Day 21 Camino Portuguese

 Day 21 5 October 2021 Walking into Santiago De Compostela

 

 

Day 19 and 20 Camino Portuguese 3/4 October 2025

 

 

Day 19 3 October 2025 

This is day 19, the 3rd of October 2025 

I started really early today because of the day the 1 hour ahead. Um technically I'm starting at 5:30 in the morning so it was still pretty dark and even by 7:30 it still was not very light but It's cool. I started off from Tui again in the dark with no one on the streets and it was a good 2 hours before sunrise I had passed a town O Porrino where I had a break and was a reasonable size town with some large churches. It was soon after the town that I passed the 100km maker to Santiago and  I met an Englishman walking. He had started from Tui but he actually drove to the next town O Porrino as he had started late because his flight was delayed. So he was only an hour or so into the walk when I met him. His name's Graeme and he lives in Brighton. He's an accountant. So we had a chat for about an hour till I got to Mos. Then we went our separate ways. . There were again magnificent views especially coming into Redondela .  I met up again with him just after Redondela and we walked the last 8 kilometers to Arcade where he was staying .The view of the verdugo river just before getting to Arcade from the hill was amazing . the Englishman  i met was planning to finish his walk on Monday a day later. He was doing just under the 100k mark. But it was nice to meet someone and have a chat all things general.  I managed to cover 40 kms. I didn't find accommodation but I was directed to a private Albergue and I knocked for quite a while and was about to leave when eventually someone did come and it turned out to be the cheapest stay at €12. There was no one else at the hostel but about 9:00 pm I think some walkers came in. They stayed in another room and I left fairly early. I never saw them. So I had a room to myself for €12 and it was a nice bathroom that was shared. That was fine. I had a good sleep anyway.

 

 

Day 20 4 October 2025

This is day 20th which is the 4th of October. Plan to finish on the 5th. Got up at about 4:00am . Went to the toilet twice. But otherwise felt pretty refreshed and glad that I managed to get a room. The hotel I was looking at booking was completely sold out again today. I got up early and started out at 6.30am in the dark. So for 2 hours I was in the dark and it made for slow going and it's been drizzling non-stop the whole morning but I got through to about 17ks in just under 4 hours. Plan was to get to the Caldas de Reis  is 33 kilometers hopefully by lunchtime. And that will give me the afternoon to get to Pedron which is another 19 kilometers. So it'll be a massive walk of 50ks.  I'll try and find accommodation nearer or just outside Pedron and give me some flexibility. But so far there isn't any. So I may have to walk to Pedron. But I have the whole day. So hopefully I'll get there but it may be late. Other than that it's coming to the end of the journey. Great experience. Nothing has unnerved me. I'm glad for that. And it just shows how life can be simplified and still be wonderful. The slow drizzle continued for much of the day and there were lots of pilgrims on this section and all the cafes were crowded  .The main town was Pontevedra which I passed in the morning and had coffee. There was a Dutch woman pilgrim who started off near Arcade and we basically walked till Caldas De Reis where she stopped. I had a break at Caldas before then walking the remaining distance to Padron.I managed to book a room in a small hotel but it was difficult finding it and I had to rush to get to Padron before the reception closed. It was a small motel with just a few rooms but got there at about 6.30 pm walking 53 kms. Found a place to do laundry and have dinner of chips and scrambled eggs at a small bar nearby,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camino Santiago Day 4

 

Day 4 18 September 2025. Santarem to Golega 34 kms .Got up again fairly early at about 5. Couldn't do the hotel breakfast  that starts at 7:00. So I basically had some yogurt. I did have an egg sandwich, but it didn't taste very nice, so I didn't eat it. Again, some cashew nuts and some fruit, orange juice, and then headed out  in the dark. I had to cross the castle wall of Santarem and basically walk down in the dark, which was a little nerve-wracking given that there was no fence line. But managed to get down and now on the fields. Today's walk is to  G O L E G A. It is uh 30 kilometers away. So I'm hoping to try and get most of it done before it gets hot, but at least the last 10ks is going to be hot. So it's going to be slow going and hopefully I don't get any of the issues I got on the second day with the stomach. Generally I don't see too many pilgrims. So, this section is obviously pretty light on with pilgrims. I suspect also that the weather has played a role given that today it's expected to be about 34 /35°. Same thing tomorrow. Tomorrow, Friday, the 20th.

