Day 5 | Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes
It was Day 5 on El Camino de Santiago (The Portugues route). The day started a lot like middle school — I woke up and had to decide which set of dirty clothes to wear.
I’m currently in Ponte de Lima, one of the oldest city in Portugal.
The food here is unbelievably fresh (and cheap!). When I’ve had a long day and feel that I have suffered, I just eat shrimp.
Last night, the Peregrinos (pilgrims) had dinner together at the table. There were four Germans, two Welsh, an Aussie, a Danish, and an Icelandic boy from Rejkavik who grew up with Bjork’s daughter. As I crossed the Roman bridge into town this morning, her song "Army of Me" kept playing in my head.
When asked about my family, I tell people that I left my children at home with a bowl of food and water. The truth is, while I am dragging a 25 lb bag across a country and sharing bunks with complete strangers, my girls are overseas with the grandparents living the good life. I miss my girls terribly.
The distance from Porto to Santiago de Compostela is around 230 kilometers (142 miles). If you had to circumvent all the cow manure along the path, the journey is closer to 250 kilometers.
Why am I doing the Camino? Well, let me tell you. Ten years ago (May 2014), I had a perfectly decent job with a perfectly decent house with a perfectly decent life. But being in the middle is as close to the top as it is to the bottom. And it can make a person miserable.
A friend told me about the Camino over a cup of instant noodles. I booked the flight the next morning. And a week later, I was in Spain.
The Camino Frances was rigorous, social, and tasty. But more importantly, it gave me some time to be with myself — alone time to quiet the noise so that I can better hear the signal.
We started at zero. I came back to Texas in May 2014, asked my girlfriend to quit her job and move to Dallas so that we can be unemployed — together.
A friend recommended that I “scratch my own itch”. After the Camino, I started a company with a simple idea — that formal wear should be functional. Maggie, with her ballet background had always practiced Ashtanga. She began to find her way in the yoga community. I come from a long line of teachers and professors. If you ask me what I want to do when I grow up, the answer is simple — I would teach. Besides watching my girls grow up, teaching is what brings me the most joy.
All my life, I’ve been told that I am a lucky person — so much, so that I've come to believe it. But even luck has its limits. As I have gotten older, I have learned to look Up as much look In.
So why exactly am I back on the Camino? Well, it’s a few things. First, to plan for the next decade — not with a backpack but rather two little girls on my back. Second, to cleanse — not to simply to flush the Junk box of my mind, but rather to reboot and start from a fresh operating system. And lastly, to give thanks — Thanks for my amazing wife and girls. Thanks for good friends and family. Thanks for health and relative peace in my life. Thanks for a second opportunity at life (to do it My Way, says Frank Sinatra).
Enough! Tomorrow is 14 km to Rubiaes. My knees are feeling better and I need to find more shrimp. Let’s Go, Camino!
-KY
