May 29, 2023, first day on the Way, from St. Jean Pied de Port to Orisson, 7.5 kilometers.
This morning, I woke up at 5:15am, still tired, then fell back to sleep. The snores were rhythmic, and kept me awake most of the time. When I went downstairs at 7:30 to eat breakfast, most of the pilgrims had already left! After having breakfast with a few pilgrim friends, I started preparing for the first day's "climb." I went upstairs and began to pack. The clothes I washed last night were not dry, so I packed them in a mesh bag and attached it to the hook on the backpack, so the damp clothes wouldn't smell. It was later proven, multiple times, that bringing a mesh bag was such a wise decision! The most crucial step came - taking good care of my feet. It is a common advice from seasoned pilgrims: taking very good care of the feet is an essential step to prevent blisters – massage them - apply Vaseline generously on the feet, especially all over the toes - wear sock liners (I bought thin nylon socks online) - wear merino wool socks - then put on the shoes.
Ready to go! The weather was perfect that day, with a gentle breeze.
“Wait. I don’t have cash yet!” I heard from others that there are places along the way that don’t accept cards. A nice Australian photographer friend informed me how to get to the ATM machine (right around the corner after a few turns and street crossings). She saw my confused look, then decided to take me to the ATM to get some cash. My first Camino angel of the day! I was so thankful. Another pilgrim suggested that I buy a sandwich, since there wouldn’t be a place to buy food between this town and my next destination. That turned out to be very wise because when we arrived at our destination of the day, the only place to get food was not ready to sell food until later! I learned something new again.
The real walk began…
Through the door, past the old city gate, my feet would walk on the Camino Way. Off on my first solo Camino! I was excited and naive about what lay ahead – Hills, slopes and more, seen on Youtube and read about in books and blogs, now I had my first encounter with some of them! Was the universe, perhaps, trying to tell me something as I walked out of town and up a steep hill? As an ordinary being, why do I undertake such a ____ ? To come to some kind of realization? For awakening? To come out the other side OK and hopefully with wisdom, inner peace, health and fitness? No matter what, I’d better stay in the present, vacate my mind, work my muscles, “empty” my body, expose myself to nature's elements (and stretch my soul, to make space for a newer self). Isn't that similar to what the ancient Chinese philosopher, Mencius, once said?
Off we go – my new Camino friend and I! Good luck to our Trail Runners – they are going to be our faithful companions in the next few weeks. The shoes know the Way, we gathered!
Along the way, there were cows, sheep and horses grazing on the hillsides, most had a bell around its neck that jingled as it moved, creating a special soothing symphony, accompanied by the wind, the rhythmic beats of the trekking poles on the ground in the wilderness of the Pyrenees Mountains.
One section of the road imposed challenges, uphills, loose rocks. In the new adventures, my body was experiencing all kinds of shocks. Just when I finished ascending, tried to catch up with my breath, and reached for a sip of water, I realized that I forgot to fill up my water-bottles! There was about a couple of sips of water left from my plane-ride the day before!! Might this be the end of my Camino already? – In Day One, for a distance of 7.5km of walk??!! Am I going to die here from dehydration in Day One??!! OMG, I thought of my wandering about in SJPDP, as if all was well for days to come, looked and felt so worry-free!! Obviously, I didn’t do any research on this – there was no water-filling station for this section of the route!！Or was it because I didn’t give myself enough time for the jet-lag? I was looking for any reasons to justify my errors, negligence. Or can this be counted towards the newbie's error? Perhaps this was purely stupidity – hiking in the wilderness without water!!!
That was the first big mistake on Day One!
Of course there were more to follow. Last night, in a room with seven people, there was only one outlet to accommodate two plugs. My phone was charged to 40% full when I left the hostel. By mid-way of the walk, my phone died, and the charging cable was nowhere to be found!
Thus, Day One, big mistake #2, I didn’t bring a spare charging cable, preferably a longer cable. Losing the only charging cable I’ve brought, and there was no place to purchase one out in the wild!
A true newbie I am! A true senseless newbie I must have been!!