 

 

The temperature is hopefully starting to fall off to the 24s which hopefully will be more comfortable to walk in.  Managed to book a room at an equestrian property that had rooms, most expensive so far at €55. Not probably the best. There's no breakfast.  I also had lunch which was fish and fortunately I couldn't eat the whole meal and then for dinner I just had an omelette with  fries again .Again couldn't finish the whole thing so I'm definitely not able to eat a lot on this trip. Anand my friend from Singapore visited which is a great surprise .We had a long chat and hopefully I'll meet up with him at the end of the journey.So far not had any major issues other than the ability to eat food or eat lots of food, but I'm managing well. Keeping my fluids up, but still probably a little dehydrated.  Yesterday I started off at about 5:45. and got to  Golega at about 1:30 and then had lunch. Waited around for the  reception to open up. I met some Aussies who are walking Camino . They are doing the same trip and have allowed for 26 days. So hopefully I'll get to Santiago with a few days to spare and then meet up with Anand before heading back. But that's still far way off. Today its just getting tfrom Golega to Tomaar which is 31about kilometers.  I'm hoping that as the weather starts to cool, I'll be able to keep up 30 kilometers a day, which so far I'm managing. And the next big town is, C O I M R A, and that's another three days away. And then after that, it'll be Porto. So, it's getting closer.

Camino Santiago Day 2 16 September 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day  Two 16 September 2025

I started out pretty well. Got up at about 5am. I had a good night's sleep or pretty good anyway. I got changed, had breakfast, started off at about 6:30 a.m. with two other pilgrims, a Frenchman and a Japanese man. And basically stayed with him for only about a kilometer. The Frenchman was a very good walker and lost sight of him after 30 minutes. Yesterday's drinks and food intake comprised two bread rolls with cheese. Aside from breakfast, a liter of Coke, 2 L of water, and 500 mls of orange juice. So, overall 3 and 1/2 L of fluids, the rolls, and I also had some toasted bread with balsamic oil and that was at lunchtime. But I couldn't eat much. For dinner, it was fish with potatoes and rice. Again, I ate as much as I could. Had some fruit and a vegetable soup for €10. And that was pretty much dinner. Breakfast again. I had toast, cheese, scrambled eggs, yogurt, and coffee.  On day two which was rather a tough day I Started off at 6:30 am from Franca Xira and the  Plan was to walk about 35 kilometers. I ended up doing about 35 but got to Valada totally suffering from heat exhaustion. The stomach was basically not taking in any fluids or food.  I was struggling. The walk started off pretty well. Did pretty good time.  I was doing just over 4ks to 5ks an hour. But as it got warmer, there was a section of 10 kilometers without any shade from about 12km into the walk . And that basically caused the stomach to shut down. I managed to get to a bar to have a drink. I accidentally ordered an ice tea which didn't go down well. I also had a seven up that did help a bit.  I did have diarrhea which was not  good. The minute I left to walk the final 2.5 kms to the accommodation I started throwing up  but managed to get to the abergue .It was obviously a basic accommodation with bunk beds but at least I got there. I decided not to take the further 3ks to the next  accommodation and the stomach was basically pretty much closed down. Went to the toilet a couple of times. Couldn't eat much. Just had a bowl of rice with a hot tea and went to bed. Slept for a few hours. That was good. There was a father and daughter pair in the next room  and they got up pretty early at about 4:00. They were planning to walk to Santarem the  same place I was heading. So I got up at about 5. I've got ready and left. Today's a much shorter walk. It's only 20ks and I'm hoping to at least beat most of the heat and have a short walk so that I can recover properly, as the following day it's 31 ks to go. Generally, I think I'm doing quite well. I have no expectations about finishing, but  hoping that if I just take each day at a time, I'll be able to work through any difficulties. It will be good to figure out how to avoid the heat exhaustion and try to keep fluids up when the stomach's shutting down. That would be an interesting  issue if I can work that out, I suspect that's the main reason Even when it's not terribly hot, the stomach basically with the exertion over a couple of days begins to shut down or can't take as much food in. Everything becomes unpalatable and that obviously perpetuates the difficulty with moving forward. But having said that, I met some very interesting people. The father and daughter combination uh from Germany just outside Dortund and they're taking a slow walk. The daughter will go as far as Porto. The father will keep continuing possibly or going back. Then there was another German who is doing his third Camino. Chose Portuguese because he didn't have enough time and he's hoping to try and get to Porto at least in the next two weeks. He thinks 25 days is enough time to uh finish the Camino Portuguese. That means I really would basically just get to Santiago and then fly back to Lisbon to catch my flight back. But that makes it hopeful. Today hopefully will go well. I'll be able to rest, have some more food, and get ready for the next day. 

