Camino changes – traveling

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Other post Camino changes –

Twelve months on, whenever I travel now, whenever I’m on the road, I always do my laundry each night. Unfailingly.

Even though I might have fresh clothes in my suitcase, I still wash my t-shirt and smalls. It’s become an ingrained habit.

If they’re not dry by morning, instead of hanging them off the back of my pack, I lay them out on the back seat of the rental.

Also, if there’s a buffet for breakfast, I still nick stuff for later in the day. Even though I might be having a business lunch. I stuff bread rolls and cheese and ham into my shoulder bag.

Another ingrained habit, post Camino.

My check in suitcase, at the airport, was only 16kgs. Before the Camino it was never less than 22-24kgs. Given my post Camino laundry habits, I could probably have got it down to 12kgs easily.

I still don’t need glasses.

Before the Camino, I needed glasses. For fifteen years I wore glasses. I needed them for long distance vision, and I needed another prescription for reading.

No more.

i stopped wearing my glasses while walking the Camino – my eyesight demonstrably and inexplicably improved – and I haven’t worn them since.

Weird.

Not weird.

That’s the Camino.

Clean smalls and clear eyes.

Washing line

21 thoughts on “Camino changes – traveling”

  1. Hey B! Even though I have not been on the camino, I learned a lot while I have been following your blog. So do not have to learn everything the hard way 🙂 Thank you! Best regards, Margit

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  2. Hi Bill, love the Aussie Lingo, got to remember to call them smalls, so much better than the alternatives…lol

    As always, wonderful posting and so happy that you are still spectacles free! Light and Love

    Ingrid

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  4. Hey Bill – have you factored in the weight of your laundry powder / laundry liquid ?!!!
    Your post has made me make a confession … one of the first things I love to do when I arrive in a foreign city (especially London) is that I love to hit the local supermarket asap and buy a laundry liquid that’s suitable for delicates and woolly items. I have my rubber gloves packed already and once the laundry liquid is purchased, I could give Mrs Doubtfire a go as far as clean laundry is concerned!
    I’ve got the universal plug, the pegless clothesline, the blow-up coathangers, and a great plastic cushion with air holes in it that you place over the nozzle of a hotel bathroom hairdryer which, once you turn on said hairdryer, finishes off partially dried items super well!
    All this organisation means that each morning I step out of my hotel room / apartment with a smile on my face and a spring in my step!
    Cheers! Jenny

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    • Jenny, that’s brilliant!!

      Hey, a few practical questions – did you make the attachment that goes over the hair dryer, or did you buy it? And why don’t you use the hotel shampoo? Or shower gel? That’s what I always do. And I hoard them so that if in my travels I get to a hotel that doesn’t have any, then I use the ones I’ve hoarded. And what kind of laundry detergent do you use? And do you REALLY travel with rubber gloves? And if so and your bag is inspected by Customs, what do you tell them??

      Hey are you at your alburgue yet? Are you hospitalero-ing?

      Bill

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      • Hi Bill –
        The cushion that goes over the hairdryer was a Korjo product that I bought nearly 20 years ago. It’s no longer available as I think it could nuke hotel hairdryers – it definitely nuked one in Limerick back in 1997!
        I usually use the hotel shampoo/shower gel on me rather than my clothes because I get this weird kick out of buying the local version of “Softly”. In the US I buy Woolite and in the UK I buy a Marks & Spencer brand.
        I always travel with rubber gloves for laundry – nothing else! For this trip I have SIX pairs of rubber gloves – two pairs for me, two for Julie, and two for Cyril, our Returning Hospitalero. Green for the bathroom and pink for the kitchen for Julie and me, with yellow for Cyril! How to explain these six pairs of rubber gloves to a Spanish Customs official is going to be very interesting!
        Don’t ask me how heavy my suitcase is going to be … in it is also a 2.5kilo Womens Weekly Christmas Cake made by me last Friday, 3 tubes of vegemite, 2 packets of 100’s and 1,000’s for fairy bread, golden syrup to make Anzac biscuits, the list goes on …!
        I’m still at home – leave Saturday for a week in London and I then head over to Spain. I start work at Rabanal on 30 June.
        As you can probably tell – I Can’t WAIT !!!
        Cheers! Jenny

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          • Thanks and Cheers Bill ! I have to tell you, the cake is an absolute cracker! All our Nannas and the CWA would say “well done”! I cut the cake in two in case Customs, both in the UK and Spain try to give me a hard time over it – they’ll see there’s no contraband hidden in the middle of said cake!
            I’ll email you some foodie pics from the albergue of the cake and also the other goodies I hope to bake, time permitting. We’re likely to be ‘completo’ every night (40 pilgrims), so there’s going to be tons to do.

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        • WOW! I can’t believe all the stuff you take for laundry and for the albergue. You are going to be well liked! Any chance you”ll be on Bill’s tour?
          Vegemite! Can’t ask an Australian about it as they are all biased. Have asked Steve a couple times but he did not respond back. Going to order some today from Amazon along with some of the episodes of The Seven Little Australians.
          Going to give vegimite a try! Some of Jennifers series are available on DVD but they leave off the last two episodes so need to get the book too. Luv your posts Jenny. You are so funny!
          Lynda

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          • Thanks and Cheers Lynda! I am constantly amazed by the stuff that ends up in my suitcase myself – kitchen sinks come to mind!
            Sadly, it’s unlikely I’ll be with you all next year at this stage – I’ve got a long-standing knee problem which has flared up again recently and for which I’m getting a cortisone injection tomorrow. Until I get to the cause of the pain (waiting on MRI results) and get it successfully treated, any long-distance walking is not possible.
            With the vegemite, you need to spread it thinly on hot buttered toast – any more than thinly is absolutely disgusting! Think of tarry (as in road tar) beef stock cubes, mixed in with black oil (‘Texas tea’ as in the Beverly Hillbillies), and you’ve just about got the taste! It’s definitely an acquired taste but even toddlers acquire the taste as they love to lick it off soggy toast!
            You’re going to be busy with all the DVD’s and the book! Enjoy!
            Cheers – Jenny

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