U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity of Southern California

Travelogue

Betan Double Camino!!

by Joe de Vera

Foreword: (by Norman Bituin)

In January '21, I chanced on the Tumbleweeds Viber Group profile photo (below) of Brod Joe de Vera, UPLB'58.

My heart skipped a bit. Almost immediately, I knew this place cannot be other than Plaza de Obraidoro in Santiago de Compostela, Spain where the peregrinos (pilgrims) rejoice, hug and sprawl after completing their journey on the Camino de Santiago. In my "Buen Camino" Portugal/Spain travelogue in May 2019 where I walked only the last 20 kms. from the town of O Pedrouzo on the Camino Frances, I provided a diagram (below) of the several established routes of the Camino.

How it all started in Tumbleweeds Viber Group in January 2021

I contacted Joe by text message and phone call via Viber. After a few phone chats about our common Camino experience and frat life, I asked Joe if he could share his full "Double Camino" jaunts (2015 and 2019) with his tips, suggestions and lessons learned in our website, especially since I told him that my "mini walk" had generated questions of interest from the brods and friends. I am thrilled to present the result of our collaborated effort.

To finish a full Camino is remarkable; to walk it twice for a repeat is simply astounding. For this senior Betan, it's his "walk in the park". In fact, below he says he's "just dreaming if I could do it again". For a three-peat!!! I have no doubt. Any one wants to tag along?

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First part

Let me introduce myself. I am Joe de Vera. A batch '58 Betan, UP Los Baños.

Living in the Netherlands for over 30 years now. Before this, I got involved with the movement for more than 20 years. We sought asylum in Netherlands. We broke with the movement in the early part of 1990's. Before reaching retirement I was connected with NGOs, doing social work.

Now retired of course. Have 2 kids both married and 4 grandchildren. Enjoying my life here as single again. No problem with social life which is good. There are not many Filipinos here where I live. My social circle are Dutch and, of course, my family. I am in touch virtually with relatives and friends back home and in other lands.

At the age of 80 I am still ok physically. A health buff I can say of me, watching out my diet keeping my weight down, doing aerobic exercise twice a week, which include some isometric power exercises, walking some 30 to 50 kms. or 20 to 30 miles per week, even during the lockdowns here to keep fit. Being a type 2 diabetic, I take maintenance tablets to keep my blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol under control.

I have an active Facebook account. Keep closely monitoring developments at home, naturally the Philippines, now that societal changes, in the political, social, economic sphere are going fast, spending a lot surfing the internet for developments elsewhere that could be significant with the Philippines. I am not much of a moviegoer, nor on tv to see films; but instead love to see documentaries, some vlogs. Else I prefer to read literature and presently reading some collected 19th century Russian classic authors, Dutch translated, books bought from a second-hand bookstore in the city, reasonably priced of course.

Love to travel backpacking, me being a bit adventurous. One of the most memorable was doing the Camino, not only once but twice. I made a blog and YouTube videos of the first trip. For the blog see at the start: "My Daughter Asked...". The actual treks are written in Dutch, daily, but one can have it translated to English automatically in Chrome browser. For the videos in YouTube see the playlist in: "Onze Camino" (in English, "Our Camino"). Now just dreaming if I could do it again. Before I forget my FB account is https://www.facebook.com/jr.devera.7.

As for the tips and pointers on the Camino, glad to answer them.

Second part

To brods who are interested to know and perhaps would like to attempt to do the Camino here are some things that might interest you.

The Camino de Santiago is the most famous pilgrimage and hiking trail route in Europe culminating in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. It even had a precedent in the Roman times as a trade route. In the 9th century it marked the beginning of the Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to pay homage to the rediscovered relic of St. James the Apostle.

There are many routes to take the Camino and the most popular is the French Route also known as Camino Frances, a UNESCO proclaimed heritage site, which starts from the border French town of St. Jean Pied de Port, 775 kms. from Santiago de Compostela. But one does not have to start from there, pilgrims and hikers can begin in any town, village or cities along this route. In the recent times, the trail became so popular that more and more people did the Camino. Before the Corona pandemic, more than 300,000 people walked the Camino, some 60% of which take the French Route of Camino Frances which I would be referring to as the route or Camino.