 

Camino Portuguese ...Lisbon to Santiago De Compostela

 

My journey on the Camino starting from Lisbon . I am now at the lounge waiting for the flight. Full of trepidation, excitement, but taking it one day at a time. Looking at it as a journey of meditation, self reflection. I have a slight cold and flu, but hopefully I'll be better by Monday , 15 September  and be able to keep up the pace of doing at least 30 to 40 kilometers a day. 

 

 

14 September 2025

Today is the 14th of September, my mom's birthday, and it's a very nice day in Lisbon. I arrived last night. It's a good flight, but still suffering from the effects of the flu that I picked up in Singapore, but I managed to get some sleep on the flight and got in at about 10:30pm to the hotel. It was a fairly quick  exit from Lisbon airport, although very long wait to clear immigration and it was very quick to get my baggage and walk out.  I had to wait about 25 to 30 minutes for the driver that I booked, but got into the hotel in about 20 minutes with no difficulties. Today I managed to get a pretty good night's sleep. Got up a little early because of the time difference and then went for a walk after breakfast at 10:00 am down to the tourist office at the center of the city where the river Targus is located.Lots of tourists. It was quite warm. I passed the street where the tram crashed, killing 15 people a week ago. I then went to the Lisbon Cathedral and managed to get my credential Camino passport which is a great start so that I can start on my Camino walk early tomorrow after breakfast. The Camino has a fairly well documented history in  summary around 44 AD James was killed in Jerusalem and his remains were brought back by two of his disciples to Galatia where he apparently  converted and taught in the Iberian Peninsula between 20 AD and 44 AD. That's at least is the legend. They brought his remains back and buried them and they were lost in history at least the burial spot till about the 9th century when a hermit found the remains and a church was built at Santiago de Compostela and basically from the 12th to around the 15th century  it became a significant pilgrimage spot with many pilgrims coming from all over Europe. It basically that pilgrimage declined rapidly after the black Plague and various wars but was revived again at the end of the 19th century and has become extremely popular now with the Camino Frances and the Camino Portuguese , being the two most popular routes of the main five. I start the Camino Portuguese tomorrow, the 15th of September, with the plan to try and complete it before the 8th of October. It really will depend on whether I can walk 30 odd kilometers a day and get to various accommodation along the way. It will be a good  experience. I have no expectations. Today I went to get the  credentials/passport and had a good  moment to sit in the Lisbon Cathedral and do a short meditation,  a metta meditation which I think was a good start. I feel pretty relaxed despite the flu and it would be nice to just be out on the journey  walking in solitude and peace. Hopefully the weather will be good although it has been raining in northern Portugal.  I would expect that there will be cooler days but presently it is nice and warm. And I look forward to the journey. 

 

 First Day September 15  2025 . The first  day  of the walk on the Portuguese Camino. I started off from Lisbon from the hotel and I had to walk about 2 and a half kilometers to get to the Lisbon Cathedral and then from the cathedral I used a GPS navigation tool on my Garmin which had downloaded the route at least the first two sections which totaled about 35  kilometers. Unfortunately, walking from the hotel and with a number of deviations on the trail because of construction work and closures, I ended up doing 40 kilometers today and it was quite a hot day. I didn't check the temperature, but I'm sure it was between 28 and 30 odd degrees. It wasn't humid, but it was very hot because there was no shade for most of the walk as it was next to the river. It's interesting that the first five or so kilometers was through industrial estates and fairly poor suburbs. There were absolutely no Camino markings. I then got onto a walkway which was obviously a much modern part of Lisbon where the Oceanarium is and that was fairly well set out. I had a drink at a cafe there which was run by Sikhs interestingly enough. so I had a coke and a water and I then continued from there. Unfortunately there was no cafes for about 12 kms and finally found one at the end of the walkways and had a break with coke and bread.there had no cafe. Got my first stamp as well.

