Had to Return Home

I went home. Back to Canada.


I never recovered from attempting to walk over the top of the Prynesses mountains. I never recovered from the walking all day in the rain. I never recovered from a backpack that was already too heavy, being heavier from the rain soaking into it. I never recovered from my sore back which I injured prior to going - I thought the pains would just go away but they only got worst.


I regret not being able to finish. I regret not being able to meet people like Cullen and Palma, David, or others I had talked to on various Internet sites, who are on the trail now. I regret not walking with the Irish couple Billy and his wife Christine. I regret letting my family, followers, and colleagues from work, down.






I cherish that for the first time in my life, I got to go to Europe. I cherish that I got to see France (other than the houses, rural France looks a lot like rural Canada). I cherish that I got to be in St Jean Pied de Port, and at least got a small taste of what being a pilgrim is like. I cherish that I got to be in Paris, and in London, and got the chance to take the high speed train under the English channel (through the tube).



I am tempted to go back and try again. I still have lots of time off of work. But perhaps that would be foolish, and expensive.


I will add some remaining pictures to this post. This will be my last post. If anyone wants to contact me directly, my e-mail is tim.bilton@yahoo.ca

Thanks for all of your support. It was really appreciated.

Tim

Some Pictures

This is me, Tim, the hiker, in St Jean

This is the road out of St Jean. Note how steep it is. The entire walk to Roncesvalles via the Napoleon route is like this. It is relentless and never levels out. By all accounts, take the Valcarlos route. Do not take the Napolean route!!!!

This is looking back at St Jean. I started way down there at the bottom. Now I was up in the clouds!

The width of the road is only wide enough for a small european car. Not that I had to worry about any because the mountain was closed. Even though, I proceeded on which turned out to be a big mistake.

Words cannot describe how steep the fall would be if you fell to the left, or how steep the ground was to the right.

Made it! Par-vay-vou eh?

Arriving in southern France was very exciting. Standing outside of the Biarritz airport, there were 4 other people with backpacks. So we all started talking. There was a girl who spent 30 years living in Barcelona and now lived in London, who could speak perfect English, French, and Spanish. A guy from Germany named Robert, and a very nice couple in their mid-50's from Ireland. Together we made a good team, all adding in a way to the greater good. The girl who could speak French could ask the locals questions, I seemed to be the one who did the most research and was the only one who knew that the train was out of commission but you still had to catch the bus at the train station - not the bus station where the bus driver wanted to take us, etc.

The five of us caught the train (bus) with only one minute to go - and had a nice ride into St Jean Pied de Port (SJPP) but had to keep detouring into small towns where the train would normally make stops.
We got into SJPP about 8 pm, it was then a mad scramble to find the Compostelle or whatever you call it. We eventually found it, people got processed, I got my passport stamped - the people there treated me very nice when they found out that I was a Canadian. They gave me a map showing me the directions and also pointed out where the false turns were and not to make those mistakes. They said that the weather would be very nice and they were telling everyone to take the Napoleon Route, which is the route directly over the top of the mountain, as opposed to the route along the highway around the mountain.

People dispersed to find their different accommodations and we were supposed to meet again for supper but at no set location. I eventually found where my Hostel was - it was on the same road as the Compostelle was on, but down by the river. It is operated by a guy named Eric. Eric's place is not very well advertised, with just a small Camino sign on the door. At this same time, the couple from Ireland met up with me again. They just grabbed the first hostel they seen. I told them to come into Eric's with me so that they could see what Eric's hostel was like. We went in but the place was dark and no one was around. I told the Irish couple to head out for supper and I would join them. I never seen them again. I waited around. I could hear noises and perhaps a TV coming from upstairs. So I walked up the stairs and at the doorway where the noise was coming from, I shouted, Hello, Hello.

A man came out and I asked him if he was Eric and he said he was. I introduced myself and he seemed pleased to meet me. He gave me a tour of the place, where the bedrooms were He said mine would be the one further down the hall, where there were 5 sets of single bunk beds. There was already a backpack from a guy named Bobby from Holland. Eric then showed me where the two bathrooms were, the shower, and the kitchen. Eric said that the French rugby team was playing at 8:30 pm in a game in which if they won, France would be in the remaining group of 6 in a big European tournament (maybe like the World Cup type of thing). Because of that, he said that he could make up breakfast but it would not be before 9 am, as he would be up late celebrating the game and hopefully the win. I paid Eric the 15 Euros, and then headed out to find something to eat. I wound up at a pizza place and ordered a pizza which had a crust not much thicker than paper, and a coating of cheese that must of been applied by a paintbrush (it was so thin).

Went back to the hostel and Bobby was awake but already in bed. Bobby and I talked for a bit - we were going to leave together at 7:45, buy some lunch from the bakery just down the street, and have that for lunch since we would have to make it all the way to Roncevaux. We did not want to wait around for Eric to make breakfast.

Note the picture of the beds. They are metal frames painted in a high gloss paint. This is because the bed bugs cannot grip the smooth metal and travel from one bed to another.

