch, whether for a business idea, a show, a story, knows about the 'elevator pitch'. In the time it takes to do an elevator ride of a few floors, a persuasive chat is presented that will pique the interest of the listener and make the listener want to learn more. I need an elevator pitch for my Camino journey.

'Susan, what did you do on you fall holiday break?'

I abandoned my normal life, packed up a rucksack and headed off to a foreign country to hike 500 miles, over mountains, across plains, all in a search for a better understanding of myself. I was on a pilgrimage, to learn more about my relationship with God. It was journey of love and faith, and certainly worth taking the time to do it. I met people who touched my life in ways they will never know of. I imagine I touched lives also, and may never know how. I can only hope it was for the better. I hope I was a worth witness to the love of God.

Ready for Home

Oct 15, still. 10:45 PM. Madrid airport. 

Terminal 1 must be the original Madrid airport. But we are heading home. I've succeeded again, at booking the flights from hell. I book entirely backwards, so our flights look like this:

Santiago > Madrid

Madrid > Istanbul 

Istanbul > NYC, JFK

JFK > Honolulu 

Honolulu > Hilo

We left our overnight room in the heart of Santiago at 11 AM, because we needed to get out. The rain was coming down in buckets, so we didn't want to walk around to view the antiquity. Besides, we were REALLY cold. Our combined thought was that the airport would be warmer. And it was. We napped, charged our devices, devoured our 15 minutes of free internet and generally hung out at the Santiago airport. Now, in Madrid, we have a layover of 4 hours and we head out for Istanbul. We are both exhausted. Four hours waiting in Madrid, we are totally ready to be home. We will spend a night in NYC, near the airport.

I can hardly believe that only two days ago, I was walking. The culture shock of Santiago was a bit tough, after so much solitude. But the crowds, shops and loud announcements of the airports is even harder to tolerate. Re-entry is difficult, but I knew it would be. A four hour flight to Istanbul will give me some quiet time to reflect...and hopefully sleep.

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Thursday October 16. Istanbul. 5:25 AM. Seven hour time difference from NYC. 13 hour time difference from home.

Airport security is extremely tight, but very efficient. Our gate for NYC didn't open until one hour before boarding. First is the ticket check. Then comes the passport check and scan. Then the carry on check. Then the pat down. I'm such a suspicious character, so I got the entire treatment, all efficiently and politely carried out. I'm not the only one to book from Madrid to NYC through Istanbul. There are a handful of people on our flight that started from Madrid on our NYC flight.

We have an 11 hour flight ahead of us. The plan is to sleep for at least part of it. Turkish Airlines is top notch, so I'm sure we will be well tended to.

We even have slippers in our assigned seats, so we can take off those trek weary boots. But please tell me...who on earth brings a dog on board?

----

9.5 hours into flight.

Yippy dog has been good, until the last half hour. Howling at 40'000 feet. Thank goodness for earplugs. Poor thing is probably suffering. We are well fed and have a toilet. What about the dog? Enough...I'll stop.

Our butts are sore from sitting and our legs are SO unaccustomed to not moving. Hopefully we will be in a hotel room in 3-4 hours. A warm hotel room. With a real bath tub. Best Western has never looked so inviting.

I thought I would use this time heading home as a time for reflection. That will not happen today. I'm too tired. I've slept some on the flight, but as we all know, airplane sleeping is far from restful. I believe my reflections and considerations of walking El Camino de Santiago will come over the next few days and weeks, as I assimilate my lessons learned into my daily life.

Santiago Pilgrim's Mass

Santiago de Compostella

Oct 15. Wednesday

The only kilometers we will walk today are to hail a cab for a ride to the airport. 

We are snug in bed in Josephina's third floor bedroom at 8 AM and it is still dark outside. John is snoozing soundly and the rain is coming down in bucketfuls outside of our window. He is in a lot of pain and was up and down all night. His back, hips, Achilles' tendon, Morton's neuroma, shin splints and general pain of the last 45 days of walking, have hit. Sleeping until 8 is a luxury. We don't do this at home, but since we are both so very tired, it's no surprise.

John did some laundry in our little bathroom yesterday afternoon and it isn't dry. The clothes he wanted to wear today are damp. Perhaps in an hour the t-shirt will be a bit better. As it stands, we will pack our damp clothes in plastic bags and stretch them out to dry at our hotel in NYC on Thursday afternoon. 

During the fair weather yesterday, we went to a few souvenir shops in search of a small bag to use for carry on. It seems like every tienda is filled with souvenirs, some very nice and some very junky. I'm not willing to walk through the airport with the backpack, hence the need for a little bag. I'm done with that. Maybe we should have purchased a shirt for John, too. We also stopped for some orujo, wine and food at a local place that was not too expensive. We enjoyed lively conversation with other pilgrims, two of whom we recognized from walking. Pink Hair Girl now has a name, Amanda, and is from Tasmania. She is delightful and we hope she will come over to couchsurf in Kapoho someday. As 7:30 PM drew near, we bid our fellow travelers farewell and headed to the pilgrims mass in the cathedral. 

Being the evening mass, it was not as well attended as the noon service probably is. Again, we followed along as best we could. The vespers service was delightful. The cantor's voice was a beautiful low tenor and I know God was listening in, as we were, to the praises and thanks. During the sermon, the priest spent time recognizing pilgrims who completed their journeys since the last mass at noon. Pilgrims from Hawaii were recognized. I, of course, was teary eyed most of the mass. That's me, 'Miss Emotions On Sleeve'.

