Day 2 – Roncevalles

I got up 8:30 a.m. and began to segregate my things because I needed to mail some items to my destination in Compostela in order to lighten my load for the hike. My plan was to hike the Camino for two weeks and spend the third week in Madrid, Rome, and Paris to get a flavor of Europe. I brought my formal clothes and dress shoes which I would need only for the latter part so I mailed them. My bag weighed about 13 kilos. I quickly ate breakfast downstairs and went straight to the Post office which opened at 9:00 a.m. It cost my about 36 euros to mail my things which was a small price to pay for not having to carry an unnecessary load. If you’re walking about 7 hours a day, you’d want to make your bag as light as possible.

After the post office I went to the store to buy water to fill up my hydration pack of 2L. I also bought a walking stick and my lunch because there will not be any place to buy food in the mountains. I was set and I now felt like a true pilgrim!

I made my way though the Pyrenees and I was astounded by the beauty of God’s creation—the harmonious blending of the wind, the majesty of the mountains, the silence of nature, and the devout atmosphere left an indelible mark in my soul.

As I continued to trod along the path and ascended to higher levels of altitude, a gigantic bird overshadowed me and flew right above me just about 25 meters high. It was a Griffon vulture and had wingspan of about 2.80 – 3m. Fortunately, I discovered that they were not dangerous and the sight of them hovering over the mountains was actually quite spectacular and added to the enchantment of the experience.

The path towards the summit continued to change dramatically. It was very beautiful for the most part but I also came across streaks of long muddy roads which was not so pleasant. My boots sank about 3 cm in the moist sticky mud. In a way it served as a metaphor that paralleled the road of life. In life there will always be roses and thorns, happy moments and harsh ones. But our responses to those ever changing circumstances will ultimately dictate the life we lead and the person we choose to become.

Later down the road I encountered two guys named Jonathan and Damian. Jonathan was a writer in Australia and Damian was a PhD student in physics studying in Germany. They were terrific guys who also shared the same ambition to do the Camino. We walked the last 8 km together towards Roncesvalles. We took quite a number of breaks because Damian was carrying 23 kilos!!

We arrived in Roncesvalles at around 6:00 p.m. and we were kindly greeted by the young Spaniard at the front desk. He was very courteous and friendly and even took the initiative to show us to our room. There were about 9 beds per room. I quickly settled my things, took a shower and hand washed my clothes for the next day. We had dinner together in fellowship with a group of other pilgrims and had an awesome time.