In London - soon to be in France

Mar 19 - Got to Toronto airport at 2:30. Could not check in bags until 3:30. I am positive that I brought too much stuff but what can I do now? Went thru security after checking bags in. A young male guard who looked like he could of been a student wanted to frisk me even though I cleared the security without making a beep, and my hand luggage passed as well. The only reason I can think that they were giving me the twice over treatment is because my pants make me look like an international spy!!!!

Mar 20 - Got into London Heathrow Airport at 6:30 am. Found way to bus station after walking thru endless underground tunnels. The bus would not start after it was all loaded with people and luggage. They have interlock controls on all of their buses here and you have to blow into a tube in order to start them. Appears the driver kept getting a FAIL message. So they got the mechanic to over-ride the system. So much for bus safety!!!!

The bus ride to Stanstead airport was 90 minutes with no traffic. The driver must of be intoxicated because he drove on the wrong side of the road all of the way here!!! I will be leaving for France in about an hour or so. I am started to get really tired as I have not slept since waking up Friday morning.

Not sure how often I will be able to post, but whenever I get the opportunity, I will.

I'm Leaving......on a Jet Plane......

I will be leaving for Toronto within the next hour or so. I have everything packed, all the loose ends tied up, and other than being tired, I am ready to go.

But before I do, I want to thank some people. I want to thank the folks out in the Internet world for all of their great support and especially for putting up with my silly questions about what to wear, customs regarding tipping, border crossings, how to get there, etc., etc., and more etc.

I want to thank my neighbours for all of their kind support. Some have actually been calling me at home today to offer their blessings. Even the nice folks at the Post Office wished me well and are anxious to see pictures when I get back.

The folks at work have been very supportive. Kind words of encouragement from everyone. Tonnes of travelling tips from Cheryl and links to everything; phone numbers from Andre, prayers from others, and especially thanks to my Manager - although we are at year-end, have some huge issues going on, and are as busy as heck, she wishes me well and has not complained once about me going.

Lastly, I need to thank my wife. She has supported me 100% in this endeavour, even although she thinks, and perhaps knows, that I am nuts. She has to hold the fort down while I am gone, and carry on with life while I get to go to la-la land. Teresa, thank you very much, I miss you already and I have not even left yet, and I love you very much.

So off I go. Thank you all :)

Only One Sleep Left!!!!!

I am flying out of Toronto tomorrow, landing in London on Saturday morning - changing airports - then flying to Biarritz, France - taking the bus to Bayonne - and then hopefully catching the last bus to St Jean Pied de Port if I can make it in time. I think I have about 50 minutes from the time I arrive in Bizarritz to the time that the bus leaves Bayonne.

I packed my pack last night for the first time. It weighs 22lbs but is filled to the brim and I need to remove some items. I will do that tonight before I head to bed.

I have been training since October but actually announced to family and colleagues at work three weeks ago that I was postponing my trip until next Fall or maybe even next Spring of 2011 as I was not ready. But two things happened shortly after I made that decision to defer, to make me change my mind. The first thing was that my 93 year grandfather passed away. When visiting my grandfather as often as I could over the past year, he kept telling me, over and over - "You can never get time back". I take that as meaning to do what you need to do now because you may not get a chance later.

The second reason for going now is that although the postponement gave me relief, it only lasted about half of a day. The Camino came back at me, hit me twice at hard, and in some weird sort of way, is pulling me there. There is an old expression that says "that it is easy to quit" but I have tried quitting - the Camino will not allow it. I know that sounds 'dorky', and some people will suspect that the water I am drinking has gone bad, but it is true. That is why I am walking the Camino now. It won't let me go and it will haunt me until I do it.

I will leave one more post tomorrow before I leave for the airport - then the postings will be sporadic as I will have to search for Internet cafes along the way.

Sharp Dressed Man

I now have PANTS! Yes, you are reading correct, the pants have arrived. Well, I had to go and get them. Last time I ordered them from Boston they took about three weeks to get here, being held up in Customs for about 10-12 days. When I sent them back because they were too small, I could not risk waiting that long again. So although I have lived on the Canadian side of the border to the United States for the past 12 years, I have never set up a USA post box.


Desperate times calls for desperate measures. I set one up last week. The pants (two pairs) were finally shipped out of Boston on Friday. They said that they sent me an e-mail confirming the pants were shipped but I never received it. I called them again on Monday and they gave me a tracking number. The pants arrived in on the USA side of Niagara Falls late Monday afternoon. I went over there today, paid $5 for the service, and proceeded to the border. I declared to the border guard what I was taking into Canada (we have to pay duty and taxes if we were not out of the Country for 48 hours but the guards can waive this fee if they are in a good mood). The guard thought for a moment, and then said, "Have a nice day". No duties, no taxes, no hassle. Almost too easy. I could of likely snuck them back over but I am too close to retirement to be messing around with that kind of stuff and I'd rather pay the duty if I have to.


So, I have two pairs of Columbia Titanium hiking pants - lightweight, water resistant, pockets everywhere, and they convert into shorts. I have gone from a pantless pilgrim to one of the sharpest dressed men on the trail. The Camino really does look after you, and I am not even there yet!!!!