Michelle booked this trip through the hotel earlier. I wish we had a rest day but I suppose we really do need to prepare for the Camino. We had to be at the adjacent hotel for 8 AM. Up at 6:30 for an early breakfast we were. I packed poles, a waterproof jacket and tried my daytime Camino outfit with newly acquired Columbia quick dry shorts. We wisely built a lunch sandwich while eating breakfast and headed over to the Sol hotel next door. This was the same hotel we saw experience an epic amount of renovations when we arrived from Malaga. The bus pickup details were not clear so we walked over construction lines into the hotel to inquire. It turns out they are finally open the next day after 4 months of hard work. The bus for our tour will pick us up out front. A worker out front indicated the hotel was closed but understood now while we were there. These workers have been grinding for 4 months. New interiors, electrical, water ... a massive overhaul. A few other hikers saw our confidence and backpacks and soon approached us inquiring about the pickup location. A very nice lady and her quiet husband were very interested in our future Camino adventures.
There were about 8 of us chatting when the bus approached a little early. A wise sign printed on the windshield indicated Caminito del Rey. Yay. Out tour guide was quick to check our names as we walk on board. There were already quite a few hikers already on board. We were the second pickup spot I suspect. I think we hit 5 other hotels in our area and closer to the airport. I said Hola to everyone as usual and the last group to pick up wound up being a family of 4 from Atlanta.
I chatted it up with the kids of 20 something mostly with the Dad helping along with the conversation. They had done so many places already as a family. The youngest son was headed back alone soon. The rest of the family were staying a little longer but would all wind up flying back at different times. We did not see them much during the tour but bounced into them at the end.
Once all on board, our tour guide introduced himself and the first destination timing in 3 languages. English, French and Spanish. Ardales was less than a 90 minute drive away. Once parked, our guide walked us up to the primary spot for bathroom and coffee on the really steep streets. A full bus and only 2 bathrooms meant I went for a walk while Michelle waited in a long line. We only had 30 minutes to explore the Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora de los Remedios https://maps.app.goo.gl/qpiu7xKHbcCYaqxYA
The roads were crazy steep but worth pushing through. It was insanely windy and I noticed several windmills were not turning. Maybe the winds were too strong. These winds were soon going to show in the Caminito del Rey
We were only 15 KM's away from the Caminito del Rey. Our guide explained the importance of getting off the bus and staying on the left side of the road. The road here it thin and pedestrians are protected by solid looking posts. Within 100 metres we turned left into the mountain in a 300 metre pathway that took 3 years to build many years earlier. After exiting the tunnel we tried to get together in separate groups but this day was really busy with both tourists and locals. It was nuts.
Add to this mess the wind was pretty intense. It sounded like there was 1 missing person named Mark. We had to move on as crowds were showing up behind us. It was about a 1 KM descent until we stopped at a restroom opportunity. That took a while. The many groups mingled but somehow our new guide Mar was able to keep us together. The next stop was a whirl wind of helmet, hair covers headphones are headphone amplifiers. Thankfully we all got ready in time and proceeded past the head of a pretty large hydroelectric station. I heard this river generates 80% of Malaga's power. The water flow was immense, way above normal from this year's quantity of rain.
The Caminito we were walking upon was easy and safe. The people who built the original Caminito were tough. Those that did build it were large families who had free homes for the hard work they did. There is plenty of evidence of the original Caminito below our safe one. It looked like fun. We stopped at the 700 Metre mark for it's historical significance. According to our guide, their story goes King Alfonso XIII traveled in 1921 during his official trip to place the final stone of the hydraulic works of what was named El Chorro at the time. He arrived 2 hours late and because of the rain he bailed at the 700 Metre mark to say see yah jumping escaping onto his personal train. This was a real insult to the people so they marked the 700 M location and changed the name to The King's Little Path or Caminito del Rey. Awesome.
The tour guides and Caminito staff are a tight knit group. They talk with each other and if our audio devices are on, we hear everything. I overheard a conversation about someone taking a fall. Someone did fall. I saw them limping to sit down. Mar went to help as did I. Although poles were not allowed on the Caminito I forgot to remove them from my bag and leave them on the bus. I walked forward past many to suggest I could lend the injured person 1 or both of my poles if needed. Mar was very thankful for the offer. We are lucky that the emergency support personnel on the tour are close at hand. I said good luck to the injured person and they were really appreciative although in another language.
It turned out the kinda lady's quiet husband we met early in the day was slowing down about half way and fell way behind. Later as we departed a rest stop, I heard a support guide yelling at him to sit and take a break. He was walking kinda weird almost like drunk. I heard a rumor he was having blood sugar issues. Mar had to let him go for now to get our group forward and at the end go to retrieve him. Poor dude. Bring some sugar next time if true.
As we walked, it was obvious the water cut deeper in the channel and it got quieter for us as our height did not change much. Mar let us soon know she had to return to help another. I suspect it was our blood sugar issue dude. Some of us did not realize it was later she was to depart. We provided a tip for her and a Canadian pin. She was very thankful. The last bridge crossing was nuts as the winds wanted to rip your helmet off. Soon after walking over the sketchy windy bridge she left us so we thanked her again. She was awesome.
The very last portion of the walk was a detour around a new bridge a little behind construction. The detour was a bit challenging with some steep inclines. I met some Irish folks huffing and puffing and waiting for a beer. They were great, offering good advice on a time to visit Ireland. The exit was soon upon us and we were met with very convenient bathrooms and several vendors selling expensive beer at 6.50 Euros for a big one and 2.5 Euros for a Coke Zero. We engaged our Atlanta Georgia family inquiring how our legs were. They had a blast like we did. I carefully kept an eye on our Tour guide wanting to not be left behind. Our departure time of 2:30 came and went and mid chat he was gone. Luckily so were a large group of tourists towards 2 buses. There was a slight bit of which bus to take but we recognised our guide sitting at the front right away. He counted every one on entering a voila nobody was missing.. The drive back went way quicker and the hotel drop off went very smooth. Both our driver and tour guy got a well deserved tip. We had a little time to clean up before Happy Hour and Dinner and shared our adventure with everyone. It was great.
No comments:
Post a Comment