La Virgin del Camino - 8 June

7am: I checked the bus time table from Leon to La Virgin del Camino and there is only one on Sundays at 20h30. So, another taxi is on the cards for me today!
My bag is being transported each day by Jacotrans. They will drop it off at the Hotel Coruna in Astorga on Tuesday as I am getting the bus to Ferrol and Kathy to Villafranca.  In the middle of the night I suddenly thought, 'What if they don't get it there on time for my bus?' So, I've decided to take the bag with me on the bus from Hospital D'Orbigo to Astorga on Tuesday.  When I get to Leon,  I'll buy a small carry bag for Kathy to continue sending her few extras ahead until she gets to Sarria.
1pm: ☆Never ending Story☆
The taxi from Mansilla to Leon (about 18km) was €20. From Leon to Virgin del Camino (about 6km) was €25.  I nearly queried it but he stopped right outside where people were sitting at the pavement tables watching me get out of the taxi.
My never-ending bus story continues.
I was dropped off at the bus station.  I went straight to the ALSA window and was relieved to be the only one there. I had tree bus tickets to buy and wanted to get it right. I smiled at the guy behind the glass and showed him my short list of bus destinations and times.  He didnt smile back. He mumbled something and pointed upwards, like he was giving me the middle-finger but with his index finger. "Perdon?" I asked. He spoke more loudly and half standing gesticulated to a sign above his window. "Yonzyboosh" he said. I looked at him blankly. "YONZYBOOOOSH!" He shouted, as though I must be deaf. I stepped back and tried to read the sign. I felt as though I was in the twilight zone.  You have to buy the tickets 'on-the-bus' of course, that is what he was trying to say, 'Yon-zy-boosh' (On the bus).  "En el autobus?" I asked in my best Spanish accent. His head went up and down like those toy dogs we used to put in front of the back windscreen of our cars in the 1950's.
Just to piss him off I asked "what if the booos is completo?" "Nunca!" He muttered (never). Little does he know. He only works for ALSA. He hasn't seen desperate pilgrims crying because they couldn't get a seat on an ALSA bus that is full before it even reaches your village. So, from now on I cant buy a ticket at the station, I have to buy one yon-zy-boosh. I'll let you know how that works out!

amaWalkers on the trail again!

This will be the second amaWalkers Camino trek this year. The first amaWalkers Camino walk was in June when I lead 13 people on three sections of the Camino Frances. It was a wonderful walk, with wonderful people and I am looking forward to leading this next group from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago.
Just 3 more sleeps and we will be in Pamplona. There I will meet up with Judith (Canada), Bell (Johannesburg), Alan (US) and Tricia (South Africa). Judith is worried about the effects of hurricane Irene will delay her flight out of St John.  We'll just have to wait and see.

The next day (1st September) we will travel to St Jean Pied de Port. Brian (flying in from the UK) and Christine (from Sweden) will meet us there. I've booked a table at a typical Basque restaurant on Thursday night and we hope to be joined by Tim Proctor who has a B&B in St Jean.

On the 2nd September we will start our walk. Depending on the weather we will either walk the Route Napoleon to Orisson or the Cross. The Auberge Orisson was full and Jean-Claude offered us tents behind the cabin. Having walked in torrential rain in September 2007 I decided against it and booked us into a Gite in St Jean for two nights instead.  If the weather is bad we will walk on the road route to Val Carlos. Caroline will collect us at 3pm to take us back to our Gite in St Jean. This means that we don't have to carry our backpacks and we don't have to sleep in tents. The following day, Caroline will take us back to where we left off the day before and we will continue walking to Roncesvalles and on to Burguete.

I checked the long range weather forecast today for Pamplona, St Jean Pied de Port and Zubiri. It looks as though we will have perfect weather for a walk in (up?) the mountain! Pilgrims often report on high winds, lashing rain or thick mist with no views when they walk from St Jean to Roncesvalles.
We start walking on Friday 2nd September and it looks like it will be a beautiful day!
31 August: Pamplona - 16/24°C Rain and possible thunder during the day. Partly cloudy skies during the night.

1st September: We travel to St Jean Pied de Port - 13/22°C - Few morning clouds, light rain with clear spells during the day. Few clouds during the night.

2nd September: We walk from St Jean to Orisson - 18/26°C - Sunny! 3rd September: Orisson to Burguete - 13/24°C - Sunny with some clouds.

4th September: Zubiri - 17/31°C - Sunny with some clouds. (Wow - 31°C??? Perhaps it is an error?)

5th September: Pamplona - 16/22°C - Cloudy.

6th September: Puente la Reina - 14/25°C - sunny with some clouds.