31 Days' Journey Camino de Santiago

By LiQiang Gong

When you wake up in the morning, you feel that it is just another ordinary day, but someday, it could be a very special day that could change your life.

February 1, 2022, was that day in my life. I quit my job after arriving at my office without thinking twice. A spur of the moment decision, but I haven't regretted it. I started to look at the bucket list of things that I wanted to do before dying, and the voice of the Camino de Santiago started calling me. Two weeks later, I was on this old-fashioned pilgrimage trail with my backpack.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890614230

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Day 29

Day 30

Day 31

Finisterra

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31 Days' Journey Camino de Santiago

LiQiang Gong

Copyright © 2024 LiQiang Gong

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2024

‘Location descriptions were derived from wikipedia.com.’

ISBN 979-8-89061-422-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89061-423-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Tous les matins… Ultreia

Tous les matins nous prenons le chemin,

Tous les matins nous allons plus loin.

Jour après jour, la route nous appelle,

C'est la voix de Compostelle.

Ultreia! Ultreia! Et sus eia Deus adjuva nos!

Whenever I sing or hear this French song of Le Chemin de Compostelle, it always brings me back to the thirty-one days that I was walking on the Camino de Santiago, the memories of the people I met, the food and water that I had shared, the joys, the beautiful landscaping of Spanish countryside, the cultures, and rich histories of Spain. Sometimes I would sit in my living room and let my memories flow back. I can still hear the pilgrims greeting each other, Buen Camino, the sound of footsteps that they made, the hiking poles touching on the ground, and making this sound of da, da, da.

When I first heard about this Camino de Santiago, it was in 2006, when I lived in Sacramento, California. I loved this traveling program on PBS called Global Trekker, and one of the episodes was introducing this Camino de Santiago, the beautiful countryside of Spain. The cultures had attracted me. Since then, I had always wanted to be on that Camino. But I discovered little more about Camino de Santiago when my best friend, Jeff, who walked the last part of Camino and told me a story of one of the members in his hiking group—Norman.

Norman lost his wife three years ago. Since then, he had very much isolated himself and felt his life had no meaning anymore. After three years in solitude and desperately missing his wife, his children couldn't see their father go down like that, so they researched some information to help Norman. They had discovered this Camino, so they bought Norman a trip to Camino. During one of the group meetings, everyone spoke about the purpose of coming to Camino. When Norman started expressing his painful loss of his loved one, he had broken down with tears pouring down his wrinkled and aging face. He was crying so hard and couldn't even talk.

After that night, Norman had changed and almost transformed into a different person; he started laughing and even singing sometimes. This story deeply touched me; I realized that this Camino is not simply just walking and physical challenge; also, it is an internal path and healing process.

Life had changed and impacted pretty much everyone in the world since the year of 2020; the COVID-19 pandemic had created many sad and desperate situations, lost family members, isolation, fear, etc. I, among many others, didn't escape this disaster. I was isolated for almost the entire 2020, then on and off in 2021. Me as a single person, and all my family members were outside of the USA. In beginning of 2021, my company asked me to relocate from Dallas, Texas, to Atlanta, Georgia. By August 2021, I had moved to Atlanta. Moving to a total new city, especially during the COVID-19 period, I was completely isolated from outside of the social society. By November 2021, the new variant, omicron COVID-19 virus started it. I decided to lock myself back to solitary again, while the company kept pushing us to work in the office. The stress from work, fear to be sick, struggling with my daily life, confused, and lost hope if I could see the COVID-19 was going to be ended. I started using alcohol to medicate myself.

I was drunk on Christmas Eve 2021. This was the second time that I was drunk since I was a teenager and the first time I tried to drink beer. Christmas day, I woke up with a bad headache from the hangover. I looked at the sky through the window. It was gray, and the Christmas tree had lost all its festiveness and attraction. I realized that I was in a stage of depression. I never really understood people who would take their lives because of depression, but at that moment, I thought that could be the best for them to stay in a place without all these pains. I had chills when I had that moment of thought, so I rushed out of the door and did a little walking to get my mind out of this. It had helped me. I told myself, I am not one of them. I am a fighter. I just have to find the way to figure things out. Life is so precious. I have to fight back.

