We made it!!! Walked into Santiago de Compostela shortly before 1pm
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| My best attempt at a selfie…ever! |
Reflecting on the Camino Primitivo it was an incredible experience…honestly we were fortunate, well prepared and everything clicked…including the resolution of what I will call the Atomic Black Cloud moment…to be described later!
- Weather was perfect 👍 couple of drops of rain over 12 days, mostly sunny, low 20’s, winds not too strong…
- Injuries usually add up and can radically change a Camino walk ie 2018 Camino Portuguese. Sure some issues but minor in nature.
- New equipment 5 ⭐️. Packa included as it held off the rain
- Accommodation choices were all very good and reasonably priced
- Walking performance by the young 46 year old Brazilian lawyer Paulo was excellent…he could keep up…mostly…with 65 year old Canadian. Oh boy am I going to pay the price for that!!!
- Mentally we managed very well…gave each other space when needed…walked as friends
Today did not unfold as expected…the throngs of pilgrim walkers were steady but not nearly as much as yesterday! We did leave early 😂…it was very dark and foggy…maybe we beat the rush?
Food pictures today are from yesterday afternoon where we had a salad and pulpo (octopus) from a Pulperia. In 2014 I had pulpo and thought it tasted like shoe leather however it was delicious! Maturity I guess 😉
Atomic Black Moment…it happened within 5 kms of Santiago de Compostela…stopped for a break of sorts here
Oh boy once again I will go on a limb to show how stupid I can be however I do so to ensure anyone reading this drastically improves on my approach!!!
We wanted to Air Drop a few pictures…usually very simple however no way would it work so Paulo suggested we turn off our phones and restart to see if that would help.
I do so and on restarting my phone I get a message “you have 3 tries before your phone is locked”
My life flashed before my eyes…Atomic Black Cloud consumed me…my Camino is over! Why? Simple I don’t know the d*mn PIN number. I search everywhere that I can think of…no PIN number. I remember seeing the pin on a small plastic card that was given to me in Madrid Airport but…
Paulo notices (how could he not) that I am not doing so well…the air was shall we say a touch blue also. This is serious stuff.
Paulo says “do not panic…we will fix this”…ok how? We are both thinking 3 tries and the phone is dead…however Lesson 1 - This is not true! The message relates only to the SIM card …WIFI would still work.
Paulo pairs our two phones and on his I logon to Google email. I have kept correspondence with the SIM card company and notice the service rep left her WhatsApp phone number.
Paulo phones her…turns out she speaks English as well and she answers immediately…how lucky 🍀 is that!
Service rep has dealt with many people like me before so she says 1) enter any PIN number 3 times and wait for a PUK number. Paulo gets the PUK number and I enter it and voila…the Atomic Black Cloud disappears!
I spent the next 5 kms thanking Paulo profusely…clearly I was very fortunate this happened when it did…he did a great job!
So where is the little card and my Bell Canadian SIM card? Logically it should be in one of two places 1) my long pants I was wearing - NO or 2) in pocket of the North Face fleece jacket I was wearing -THE ONE LOST IN MADRID AIRPORT
Yes I should have taken a photo of the plastic card with pin…yes to other things as well but…these things happen 😳 Made for a rather exciting finish to an awesome Camino Primitivo!
Some stats which some 😉may find of interest
Total kms walked - 315
Elevation gains - 7,315 meters Mt Everest 8,848
Elevation losses - 7,764 meters
Total gains/losses - 15,080
Time walked - 66.5 hours
Average kms/hr - 4.7 kms per hour
Countries of pilgrim walkers we met
23 countries in total
United States - 11
Germany, Spain - 5
Italy - 4
Estonia - 3
Ireland, France, England, Australia - 2
Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Canary Islands, Lithuania, Indonesia, Holland, Portugal, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Poland, Czech Republic- 1
As it happens this is blog number 200 for the www.caminolongwalk.blogspot.com Blog!
Tomorrow a rest day, Thursday a travel day so unless something dramatic happens the next blog posting will be Day 1 Camino San Salvador published Oct 1.
Thanks for reading…here are a few pictures from today.
OMG - Late Breaking news…there was a third possibility where my Bell SIM card and the SIM card with the PIN could be. I wore a special money belt just for the plane and guess what…I should have written where I put these items on my arms or hands. Oh my how could I do what I did? 😂😳🤔
Well done Guy to yourself and Paulo on finishing the Camino Primitivo, a great walking experience. From your walking companions John and Carmel.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated John and Carmel! Was a great trip and a real pleasure to meet you both. We had supper last night with Pierre in Santiago se Compostela. Also I edited my blog posting to say that I found my SIM card pin and Bell Canadian SIM card in the 3rd place they could have been.😂 Safe travels…maybe our paths will cross in the future. Guy
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