My tryst with the Camino (Part 2): Why and getting over the internal resistance...

I am not sure why I chose to do the Camino. I had heard about the Camino, vaguely a while ago from my friend, Pedro, and then less vaguely from my friend, Josep, who had done various phases, at different times. It was intriguing, as much for the reasons why people did it, as much for the “coolness” of just doing it.

?To me, the spirituality mattered less. The solitude mattered somewhat, the terrain and location were of definite interest, the wine and gastronomy are always a theme for me.

More than anything, it seemed like I just wanted to do it more to get over my own “lethargy” of not traveling, get over my “fears” of traveling alone, get out there and be with my thoughts. Do something that did not involve just city travel. Thanks to work, my travel has gotten mostly restricted to cities, offices, hotels, and airports - endless concrete corridors. This was an opportunity to do something different, get out into the countryside.

?Over the months leading up to it, I kept publicly professing it, more to ensure I did not chicken out than anything else. And I did think about chickening out. Every bump in planning, every work demand I thought was fate telling me not to do it. Between the public statements and Ana’s support, I managed to finally pencil in the time. Being hesitant deep inside, I did not make any “tangible” commitments (tickets, hotels, etc.) until the very last day. I had studied the Camino but stopped short of taking the plunge. Then, I did it.

?I also chose to do it alone. I thank my friend, Josep for that. He asked me why I wanted to do it. Truthfully, I had no answer, but being on my own was somewhere in the mix. And hence, I embarked - alone.

?I also chose the Camino Portugues. I flirted with the Camino Frances for the longest time, but between convenience around the dates, the choice that had the least commitment required and some fascination with the coastal route, I landed on the Camino Portugues.

?I also chose not to do it as a “die-hard” pilgrim on two accounts - one, not wanting to being rigorous with the route; do it “my way” and two, not being totally unplanned, hoping to find my way to hostels and dormitories; I booked some hotels along the way. These 2 choices helped me “buffer” the hardships a bit, so, yes, a bit of a cop out, but I did stick to long, arduous hours of walking, significant time by myself and with my thoughts and was “unplanned” with how each day panned out and what I did with them and the detours.