Today is a bit of a rest and recovery day. I managed to get Wifi at last so I spent some time with emails and this Blog. The Wifi in most places has been poor but this could be due to demand being high. After lunch we walked into town where a festival was happening and it would be an understatement to say the Spanish know how to have fun. Walking through the dense crowded streets, the noise was unbelievable. Groups of musicians, singers, mobile DJ's with dancing crowds following them, all pumped up the atmosphere to 11 out of 10. A few pictures really can't transport you to the joy, the voices, music and aromas of food vendors poised on each corner. The parade consisted of oversized puppets dancing and swirling, again followed by hundreds ... read more

Walked with Dana and Renee from Texas, USA, and Doug and Libby from Tasmania today. We started in the dark and walked along a path in a wooded area where tree roots protruded and crisscrossed our path. It soon became obvious headlamps were required to do this safely so we muddled in the dark to correct this problem. A lesson learnt for next time: prepare for every possibility. We walked the few kilometres to the village of Burguete before stopping for breakfast and a coffee. We went to a very nice little bar and were lucky to be some of the first to arrive as it soon filled up and had a pile of backpacks parked outside. Usually the level ground is relatively smooth to walk on, changing to loose rocks and rubble in rain washed ... read more

Up at 4.40am, caught the 5.25 to the airport, and made the flight to Biarritz. We then waited a little over an hour and our transport arrived to drive us to St Jean Pied de Port. We arrived at SJPP at about 11.30 and made our way to the pilgrims office to register for the Camino. The office is staffed by very helpful volunteers who issue you with your passport and some instructions to help you through the early stages. Sue and I the spent a couple of hours exploring SJPP as you cannot get into the hostels until 2.30pm. We chose Auberge du Peleran just down from the office and were shown to our room. We chose bottom bunks and met Connor and Bec, a young couple from Canberra. We are having our meal at ... read more

Let's start off with a little question; why do airlines subject economy passengers to the 'walk of envy' past the vacated first class seating on planes. After spending 31 hours in the company of fellow 'Eco' (sounds better doesn't it) travellers, mainly in the cramped confines of your seat watching movies and TV shows that you have never previously chosen to watch, the last thing you need to see are the ample lodgings of the folk up the pointy end of the plane as you try to walk from the plane. Don't get me wrong, this is not a whinge, just an observation. I will add it's one of those rare occasions where being shorter than average is a bonus. God help the guy on the plane who looked about 195cms. I must also add that ... read more

Well it's pretty tough working out what to take, what is important and what has importance but is just too heavy. I have read blogs, books and scanned guides to try and decide my load, but in the end it is up to me and I have just finished the packing....for now. It could change. The total weight, including camera, chargers, power pack and iPad peaks at about 9 kilos and I'm reasonably comfortable with that. My final list contains: Backpack, sleeping bag, silk liner, flip flops (for showering and at the end of the day), boots, 3 x underwear, 3 x woollen socks, 2 x trousers with zip off legs, 2 x shirts, 1 t-shirt, a hat, waterproof jacket, poncho, thermal top, down vest, and walking poles. I have also packed very minimal toiletries , ... read more