I quit my job on February 1, 2022, and decided to walk the Camino de Santiago. The subject was to find my internal path, find the true meaning of life, what happiness is, and who I am. I want to be a happy person who lives a more meaningful life.

Once I had decided to go on Camino de Santiago French way, I called Jeff and told him that I was going to hike the entire French Camino. He told me, You will be very happy when you are on the Camino. Also, you will meet so many wonderful people. They will be your friends forever.

I didn't understand how it could be, but I believed him. I started researching on the Internet for any information about Camino de Santiago, where I should start, what I should bring, and how to book the albergues. The information was overwhelming. I tried to absorb as much as I could, but for the person who was like me, in the past, I had always organized my entire trip before I started traveling. I would read online for one or two months for the places that I would want to visit, booking all the hotels, airplanes, and trains, but on this Camino trip, I really couldn't decide what I had to book as I didn't know how many days exactly that I would walk, and where I would stop each day, what instances could happen during the Camino that could cause the delay of arriving from point to point. I was getting more and more in a panic mode, and my anxiety was getting higher and higher.

Some nights, I would wake up with a nightmare. I almost gave up the idea to do this. But I told myself that this was something that I had wanted to do for years. How could I just give it up so easily? I decided to book my one-way flight to Paris first, then I could decide on the date that I was going to start hiking on Camino. I knew that I wanted to start from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France. On Camino forums, some people recommended to book three albergues for the first three days, so I decided to stop at Roncesvalles, Zubiri, and Pamplona as my first three days trip. After I made all those decisions, all of a sudden, I felt very calm and breathed easily again. This had also made me think about the healing process from anxiety and depression. When you are in a bad situation, it seems everything is going against you. Often, people start making a quick and easy decision to solve the problem, but most times, the decision made at that time was either wrong or hurts you later.

I bought a one-way airplane ticket to Paris on April 17, 2022. With the weather condition on Camino, I decided to start walking on May 7, 2022. I booked my first three albergues from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Zubiri, and Pamplona. There was a big gap between my Camino starting time and arriving in Europe. Visiting France first, I said to myself once I started organizing my pre-Camino trip. This had made me calmer. I started looking at the places from Paris to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the internet, searching for the towns and villages that were interesting to me so I could make my way to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port before my Camino started. Once I had decided where I wanted to go, I booked my hotels, trains, and buses. This part of the trip was so much easier than Camino because Camino is the trip that people can't plan the trip details ahead of time. Everyone had to overcome the hurdles during the trip, then plan it by day. This could be why, for decades, people around the world were obsessed with this old-fashioned pilgrim walking.

On April 17, 2022, I was on a flight from Newark airport to Paris. In Paris, I met my friend Philippe who was living there. Philippe spent a day with me and toured around the city, Rodin Museum, and local Parisian cuisines, then I went on my own from Paris to Lorie Valley, Dordogne. During this entire pre-trip to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, I was very worried about walking in Camino de Santiago. I thought that I would be walking alone on Camino, then probably share my daily experiences of walking with people in the albergue at evening. The entire walking could just be me alone. I kept wondering if the choice of walking on the Camino de Santiago was a right decision as I felt so lonely at home, so I wanted to walk on the Camino. If I am even more lonely on the Camino, it would be such a terrifying situation.

I talked to Philippe every day and asked him if he could join me for a few days or a week. One day, Philippe wrote back to me. He said to me, I know this is a scary time for you. I had been there when my husband passed away. I really would like to accompany you on this Camino trip, but I believe that this is the trip for you to walk alone and figure things out in your life. You have already made a big decision to quit your job and come to Camino with a small backpack. It is not important to physically reach Santiago de Compostela. It is very important that you are mentally and physically ready, capable for your new life. I am very envious and proud of what you already have done. You have more courage than most of us. I believe in you.

His words were very encouraging. Of course, I was also a little disappointed that he was not going to accompany me on this Camino.

On May fifth, I arrived in Bayonne, France; I had to catch the bus from Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. In front of a train station in Bayonne, there were more than fifty people who were waiting for the bus to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. People were from all over the world. There were many people from South Korea. They don't speak either English or Spanish. I was wondering how those people could have such courage and came to this trip without speaking English and Spanish. This had built up my confidence a little bit. On the bus, there was a person who was from England. He told me that he had walked fourteen times on Camino. This was his fifteenth time. My jaw dropped. What kind of magic and attraction for people who would walk fifteen times on the same trail? He also said to me, After days walking on the Camino and staying in albergues, you would realize that people take everything in their daily life for granted. The small things, like I could have a light switch that I can turn on and off any time, I can use the toilet without being on the line for hours, etc.

