First Solo Day on the Camino (Day 5)

Today was a new experience for me as I started to walk without Amy for the first time since we began the Camino.

By this time the crowds have thinned out as people started to differ which towns they stay at as everyone's pace and daily distance goals varies a bit. From the group that started from SJPDP a portion stayed an extra day in Pamplona and some took a short day yesterday due to the tough climb. I see a lot less familiar faces on the trail so adapting to my new reality. Even the Serial Killer was not around. I briefly saw the Kansas group and that was it for people I knew. However, many never faces as many start their journey from Pamplona in order to skip the Pyrenees. Their are also lots of people doing the Camino on electric bikes. I decided I won't like them.

Without Amy, I decided to re-think how I do this day after day. Starting today my plan was to separate the hike into 4 blocks of 90 minutes each. Block 1 is reserved for education with all the books I downloaded to audible. Since it will classify as self improvement, I call this block make Ahmet even greater block. It will happen everyday so I don't know how great I shall become in 23 days before Amy comes back. The first audible book I chose is "4000 weeks". It is a book about how to make the best of the 4000 weeks on average we live on this earth. It was recommended to me by Rebecca Bonco so thank you! It is a very fitting book to listen during the Camino.

For the second block I plan to listen to funny podcasts to keep my spirits high. I call this block "keep Ahmet happy so he doesn't fall into depression without Amy" block. My plan is to go through the podcast Smarless as a start. Phil Kowalcyk recommended this one so thank you!

For the third block I plan to listen to music from my Spotify library. I call this empty your mind block. To honor Ellie, I of course will listen to 3 Taylor Swift songs from Evermore or Lover everyday. I am sure it will make me think of her and her passion for John Mayer(!).

The last block is "Ahmet you need to be social" block where I will try to find different pilgrims to chat on the way.

Well that was the plan as I left Puenta la Reina this morning at 7am. I flowed the 4 blocks plan until 8am or so where I listened to 4000 weeks. Then I met Zoltan a soft spoken Hungrainian who seemed to not mind walking with me even though his pace was significantly faster then mine.

Zoltan is the first pilgrim I encountered that is doing the Camino for purely spiritual reasons. He believes in the power of 7 and told me his life (by choice and chance) moves in 7 year increaments. He lost his father at 14, met his wife at 21, become "spiritual" at 28, had his first child at 35 and got divorced at 42. He is doing the Camino where he will celebrate is 49th birthday on April 17th and when he arrives to Santiago will propose to his girlfriend who will meet him there. I thought it was neat. We walked for almost 4 hrs together but I simply couldn't keep up with his pace (and who ever needs a break) hiking style. Told him I wanted to do a detour to take the photo of the below church and separated. I then apologized from Saint James for lying to Zoltan.

By the time I separated from him I was physically done. My feet are a mess and the last 3 kms coming to Estella was the hardest part of the Camino so far. I arrived at my Hostel and greated by yet another very kind owner Asun. My hostel is super basic in a very old building. Plan to learn about it more after a recoup a little. Below is the entrance.

Today while I was desperately trying to keep up with Zoltan for a brief while we walked with the below two we met at a table (photo) that has water, bread and shafts left for pilgrims on the side of the trail. The guy in the left is British (doesn't speak Korean) and the guy on the right is Korean (and speaks maybe 75 words of English). I saw this two yesterday walking together and today they walked together the entire day again. They hardly speak a word due to the language barrier but somehow the Camino connected these two who in any other circumstance will not have become friends in life. Later in the day, I saw them sharing an orange next to a fountain that was another Camino moment that I will remember. A Brit and a Korean sharing an orange in an old Spanish town without a common language to communicate.

By the way, I almost told them "good water, safe drink my friend" but decided not to be cruel.

Total distance today was 23.5 kms with an altitude change of 2500 ft. I do think the last 3kms was harder than the last section of the Pyrenees despite being fully flat. Zoltan killed me. I blame him. It is never my fault as Amy knows. Already miss her though.

Below are photos from today.

Kms today: 23.5

Kms total: 130

Steps total: 158.4k Amy, 182k Ahmet