Toward the end of the service, after sharing the Peace, communion and the Lord's Prayer, six men in dark red robes came near the alter to the pillar that held the ropes for the botafumeria in place. There were other men in the same dark red robes at the alter. The ropes were loosened, the botafumeria was lowered and the incense was lit.

Then began the swinging process. I tried to take video, but I was overtaken with emotion and really just wanted to watch.

It is an amazing flight of burning incense, in a beautiful golden basket. This festive part of the pilgrims mass does not happen at every mass. We were told, by the woman who processed our credentials, this only happens when it's paid for. I'm not quite sure what this means, but we were blessed to be at this particular mass to witness this ancient custom.  In ancient times, the incense most probably was used to help fumigate the pilgrims. 

After mass, we shivered our way back to the third floor of Josephina's place and decided to use our sleeping bags. It was SO cold. Some snuggling, then a few hours of restless sleep.

Santiago thoughts

October 14, 2014

Santiago de Compostella

We made it. With tears in our eyes, we got to the cathedral.

 

We received our Compostellas. 

We are staying at a ramshackle place for one night. Mass at 7:30 tonight.

We saw our shadows for the first time in a number of days, as we walked into Santiago. 

Thoughts for today.

Accomplishment

Thanksgiving

Hope

Love

It's freakin cold!

If Josephina just speaks a little, or a lot louder, surely I'll understand her Spanish!

No wifi. Perhaps we can post later this afternoon. 

I'll write my thoughts more clearly tomorrow. Today is a jumble of feelings and emotions.

Santiago, atop one of the many ancient buildings that grace the cathedral square. 

My sweet John. He walked El Camino de Santiago in memory of his dad and for the love of his mom. 

I walked El Camino de Santiago to gain a better understanding of myself, a closer relationship with God and to feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Nearly to Santiago

O Pedrouzo. Oct 13

About 19 km to go. 

 Pulpos in Melide

Yesterday we had breakfast, lunch and dinner on pulpos, the regional method of preparing octopus. We have been walking in the rain for two days. We had a lovely albergue last night and also tonight. We are tired of living from a backpack, walking in rain and being cold. 

We are excited to be nearing the completion of our journey. We are looking forward to seeing our family and friends. And to be warm. 

A few snapshots of the past couple of days...

 Sunday farmers market in Melide

 Horreos are everywhere and are used to store grain and smoked meat. 

Falling apart structures. And a twee bit of blue sky. 

It all seemed so big, back in April when we made the decision to make this pilgrimage. Our walking around in Kapoho, John's weight loss, the planning, and the not so much planning, all seemed so amazing. Something to accomplish for ourselves, individually, as a couple, as Christians and as pilgrims. Now, as I sit in my bunk, 19 km away from Santiago, I'm near tears. Tears of joy, thanks and happiness. We have some injuries that may haunt us for the rest of our lives. We have souls that have been shaped by this journey, by the people we've met, by the emotions we've shared with one another and with God. The churches, masses and blessings have formed in me a new view of myself and of the world I live in. 

The miles have built us up and have broken us down. We have stayed healthy and have had guardian angels all of the way. All of the possibilities for injury, on slippery, wet paths, dodging traffic, falling or tripping, we have avoided. Guardian angels, indeed, seem to have been our companions since we met and they have certainly made they presence known in these past seven weeks since we left home. 

Memories, Slate and Water

Foncebadon/Acebo

Oct 4. 14 scary km

The hiking was a challenge. We both do fine on uphill grades, but yesterday was an incredibly difficult descent. In places it was a steep 12% grade over slate and scree. It was a thank you God day, in a big way. If there had been rain, the danger factor would have gone way up. The descent was for about 2500 ft, most of it on this kind of surface. One misstep and an injury would most certainly result. Of out 14 km walk, about 10 km was this scary, difficult surface.

After our moments at El Cruz de Ferro, we solemnly walked down some beautiful paths and not many other people. John's mother's wedding ribbons from her bouquet and one of his dad's brass buttons from his dress Navy uniform are now at the cross. Right next to my heartfelt remembrance piece.

It's an honor to have this opportunity to commemorate the people we love and who have played such a big role in our lives.

At many points we were above the clouds. I believe we were up to 3750 ft elevation before we started our descent. We saw many people walking with just day packs, having shipped their heavy bags on. John read about some albergues that don't accept the shipped bags. They have space for people carrying their full packs only.

A few stops were made during our descent into Acebo. Loosening or tighten boots, getting jackets off, removing rocks from boots and plenty of waster. John found the best views for our breaks. Once into Acebo, we knew it would be foolhardy to continue on to the next village has only a few beds and the descent continues for another 900 feet in elevation before we get to a city with sleeping rooms. Many tired walkers have injured themselves pushing on down this section. With our older bodies, we also gain a bit of wisdom and know when to say stop.

The little town of Acebo has a few old albergues, a tienda and some stunning views. We walked through town to see all of the options and stumbled upon a new, still being built hotel, that has a section for walkers. Four bunk beds to a room, amazing views, comfortable furniture and there is a fireplace in the common room. The huge pool drew a few hardy walkers, but not this one. We shared our room with three folks from Italy and a retired Irish cop, who now lives in Germany. All of them are on the fast track and will reach Santiago in just over a week.

Early in the afternoon, there was an emergency in one of the women's showers. A women was down and did not respond. By the time EMS got there, nearly 45 minutes later, she was conscience again. My best guess was that she hadn't drunk enough water during the day, fainted in the shower and conked her head on the tile. She walked down the stairs, with help, to the EMS truck. It's happened to me before, at home. I've tried to drink enough water and it was certainly an eye opener for me to see this.

Tomorrow, another day. Drink water. Then drink MORE water.