Walking for Water with Camino Jim-Day 33 … SANTIAG, only one more day

Pat and I completed today’s walk with little difficulty. As usual the first mile and a half was a gradual climb which gets all of the already tired muscles attention. For me it’s my right hip. I made sure that I applied more than enough of my Ibuprofen cream on before leaving and the stretching before stepping on the Camino. There is no question that I have slowed a bit because I am in no need to hurry and because after 475 miles it’s just plain harder.

I meet Pat for the usual carb fest and start asking myself why I even bother. The answer is the coffee and the freshly squeezed orange juice. On occasion there will be fruit but it is rare, unlike my best ever hostel where I was the “Champion” and had fleshly sliced watermelon, grapes, home made apple jelly, poached eggs and bacon along with the best bread I have ever had. Today’s “breakfast” is more like what you might see served in most third world prisons.

I told Pat this story the other night about sitting in the best ever hostel on the Camino but I did not post it. Today I was talking with Pat and we were both laughing about it so I have decided to try my best to capture what happened. Here it is:

Okay, I have checked into the “best” room as Champion and I have showered and delivered my laundry to Marie Cruz, the daughter. I am sitting in the little living room next to the table with two dozen framed family photos. In walks an American couple probably my age. It only takes a minute to decide that they must be related to the Bores. You remember the Bores … Tom the guy who likes trains and Mrs. Bore who is painful to be near. Well you get the picture. How do I reach this conclusion so quickly? As soon as they walk into this beautiful little hostel, both of the Bores, Sacramento version, have already begun making demands and asking the most aggressive questions regarding the cost of breakfast and the time they would prefer to have it. It’s always served between 7:30 and 9:00, it’s just that simple. They have not yet seen their room and are already concerned about the windows and if they have screens. The Sacramento Bores are making the railroad Bores proud. It’s why we as Americans are so poorly looked at. Marie Cruz remains as always smiling and takes them upstairs. I am writing that day’s blog.

Ten minutes later Mr. Sacramento Bore is back downstairs looking for Marie Cruz … no, he does not know her name. He is looking around and I am the only other human there so he decides to tell me what he wants. He says to me in what can only be described as slow motion speak …”I     Want,      An,     Adapter,    For,     My,    Wife” … I respond in perfect English, “ Do you need a charger? Because I have an extra charger I can let you borrow”. Mr Bore responds ….  O,   Kay. He had assumed that I am Spanish or from some where other than the US. He just thinks that if you speak to someone who does not speak English all you need to do is just say whatever you want very, very,very,very slowly and that will turn your English automatically into the other person’s language! I go up to my room and get my extra charger and bring it back downstairs. I hand it to Sacremento Bore and he says …” NO…..My…..Wife…. Has….A….C….Pap…. Machine ….This….Won’t….. Work. I think I’m about to be fired from the “go get what the Bores need” team.

He is still speaking to me like I don’t understand English. My response is simply …. so your wife has sleep apnea. Finally, he tells me my English is good albeit slowly. I tell him I live in California and my English is getting better. That is when he tells me that he and Mrs. Bore live in Sacramento. Marie Cruz is now on scene and he just turns away from me and starts to slow speak Marie Cruz. He never acknowledged my attempt to help him and he just throws my extra charger on one of the chairs. I am no longer needed. I do believe that their penalty for acting the way they do is that they must spend all of their time together. How do they find me?

It’s about 2:30 when we arrive at our Hotel. The temperature has slowly moved up to nearly 90 degrees but we do have ample shade to help offset the heat. The last mile and a half are out in the open which makes it a bit difficult … I really don’t care, I know I am within just a couple of miles of having the 33 day of the 34 I’m walking about to end. We arrive and Gary and Margot arrive shortly after we do. Pat and I check in and we go to sit in the shade and have a short beer while waiting for the taxi that will bring Pat to his car which is back where we started today. One more car transfer and Pat won’t have to deal with that daily challenge.

I take care of my laundry which may be the last time I have to do that … I don’t think I’m going to miss this little daily chore. Once I get them hung outside I am here in the restaurant where the WiFi works. It’s not working in my room so I may post this early. Tomorrow is my last day walking my third Camino. Tomorrow is O Day … SANTIAGO. We are all having dinner tonight here at the hotel and working on the dinner location in Santiago.

Tomorrow will be memorable and short. I also have two stones to deliver at the Hill of Happiness. The final walk will be about 13 miles. Most likely my final post from Spain will be on Friday. I may take tomorrow off from posting the blog but if I do I will catch up on Friday. Good Night. Buen Camino.

Miles today: 12.4

Miles to date: 488.9

Steps today: 31,248

Steps to date: 1,173,829

Flights to date: 1,221

Donations to date: $35,450.40