Hill after hill my trailrunners took me. Somewhere over two hours later, I finally saw the Albergue for today. I saw hope at the sight of it. This would be the station for tonight. What a relief! My body, as well as my mind, needed a good rest, to settle the dashing thoughts, the untamed imagination, to adjust to the foreignness of everything, and get on the Way again as a true pilgrim.
Refuge Orisson
This place seems to be magical. Out in nowhere, surrounded by mountains and lush green forest, appeared this Albergue! I was instantly energized and happy! The disappointment I felt a moment ago about losing the charging cable, and lack of water dissipated. I heard that this would be a great place for a surreal sunset and sunrise! What more could I wish for?!
Since it was still early in the day when I arrived at Refuge Orisson, the albergue for today, the rooms were not ready for the guests yet, and the Cafe only served coffee, juice, beer, water and snacks, such as almond cake slices, ice cream, etc. Thanks again to the wise pilgrim who advised me to get a sub before I left SJPDP. I bought a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, took out the sub, found a spot in the outdoor dining area overlooking the mountains near and afar. Total contentment! Next to me sat a new friend, K, from New Zealand. I gave her some sub, which went well with the beer she purchased a moment before. Two happy first-time walkers on the Camino! When she found out later that I needed a charging cable for my phone, she was my guardian angel for the next few days to ensure that my phone was charged and ready to go!
As we sat there, chatting and enjoying the peace and beauty of the Pyrenees Mountains, a bird showed up all of a sudden, hovering in one spot at a time, stopping in the midair, singing the most beautiful bird songs I’ve ever heard. For the next few minutes, we sat there, completely immersed in nature, in the symphony of a lifetime!
Of course, for now, my priority should NOT be sitting here for long, indulging myself with the luxury and temptations of the new land. Now that my room was ready, I should quickly move on to shower, wash clothes, hang them out on the clothesline to dry, sunny and breezy. There were still yesterday’s damp clean laundry in the mesh bag!
Finally done with all these. Yeah!!
“仙境,” xiān jìng, a term known to many as “Shangerila”, was the phrase that came to my mind when I stepped out again from the building some time later. 仙境 – according to Baidu, is where fairies and immortals reside. It tempted me to sit out in the sun, on a rock, surrounded by the Pyrenees, guarded by my shadow, caressed by the wind, tanned and being healed by nature…
Later, I met a Welsh father and son team who were planning on a 2-week Camino together. The son worked in southern England. They were staying at Borda, another Albergue/Refuge opened a couple of years ago. Borda sits on top of a hill, off the main road, cows with bells were grazing on the hilly land. Quite idyllic! It was about one kilometer away from where I stayed. I wore my flip-flops, and walked to their place with them, then back to Orisson. We talked as we walked and enjoyed the scenery along the way. I might want to try that Refuge next time.
The real-life Shangerila has its limitations, of course. For one, the showers here are operated by quota. Each person was given a coin when checking in, and each shower will last for 5 minutes! When you shower fast, good for you! Otherwise, well, you figure something out, or/and make do!!
There are no grocery stores around here. Everyone eats at the dining hall at the same time. That day happened to be the birthday of a Canadian lady, so a “Happy Birthday” song went to her! What a happy and memorable occasion!
It started raining at dusk, so we didn’t get to see the sunset. What a pity! I discovered later that I got two blisters on my left big toe. How bizarre! – less than three hours of hiking and I already got blisters which didn’t even hurt! Wasn’t my training supposed to help?
I slept in a 6-bed dorm room, and was kept awake by snoring until 5am. Once I fell asleep, Oh boy, Oh boy, I slept like a baby – until my conscience woke me up, realizing that everyone else left already!!! I jumped out of bed, ran to the cafeteria as I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up, only to find out that the group breakfast time was already over. The cafe crew was cleaning up for the next wave of pilgrims!
Back to my room, the room-cleaning crew was in full swing! Before I knew it, they already cleaned up the bathroom, most of the rooms and the shoe racks. I had to ask them to help me find my shoes! They moved them off the shoe rack for the next group… Wow, what speed!! How efficient they run their business!!
An overnight stay, plus dinner and breakfast here – 40 euros.
I earned my stamp here today.
Key words: Calm, organized/well-collected.
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