How not to get out of bed

Certainly don't let your phone drop down the side of the bed in the middle of the night. If there is a chance of this don't turn on your alarm to wake you at 5am. When it goes off, and you can't reach down to get it, make sure there isn't a plastic chair beside your bed when you roll out of bed to get the phone from the other side.

This is exactly what happened to me this morning. The clatter was atrocious and the shell that I put on my bag scrapes so loud off tiles!!

I lay there in the dust in embarrassed listening silence, but apparently no body noticed. Lucky me!

I got out the door fast with my stuff and my life and started off trekking up the the three hills to San juan des Ortegas. It was dry and the sun had not yet risen but the sky was bright and I felt a good day coming on. The sun rose as I was leaving Belorado and it just sheared across the lush green wheat fields. I took as many photos as possible in the brief window before the sun got above the cloud layer and was smiling as I reached the 7km mark and stopped for coffee and a feet check. Everyone caught up with me there, the ones who had left at 7 but had the stamina to walk almost twice as fast as me.

It was cold though even sitting in the sun the wind brought the chill down upon us. I caught up with an American girl and spent the rest of the way chatting. She had done the camino France's three times already ten and eight years ago and already noticed a huge difference in the way it works now.

We passed people in cars who were on the actual trail for walkers with all their bags in the back. When we got into San Juan de Ortega there was a bus of 'pilgrims' already there. They were having lunch and were going to walk for an hour to the next town and then get the bus to Burgos that night. The guy that was guiding them had chosen a nice downhill section.

Met my first Irish people today and it was a group of retired men who did seven days. They were telling me that it was organised by Camino Ways. I had been following the Camino Ways group on Facebook for a few months after they had an appearance on an Irish tv show about the camino. What I didn't realise was that they are effectively a tour company. I was a little disappointed. The group I was talking to paid more than half of what I'm intending to spend and had everything organised for them. Had transfers too and from the camino, hotels booked with dinners and breakfasts, even their bags are carried for them. It's almost like they might as well drive the whole way in a bus.

They seemed to enjoy it and I suppose each camino is individual. Even paying that much. When I asked them if they would consider doing more than 7 days at a time they did that Irish "eyebrow raise and look incredulously at nearest friend" it didn't occur to me at the time that they were probably thinking about the cost of doing more. Almost as if doing it cheaply was beyond the realms if possibility. I'm doing 4 weeks for 75% the price of their one week. Seems crazy. But hey. It's not all about money, and if some people want to spend it that's fine. As long as they stay out of my albergue that I walked all this way carting all my stuff for much longer than you will, for. Hmm, that wasn't a great sentence, oh well. Maybe I'm not a great person for giving out about 'cheaters' but it's frustrating when your place is taken by someone who has paid to have their bags carted for them, for those that get busses.

However, there are those that truly need the beds. Like a woman I met and translated for today. Her knee was killing her and she had seen the physio at Santo Domingo but her knee flared up again half way and she got a taxi. She stumped up for a private bed in the albergue though, I just hope it was in the ground floor!

Sorry about the moany post but I just find that the sorer I get the less tolerant of people I get. Perhaps it's just jealousy.

Off to Burgos tomorrow and I can't wait! though my feet probably can.

Xx

Buen camino!