FOREWORD: I completed the El Camino de Santiago – an 800km spiritual pilgrimage across Spain in late Summer of 2009. I journalled and photographed my trip, and as a final completion I agreed to publish my journal and pictures a year to the day of my journey.

STATS: Walked 33kms (20.5 miles)

10:15pm I am in bed in the hotel at Monte Gozo, just 5 km’s outside of Santiago. The tradition is that the pilgrims would stop here for the night and bathe and freshen up before they made there way to the church in Santiago de Compostella the following day. So that is what we planned to do.

Today was a long and pretty hard day, there were lots of uphills and not a lot of cafes or resting places. I walked most of the day with Judy and the Bobs, our Aussie friends. Mum got a taxi after the 12 km mark. I didn’t plan my food well enough and because there were no open eating places, we just kept pushing on, hoping that the next town would have something, but it didn’t, so I hadn’t eaten by 3pm, and so I had a hypoglycaemic crash, and was unable to stablise myself in time. So in the afternoon while I was walking the last 5km’s I was overshadowed by the effects of the hypo crash. Shakey, weak and nauseous, and headachy, and almost blacking out. It was awful, I felt terrible, and I could not keep up. I fell back and let the group go on ahead of me. I stopped and rested and was delirious. I honestly did not think I would be able to go on, it seemed to never end.

I eventually got up and started to chant my meditation tones, and it gave me the strength to keep going and then I felt the presence of my spiritual teacher John Morton by my side. He put his hand on my back and filled me with energy. I walked the last 2km’s with him and I just wept from gratitude. I really knew that I was supported by God and that he was right there. It was the most blessed experience, and walking these last 800km’s were worth it for this experience. Sublime, significant, and deeply personal.

I crossed the town and mum came and met me which was sweet. I felt shattered. I came to our room, showered and flopped on my bed, filled with exhaustion that was 40 days long. I just lay there and could not move, I felt like I was dying. As I lay there I began to think that I would never ever get up, and thought that this really was the end and that my life was slipping away. There was not one part of me that ever thought I would be able to get up ever again. Time passed perhaps a few hours and I managed to finally get up. Mum had left me which was a welcome relief just so I could process everything. I got dressed and went up to meet the group at sunset. It is tradition to watch the sun set over Santiago, it was breath taking, and we all just hung out acting like a bunch of tourists.

I skyped Dad and he told me he was fasting for the day of atonement and going to the synagogue tomorrow, which I found very moving. And synchronistic with the rite of passage that I myself was going through this night and tomorrow.

We had an okay dinner, but were all mostly too exhausted to keep our eyes open. We then made our way to bed, filled with much gratitude for 40 days of no rain!!! Unheard of, but I just smile knowingly.

I ask for tomorrow to be filled with peace, light, harmony, relaxation, joy and blessings for each person, and me. Thanks be to God.

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