Saint-jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles: I went bed last night and fell asleep fairly easily for once. I woke up around 6am, had breakfast and a couple of coffee, packed my backpack, and was out the door before 7:30. I went a block down the street to see if I could someone to take a photo of me at the Spanish Gate. A youngish guy said sure, took my photo, and ended walking with me all the way to Roncesvalles! His name is Raresh and he is from Romania. I have to say he was a bit of a slave driver, encouraging me not to stop long or often, but thanks partly to him, I made it all the way and good time and health. We will probably continue on together tomorrow. The sights along ... read more

After a decent night's sleep at Antonio's house, I ate lunch then took a long walk down to and along the beach while Antonio took a nap. Soon after I returned we drove over to Tito Raphael and Tita Regla's for a visit. Around 9pm, we returned to the house for dinner. I had trouble getting to sleep again, I guess due to nervous tension and apprehension. After all, tomorrow I start my trip to Saint-jean Pied du Port and my Camino. Finally, around 4am I fell asleep. Other than Antonio, I was the first one up, around 8am. I showered, had some breakfast, packed my backpack and Manuel and I were on our way to Jerez for me to catch the first of three trains that would get me to Pamplona. The first train ... read more

This initial entry is just to set the groundwork for the trip coming up... soon.  I know I'm a bit later than usual in taking our (my) annual vacation, but after moving from Pensacola to Simpsonville, South Carolina, and all the quasi-renovations plus yardwork (leaf and tree removal), and getting some dental work done, this is about as earlier as I could manage.  Now, for what really makes this "vacation" different than our usual is: 1) I am going alone... for the most part. Manoli will fly to Rota to spend time with her family in Chipiona and wait for me to arrive, so we can return together. 2) I am flying out on a military Space-available flight to Rota, Spain 3) I am going to walk the Camino de Santiago. Yes, the one from ... read more

We left Jaipur at around 6am on our train, riding in AC3 chair cars this time. Fairly comfortable, with more leg room and better reclining seats than any airplanes I remember. The train pulled into Delhi Railway Station around 11am and our guide had two minivans waiting to take us to our hotel, Hotel Perfect again. The trip was almost boring this time since we’d been in Delhi before and had experienced the traffic numerous times. This time we had a more luxurious room on the 2nd floor, with a clean bathroom and intact shower. After a brief meeting telling us we had free time until the farewell dinner tonight, Manoli and I went back to the South Indian vegetarian restaurant Saravana Bhavan for lunch, expecting several others of our group to show up soon. Unfortunately, ... read more

We had no internet access in Tordi Garh, so I still haven’t caught up on my blog. After a pretty good night’s sleep at the Tordi Palace, we packed up, had breakfast, and climbed aboard our bus to Jaipur. This was the same bus we’d arrived in, having been parked there by the hotel the whole time. I don’t remember seeing the driver and assistant anywhere, but I assume they too spent the night at the hotel. The ride out to the main road was just as bad as it was coming in, and of course the main “highway” to Jaipur also left something to be desired. We arrived in Jaipur around 11:30 and pulled up in front of our new hotel for the next two nights, Ulsav Niwas. This hotel was similar in nature to ... read more