One does not have to cover the whole distance and spend a month or more on the route. One may spend a week or more, doing some 10 or 15 kilometers and not long distances of 25 to 30 kilometers a day. Walk slow, leisurely and enjoy the view, partake the beauty of the place. It is good to remember that taking the route is not a one-day affair. There are many more days to go, and more kilometers to take. By walking slow one not only avoids exhaustion, but also avoiding injury, blisters on the foot. Walking slow and taking short distances at every stage allows one to reach accommodations earlier than others who do longer distance and starting farther out.

Most pilgrims do carry backpacks, loaded with essential clothing, toiletries, some food and snacks to consume along the way. A lot of pilgrims do away carrying heavy backpacks, they instead use a taxi service, for a fee, to transport their backpacks and drop these on the destined village for the day. That way one may carry only bare essentials. What to prepare for a backpack? As a rule your loaded backpack should not exceed 6 percent of one's body weight. Here is what I have done: http://jrdeverajr.blogspot.com/2015/04.

Trekking the fields, plateaus, hills and mountains of this trail is not really lonesome. Spread along the route are villages, towns and cities. The average distance between villages is 7 kilometers. There is no problem with accommodations, as one finds albergues or hostels, hotels even, places to eat such as cafes and restaurants, places to buy food such as small stores, delicatessen, bakeries when supermarkets are absent. Potable water fountains are a plenty and one usually finds them in the town center. For emergency help, just call 112 in your cell phone.

There are many reasons why people trek the pilgrimage whether it is for spiritual, historical, cultural, sports or just adventure. While most of those who partake the Camino are young, Europeans and Spanish, many come from many corners of the Earth. Having beliefs other than Christianity, seculars or atheist even walk the route. There is nothing more humbling like giving respect to the history, traditions and culture of the place. Men and women, students and professionals, mothers and children, seniors even at their 80's, religious people, handicapped people, one finds them along the route.

During its thousand year history, it was not only ordinary pilgrims doing the pilgrimage, but criminals too were made to do as a form of penance. Medieval nobility including kings and queens undertook also the pilgirimage. As form of patronage they were responsible in building the Romanesque churches, monasteries of religious orders and other religious institutions, bridges and accomodations for pilgrims, hospitals even to care for the pilgrims aside building castles and fortification. The center plazas of the villages, towns and cities are medieval of age. The route is an open air museum in reality.

Nothing better than taking this endeavor as a group to share with somebody the thrill and travails of the Camino. Often along the way, one can readily find a hike companion, for a moment, minute or two or even longer. Though not all the time you will hike as one because some would like to go on his or her tempo. But at the end chances are you will see each other again. Stories of friendship and love that develop afterwards from doing the Camino abound.

How to go the French route the easy way. In 2015, we rendezvous in Barajas Airport in Madrid. In the same airport there was a bus office where one can book tickets. We bought bus tickets to Pamplona at the bus office in the airport itself. We stayed overnight in a hotel, pre-booked, in Barajas. In the evening we went to Madrid. Next day we went to the airport and took the bus from there. From Pamplona, we bought bus tickets to St Jean Pied de Port. You can choose easily where to begin your Camino. Public buses are efficiënt in service and cheap in Spain, comfortable, spacious and air-conditioned.

Once in the route itself, to become a Camino pilgrim, one must have a Camino passport. Ask for it in the tourist office or places in the town where they issue the passport. In our case, it was in a Camino office, we filled a form and then we were given the passport and some maps to guide us. The passport allows one to stay in an albergue or hostel otherwise one is not allowed. Although one can stay in a hotel. In some albergue there are accommodations for couples and singles, one can ask for these if they have. Prices for an overnight hostel lodging may cost one some 6 dollars to 12 dollars. As a rule, pilgrims have to leave the albergue on or before 8 o'clock in the morning. This is so for the albergue personnel to clean the place in preparation for the next batch.

To get a Camino certificate, one must have covered at least 100 kms., the distance from Sarria to Compostela with double stamped passport each day. Then one can ask for Camino certificate from the Pilgrim Office in Compostela. For more info, see here: https://caminoways.com/camino-pilgrim-passport-certificates.

Brush up with your Spanish, brods. You will be much appreciated by the Spanish people. Buen Camino!

Joe

*Web note: If Facebook and You Tube do not connect directly in this page, open another browser and use these links:

-- https://www.facebook.com/jr.devera.7

-- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=onze+camino

-- http://jrdeverajr.blogspot.nl/

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Just fyi...

Brod Joe de Vera's Facebook