 

I then continued to villa Franca. I met a Hungarian girl walking .We walked together for about an hour till the next town and she was staying there for the night as I continued .I got to Villa franca de Xira about 5 pm and tried to find accommodation but eventually asked the locals and I was directed to a  private hostel and I got a bed  and they directed me to a restaurant for dinner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson Learnt beyond Ultra running in 2023

 

After Delirious 2023 and the2nd failure to complete the distance , I decided to have a break. As hard as the lesson was. Letting go and not clinging to a goal over 2 years in the making was hard .yet and it is often said , some of the best lessons in life come from failure and not success. In fact our tortured turmoil of how we  assess our life or any event in our life is what causes our suffering.if it was not illness, or an exam result , a career promotion , advancement, recognition or respect it is the inability to finish a race that torments us and our view even our self worth.

The short break from running was to recharge and re assess life or in some sense to regress to lick ones wounds quietly . I felt I had not been good enough in some way or deserving to be in the ultra running community.Hence the seclusion and the time to just sit . In a way it was good from a spiritual and mental expansion of the reality or the mind and how we see devils in dark corners.Yet it also meant a loss of fitness and maintaining strength .In the interim 8 months , the weight stacked on .

I have come out at the other end with lessons learnt from my meditation practice reading and just sitting and contemplating life. 

this is a summary of these lessons which I just have to remind myself from time to time .

1 Acceptance

There is no cause and effect . Life does not owe me and I may be a good person ,ate all my vegetables and did all the training and some how the result is presented. Life is like a race there are complicated twist and turns .The best laid plans can fail and often do . The desire to finish is necessary , the will is critical , but sometimes that is not enough . How we see the outcome ,how we view the world in our own mind is all the more important . I have allowed myself to come to the realization that the desire the clinging to a result despite the hype about not having any expectation is important to fulfill a goal but also very counter productive when it is not achieved unless we can have equanimity with the results in our life from the small day to day matters to the life ending ones. It isn't about giving up but it is about knowing and being fine about whatever the world throws at us and whatever result in life we have.It is about living in the moment with equanimity and no emotion as hard as that may be because it is the stories we conjure that ruin the moment the effort and dissolve it to a result fueled point.We miss the journey the experience the joys .

The perception of failure is the measure we make and it come from comparison . This is what sis counter intuitive.Why start a race .If it is to achieve a result or it is to find acceptance respect ?The reason becomes important If we know ourselves and we are not bothered about perception then the reason to run and to participate becomes irrelevant and the result to a degree also less important.It is about a challenge , a test and being satisfied about how far I got in that challenge.  

The koan about Hakuin the Monk easily comes to mind.Can I be like Hakuin the Monk.

The story about Hakuin the Monk

2 Goals (without the trauma ) 

Having goals and striving for them is good .More importantly is knowing when to let go , to have equanimity with the result ...seemingly outsiders see this as someone who is a fatalist but the reality is striving to do one best but also knowing what is important in life what can fall away as just rain to the ground . Not allowing the mind to suffer for the lack of a successful result as that all stems to ego and desire . It does not stop one from striving to achieve the best.

After a break of a year in mid 2024 I started a slow build to Delirious 2025 . It has been enjoyable and less stressful given th lesson learnt from the past. 

 

In 10 days I venture out to have another go. More lessons to learn from a 200 miler but I feel that the biggest lessons have already been learnt and for that Iam thankful.

 

 

 

The year of lessons

 

 

Not quite Running related but the journey in Ultra running for the past 4 years has had many twist and turns.In particular the rabbit hole of spirituality and meditation.

Here are my list of lessons and thoughts and discoveries:

Know what is Happiness . Not attainable . It is really the desire to keep improving .To know happiness we all have to suffer. Arthur C Brooks 

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2022/12/features-arthur-brooks

Happiness and the Meaning of Life

For Brooks, you just break down the problem of life’s meaning into three concepts of positive psychology. These are:

• “coherence” or “how events fit together,” which is “an understanding that things happen in your life for a reason”
• “purpose” or “the existence of goals and aims,” which amounts to “the belief that you are alive in order to do something”
• and “significance” or “life’s inherent value,” which is “the sense that your life matters.”

Being Happy is to find meaning in life To know what you are , your purpose where you are heading

Read Thich Nhat Hanh's book The essence of Meditation 

https://tricycle.org/article/thich-nhat-hanh-continuation-day/

Read Aya Khema Book Being Nobody Going Nowhere

Learn to Meditate 

Learn to Let Go or from a Zen view Zazen ....Just sit .

Be Compassionate to yourself and all beings

 

To truly understand the nature of no self and as Thich Nhat Hand termed Interbeing ...the consciousness /energy that is the life force .by trying to appreciate that interconnection do we appreciate and have compassion for all beings .

 

Laurie Santos The happiness Podcast  

https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos