{"id":547,"date":"2015-05-05T06:47:19","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T06:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/robscamino.com\/?p=547"},"modified":"2018-04-17T09:29:50","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T23:29:50","slug":"5th-of-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/5th-of-may\/","title":{"rendered":"5th of May &#8211; Journey to Los Arcos"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>Chance Encounters: The Journey to Los Arcos<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>As I came into the next village for a cup of coffee, struggling up for the last part of the hill, I looked behind me and saw a familiar character.<\/p>\n<p>Walking in his white habit, chatting away with other pilgrims, I couldn&#8217;t make out the face from the distance, but it had to be <em>Father Bart from the USA<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pGX-hdIDe1M?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As I sat at the top of the hill, catching my breath, sure enough as they came closer it was him.<\/p>\n<p>We were able to catch up for five minutes over coffee at the local cafe.<\/p>\n<p>He was keen to hear how I was doing and we exchanged news on others that we had met along the way. Such as <em>Dick and Peggy<\/em>\u00a0that we both knew who came from the USA.<\/p>\n<p>This is what they call the <em>Camino<\/em> radio, as pilgrims\u00a0have these chance encounters along the way. It provides an opportunity to exchange news on mutual friends.<\/p>\n<p>Now on to the next stretch to <em><strong>Villamayor de Monjard\u00edn<\/strong><\/em>, which is not as I thought at the top of that huge hill, but halfway down it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-569\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-08.03.14.jpg\" alt=\"2015-05-05 08.03.14\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-08.03.14.jpg 800w, https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-08.03.14-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That would be the last chance to stock up on water, for the final 12 kilometers in to<em><strong> Los Arcos.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Camino Contemplation<\/strong><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-547-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Camino-Contemplation.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Camino-Contemplation.mp3\">https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Camino-Contemplation.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Camino Provides<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was about 6 or 7 kilometers from <a href=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/5th-of-may-los-arcos\/\" target=\"_blank\">Los Arcos<\/a><em><strong>,<\/strong> <\/em>when the <em>urge<\/em> took me.<\/p>\n<p>It must have been something I&#8217;d eaten for breakfast or lunch that didn&#8217;t agree with me, but I desperately needed a bathroom.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">Of course there aren&#8217;t any until you get to Los Arcos. So I managed to find a discreet gulley before I continued on my way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rpgPWOD7Tzc?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To avoid further dashes in to the undergrowth and to make sure that I didn&#8217;t lose any more fluids, I popped two Immodium.<\/p>\n<p>And then I found that my water bladder\u00a0was empty due to a leak and I was down to two small bottles of water that I had for emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>With<em> 7 or 8 kilometers<\/em> to go in this open countryside I would certainly arrive more than a bit dehydrated, and it was certainly not going to help my Achilles Tendons.<\/p>\n<p>But at the next turn in the<em> Camino<\/em>, I hit a little oasis\u00a0in the form of a caravan selling food and cold drinks.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GzN6kAG1eeA?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So I downed a Gatorade in one gulp and put two more in my pack before continuing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The body said stop<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m probably about 3 kilometers from <em><strong>Los Arcos<\/strong><\/em> but the body said stop and you have to listen.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-570\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-09.18.28-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"321\" height=\"571\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m in the middle of pasture land with no one else on the <em>Camino<\/em>\u00a0in sight and I just sat down by the side of the road to have a Nutella roll that I made last night and I sunk another Gatorade in one go.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m really making sure to stay hydrated because I&#8217;m worried if I don&#8217;t, my Achilles Tendons will worsen.<\/p>\n<p>I feel like I could actually sit here all day, about <em>10 kilometers<\/em> away I can see a ridge line with a wind farm.<\/p>\n<p>To the right of that a mountain range that looks very rugged and rocky. Ruined farm houses, a church on the hill and next to me, a haystack.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1un9H4i9v5w?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And the pasture seems to be every shade of green that you can imagine. But I can&#8217;t sit here all day, probably time now to move on to the final few kilometers in to <em>Los Arcos<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-565\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-13.46.54.jpg\" alt=\"2015-05-05 13.46.54\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-13.46.54.jpg 800w, https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-13.46.54-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Camino Diet<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today I though about food. A lot.<\/p>\n<p>You see I have a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, I have to make sure that my food intake is fairly considerable, to make up for all the energy I&#8217;m expending walking 7 or 8 hours a day.<\/p>\n<p>But on the other hand, it would be nice to finish this <em>Camino<\/em> a lot lighter than when I started. <em>It would be awesome to lose 10 kilograms in the process.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But where is the balance?<\/p>\n<p>I need to consume enough energy to keep me walking all day, but maybe not just quite enough so that I&#8217;m actually burning off fat in the process as well.<\/p>\n<p>The further challenge is that there is some really awesome food all along the <em>Camino<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-560\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-15.30.00.jpg\" alt=\"2015-05-05 15.30.00\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-15.30.00.jpg 800w, https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-15.30.00-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is something that I will have to ponder further, and maybe experiment with food intake and energy output \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sharing a bottle of <em>Vino Tinto<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We sat in the main square of<em><strong> Los Arcos<\/strong><\/em>, the whole square seemed to be filled with pilgrims, most of the faces we recognize.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-627\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-16.41.01.jpg\" alt=\"2015-05-05 16.41.01\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-16.41.01.jpg 800w, https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-16.41.01-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A group of us (Jodie, Father Bart and Mary) were sharing a bottle of <em><strong>vino tinto<\/strong><\/em>, that must have cost all of 5 Euros, it tasted wonderful after a long day on the <em>Camino<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-561\" src=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-10.43.19.jpg\" alt=\"2015-05-05 10.43.19\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-10.43.19.jpg 800w, https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-05-10.43.19-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We were absolutely enthralled listening to Jodie<em>\u00a0from Sydney<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>She was explaining how we should let the taste linger on the tongue and how to recognize the top notes and bottom notes and not to rush the experience.<\/p>\n<p>She also went on to explain some of the production process, and what made the best quality product.<\/p>\n<p><em>No, she was not talking about the red wine, she was talking about chocolate.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Jodie owns a chocolate business in Sydney and had us enthralled with the production process and the health benefits of chocolate, and she even had some samples for us to taste.<\/p>\n<p>What a joy, some of the conversations are on\u00a0this <em>Camino<\/em>. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I came into the next village for a cup of coffee, struggling up for the last part of the hill, I looked behind me and saw a familiar character. Walking in his white habit, chatting away with other pilgrims, I couldn&#8217;t make out the face from the distance, but it had to be Father Bart from the USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,15,7,16,17,5],"tags":[34,22,50,47,48],"class_list":["post-547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-food","category-gallery","category-people","category-places","category-videos","tag-camino-community","tag-camino-de-santiago","tag-camino-food","tag-estella","tag-los-arcos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2557,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions\/2557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robscamino.com\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}