Camino Day 14: Burgos to Hontanas

Travel Date: Tuesday, April 29 2014

Got up early in Burgos and left with Daniel (USA), Sebastian (German), Tyler, Rebecca and Shane (Australia) and Natasha (South Africa). Natasha was taking a trip to Portugal and Shane left early. So the rest of us head on out walking through the streets of Burgos to get the trail of the Camino. Everyone else is walking at a faster pace so I decided to do what my body is only capable of doing.

It was little frustrating. You want to walk with your friends. You want them to wait for you. But you have to come to the realization everyone has their own pace. The toughest part is dealing with the feeling of abandonment by them and going on it solo and resisting any negative inner dialogue that may creep up in your head.

After about an hour of walking slow my legs and body warmed up and I was able to kick up my pace many notches. I caught up with my friends at a local restaurant to grab some breakfast. And then headed out solo on my own. The Camino was calling for it.

Walked though a really small town which almost looked like a ghost town.

Took a short candy break and walked up the hill that opened you into the Meseta. The views were beautiful and very serene. My pace drastically improved and it got very very quiet around me. It was Zen like.

After walking 31 km I finally reach Hontanas and I am happy to see it. My feet are sore and need a rest from walking. Hontanas is a town of 80 people (according to my guidebook).

I come across my friend Lukas and he suggests that I check into the Albergue Santa Brigida. "It is the cleanest albergue he has seen so far."

I jump at the opportunity and check in. The albergue is super clean. Each bed has its own light and charging unit. The staff are very very friends and interestingly Cuban. They speak both English and Spanish. And the showers and bathrooms are phenomenal. Large shower heads, ample space and even a separate unit for chair and clothes, and you can take the chair and SIT in the shower. Every peregrino MUST stay here if they are planning to sleep in Hontanas.

After showering, washing my clothes, I walk around I go downstairs to the restaurant for dinner. I don't have to wait till 7 PM for a peregrino meal. Even better. I sit down with two Spanish women Conchi and Merche who don't speak any English, so using the free wifi and Google Translate App we have a conversation with our iphones over dinner. Who said using your Smart Phone at the dinner table was rude?

And the chicken and vegetable soup was amazing.

After the meal, I grab the bottle of vine I carried in my backpack all day and decide to thank Lukas and share it with the other Germans sitting around me. I know I cannot and should not drink it on my own.

Yes, I carried a bottle of wine in my backpack all day. And the weight didn't bother me. I had bought it the previous night for 4 Euros. The most expensive wine I have ever bought in Spain so far!!! and my friends who I was supposed to drink it with didn't feel like drinking anymore. So I guess I cannot waste good Spanish wine, so I carried it for another day.

After celebrating a day of walking with the Germans, I retired back to my room, churned out a few blog posts and went to bed. Happy Birthday Lukas (for 4/30/2014)!

Learning Lesson:
The learning lesson for the day was realizing that I had to walk my own Camino and not depend on my friends for companionship. It was a tough pill to swallow with many mixed emotions but at the end of the day I realized more about myself that I ever did. Moving forward I plan to always start my walks alone and then let the Universe/Camino guide the people that are supposed to cross my path and give me the necessary bits and pieces for the day or vice-versa.

Expenses: 28.90 Euro
Breakfast: 2 Euro
Breakfast 2: 6 Euro
Snacks: 0.90 Euro
Laundry: 3 Euro
Albergue: 7 Euro
Dinner: 10 Euro