The curiosity of the Camino and more encouragement had made my bus trip from Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port much more relaxed.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills. The town is also the old capital of the traditional Basque province of Lower Navarre. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is also a starting point for the French Way, Camino Frances, the most popular option for traveling the Camino de Santiago.

When I arrived, I was instantly attracted to this village on the foothills de Pyrenean. The cobblestone street runs downhill and over the river from the fifteenth century Porte Saint-Jacques to the Porte d'Espagne by the bridge. From the bridge, there are views of the old houses with balconies overlooking the river. Many of the buildings were very old, built of pink and gray schist, and retained distinctive features, including inscriptions over their doors. The fourteenth-century red schist Gothic church, Notre-Dame du Bout du Pont, stands by the Porte d'Espagne.

Above the town, at the top of the hill, is the citadel. The view of the valley was fantastic.

On the side of the street, there were many pilgrims. Some of them were relaxing, some of them were talking and walking very quietly. The entire town was like an Eden. I had felt that I was going to be a part of the history on this Camino.

At the albergue in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the owner of the albergue was a very friendly person who had given the warmest welcome and most useful information for the first day trip to Roncesvalles. I also met a few people who had started walking one day ahead of me. I wanted to stay in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port for one more day for two reasons: (1) I could visit this historical town; (2) I needed some time to calm my nerves down as well.

On May 6, I got up and had a breakfast with some of the pilgrims who were leaving that day. Everyone was excited for the first day of Camino. I didn't talk too much other than listening to them. I was still in the stage of nervousness of my journey on Camino.

The albergue was closed from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., so everyone had to leave the room. It was good for me touring around the villages, walking to the citadel, using this time.

It was a busy morning, before the pilgrims left town. After about half an hour, the entire village of Saint Jean had quieted down; I was only one among a few local people walking on the street. After I visited the citadel, I kept walking toward the gate where the Camino trail starting point was from Saint Jean. There was a church next the gate. I walked in, but there was no one in the church, so I walked out and carried on my walking toward the outside of the gate and crossed the bridge. There were some stores on another side of the bridge and had opened by that time; I found a bracelet for me that had a seashell Camino symbol on it. I thought that was a good souvenir to remember where I started Camino.

I walked out of the town center and looked at the Camino. There was no one on it. I didn't want to go toward that direction to see how it was because I was worried that I would quit after I tested water. I decided to wait till tomorrow, so I turned around and walked along on the riverbank. I really didn't know where I was going. I was walking aimlessly. I needed some time to be alone, to practice my journey on Camino.

It was very cloudy that morning. When I walked onto a country road, there were a few houses by the side of the road. Once in a while, someone was driving by me. People always waved hands to me and said, Bonjour. I often heard people in America tell me that French people were rude, but I had never experienced it in France. Instead, I often had a warm greeting from them. My brain was so preoccupied. Sometimes, I wouldn't even notice people waving at me. I'm the one acting rude to others, I said to myself.

I finally realized that I was lost on the country road. I looked at the GPS. It asked me to go back to where I came from, but I was stubbornly walking to the opposite direction that the GPS told me because I could see the town center of Saint Jean from a distance. I thought if I just kept going, I should be able to reach there, maybe taking a much longer time, but to me, time was a less important element at that point. I kept walking. Finally, the GPS had changed the information and was telling me that I was on the right path. It was a little victory for me. I smiled and looked back. I told myself, I will never go back.

I reached Saint Jean town center again. It was around 1:00 p.m., so I still had some time to kill. I was not hungry at all. I tried some local dessert, then I sat down on a bench by the street. By then, the sun had burned out the clouds. I sat under the sun and closed my eyes to enjoy the warmness.

Can I sit with you? I heard someone was asking me.

I opened my eyes. There was a skinny, tall, and white-haired gentleman who was probably in his late seventies and early eighties. He asked me again, Do you mind if I sit with you?

I said to him, Not at all.

He told me, It is sunny here, so I thought that I'd ask you.

I told him, Feel free to sit here with me.

