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Up we planned to be at 7 AM for a 7:30 AM departure. Our host was up earlier than us. We heard her and others have a little party the night before. Her son and others were there. Michelle saw her son slept on the couch and was gone soon after. I never had the chance to meet him. Our host again offered us Coffee and Tea but we were hell bent on hitting the road. We thanked her many times for her great hospitality and went onwards for our first day.
We tried hard to follow the official route marked often by official signs and more often by yellow spray paint. We were passed a few times by older folks who recognised our efforts and said Buen Camino. It was the first time being approached and talked too by the locals for me. It was not too far after turning left from the Airport that the city was behind us and upward country climbs were upon us.
The Church in Guadalupe is our first official stop. It's not all that far from the start but is certainly a steeper climb for a first day. Guadalupe is the meeting place for many trails and roads. Surprised I was to find hikers cars and bikers going in all directions. There were several routes to the next town of Pasaia another 12 KM away. An upper trail is the hardest and hottest with little shelter from the sun. It was to be 20 C this day. We wisely decided on the lower easier trail. Slightly longer but partially shaded for most of the route. Michelle hoped for a 2 PM arrival. We were pretty close around 2:50 PM.
Approaching our first Albergue we finally met with a few ladies we had passed on the trail. They were both from Alaska and headed to the same place. After some really steep concrete slopes we were there.
Thankfully there were only 2 pilgrims waiting for the 4 PM opening. Maria was one of them, a local Spanish girl who spoke excellent English. She really helped us out. Maria worked as a Tour Manager like Carl. She loved her job but man they only pay her 49 Euros pr day. That's slave labour
As 4:00 PM approached, other pilgrim's trickled in. I got nervous about getting a bed so I felt it necessary to sit in a line that was sort of forming. I did not know the proper etiquette but thankfully the pilgrims seem to have an honestly based line formed based on who got their first. An older couple showed up around 4 PM speaking only in Spanish about the process. Thankfully Maria translated that they will see those in groups based on those that arrive. Maria and another were the first to be welcomed in. 15 minutes later, Michelle, our 2 Alaskan friends and I we invited in. The process is cool. We are asked first to remove our boots.shoes and where to leave them. We are introduced to the washroom and shower area. Then we headed upstairs to see the beds and common area. Before being set free we sat down at the table for some paperwork. They ask for our official passports and then our pilgrim passports.
The pilgrims that visit this location are documented on a list. Our stamps were then added to our Pilgrim passports. Google translate was used quite a bit for the rules of the road. We were given a package with a pillow and bed cover and soon were unpacking our gear in whatever bed you want.
Most of the Pilgrims took off pretty quickly after this process. Michelle and I found ourselves talking with a very kind German dude named XXXXX. He was in great shape and had several days of hiking ahead to meet up with a Flight Attendant friend. He loved hearing our stories of travel and adventures.
Before departing our home I put together a quick thank you for our hosts in Google Translate. It was something like. "Thank you so must for hosting us. I know what you do is a lot of work and we really appreciate it." The response I got for this simple thank you was astounding.
Walking anywhere to the action on this side of the water involved really steep steps or slopes. There were many locals enjoying a drink/dinner/ice cream at this time. It was such a gift to see them still enjoying their Holy Week holidays. Michelle and I completely missed the small fishing boat/taxi for thee other side. We did find a shop for a few beers and a pop before climbing back up for our simple sandwich dinner. It was already approaching 7:30 PM so we decided to get an early jump on a prepack, tooth brush and prep for rest. I somehow forget to grab my earplugs. Lights were out at 10 PM and the doors were apparently closed. I suspect late partiers will be left outside. The snoring was crazy and not just from me. I had a pretty bad cough which did not help. I slept like crap as did Michelle. Oh well.
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