He introduced himself to me. His name was Richard who lived in San Francisco, California. He was doing this Camino himself because his wife didn't want to come with him. He laughed and said, She probably just wants to get rid of me for a little while so she can have some quiet time alone.

I thought that was funny but not really. Some people wanted to be alone, but others were desperate to find a life companion.

Richard told me that he was eighty-five years old, started walking on Camino two days ago, but he only walked 2–3 km per day. Today, he had to pick up some medication in town, so there was a woman who drove him back to town, then they would go back to where he was again. He was not planning to be in Santiago on this trip, but he wanted to go as far as he could, then come back again next time. When he found out that I was Chinese, he told me, You have a very good accent. I almost didn't detect your Chinese accent at all.

I smiled back at him and didn't say anything. It was little good visiting with Richard. His rider came back. She was a French woman who drove an old convertible car. So Richard told me that he had to go now. He hugged me and told me, I admire your ambition. I wish I was your age so I can finish this Camino before I die. Then he left. I stood there and looked at his white hair gradually disappear on the Camino.

It was still early. I couldn't get back to the albergue yet, so I decided to walk to the local supermarket and buy a sandwich for dinner.

Day 1

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, to Roncesvalles, Spain

I woke up on May 7, 2022. It was a big day for me, and I was going to walk on this historical pilgrim trail of Camino de Santiago. I couldn't use one word to describe my feeling but very much mixed with excitement and panic. I was up very early. I went out of my room so I wouldn't wake the other people in the same room. I looked at my cell phone, and there was a message from Philippe along with a picture:

Cet arbre a décidé de commencer une nouvelle vie… Ce peut être toi pendant et après cet itinéraire qui est autant une randonnée qu'un chemin en soi-même… A méditer.

(This tree has decided to start a new life… It can be you during and after this route, which is as much a hike as a path in itself… Think about it.)

I was reading his message. My heart started beating faster, and tears came out of my eyes. This is what I came here for, to change myself, the way how I live, my entire aspect of happiness, the relationship with other people, to have a new life that I could be happy and not feel alone. I wiped out my tears and quickly responded with a Thanks to Philippe. I had to get ready for breakfast before starting my first step on this mystery, magic, and historical Camino de Santiago.

At the breakfast table, I met Erin who was from Toronto, Canada, and Gerrit who was from Berlin, Germany. After a few exchanges of conversations, we decided to walk together for today. It turned out that I had them as friends for life.

Gerrit was a very tall and slender man, wearing glasses, and always had this nice smile on his face. He looks very academic. I think that he was probably in his late forties or early fifties. Erin was a beautiful young woman. She was also tall and slender. She had this nose ring on her. It made her look a little naughty. I couldn't tell her age, and I didn't want to guess either.

After breakfast, everyone said goodbye to the owner of the albergue, and we took off. I snapped a picture of the three of us and sent it to Philippe. He responded back with a smiling face and a comment, Well, it didn't take you very long to meet people… Toronto and Berlin. I can see you are not making any progress on your French learning.

I couldn't help myself to laugh out loud. Erin and Gerrit looked at me and asked me, What is so funny?

I said to them, Nothing, just a friend commented how I can quickly meet people on this Camino. I went to the pilgrim office to make my registration and got my pilgrim stamp book. I registered the country as China because of COVID-19. China had closed its border for a long time, so there were no other Chinese coming here this year. I was the only Chinese on this Camino. It had been questioned by many people along the way on this Camino. I always had to explain to them that I lived in the USA. Where I was from had become a laughing matter through the entire Camino trip because I was born in China, but I was a citizen of Canada. Now I was living in the USA as a permanent resident.

There were two common questions that people always asked on Camino, Where are you from? and Why are you doing this Camino?

To answer the first question, I was from China.

It had always led to a second question, Then explain to us about your English. People don't speak English like you in China, right?

Here we go again. It's a long story. The short version is that I am living in the USA, and I learned my English in Canada.

Then Hahaha…

I know that was funny.

Every morning, the street in Saint Jean was always like a market. There were always pilgrims who were getting ready on their first day of the Camino. People were speaking different languages, running around to find their group of people, or forgetting something in the albergue, and it looked very chaotic. We left Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port around 7:45 a.m. We decided to take another group picture at the gate of the entrance. The sky was very gray, and it was a little chilly that morning,