This gave me all the feels. I completely Camino Frances this year and every day I think about putting the pack back on. I followed my Camino with hiking the Malerweg in Germany but, while beautiful, it just didn't carry the same punch. I believe the difference is the people you meet along the Way.
Hi Holly, it is a strange addiction, isn't it? I had to look up the Malerweg---that route looks incredible! I find myself reading A LOT of walking travel memoirs in between Caminos, do you? Temptation alert: The Salt Path (Raynor Winn), Beyond Belfast (Will Ferguson), Grandma Gatewood's Walk (Ben Montgomery). Though they feel like 'working holidays' at times, there's something unmatchable about moving yourself between places and having no other agenda but that. And yes, the people in between always colour those spaces! Thanks for leaving a comment!
I was in Europe in 2007 and 2010 (no cellphone) and then again last year (with a cellphone). Getting around was so easy last year it felt like cheating. It made me kinda sad :(
Hi Jenna! When we drove home from the airport two days ago, Kim took a shortcut through Shelburne to avoid all the traffic lights (*fun fact: there were NO traffic lights in the capital city of Madagascar!). Anyway, we both wondered if our shortcut would actually connect with the main road again. A few turns later, yes, it did. Meanwhile, we both realized at the exact same time that we could have actually looked at the NAV map display in our vehicle, RIGHT in front of our eyes. We don't even know how to cheat when it's right in front of us! And you should have seen the photocopied map I had of Antananarivo with tiny mouse eye-sized font to navigate our way around!
This was fascinating and AWESOME pics. Have you two ever applied the Amazing Race? I feel like you'd kill it...you already know how to travel without technology.
Just as I was charmed to death the first time I landed in Jamaica 21 years ago and walked off the plane onto the tarmac. They didn't have boarding bridges and I thought it was cute and so primitive.
I always have second hand phones that I run into the ground and still use even when they become unreliable.
I’m sure a part of it is an excitement when it suddenly dies one day whilst I’m trying to drive into an unknown city and have to stop a random person coming out a dry cleaners if he knows the way to my destination.
I mean phones are dead useful, but I do miss not being contactable 24 hours a day. When my phones broke and my boss is trying to contact me for something not urgent (I think I’ve never been urgently contacted for anything as a teacher and if it was anywhere close to urgent it was due to poor organisational skills on my managements part) I can be like 🤷🏻♀️ phone’s broke. It feels like I need an excuse not to have a phone, and these things aren’t cheap! Yet work wise there is a pressure to have one that works, but they’re not paying for it… I’ve digressed massively.
You’ve peaked my Camino interest again. But basic hostels being €80 I’ll have to save a bit! That’s a lot of money on a Spanish wage!
Thanks for following along, Joy. It does require a bit of brain rewiring to rely on the yellow arrows, that's for sure! It's kind of like those Magic Eye puzzles where you have to let your eyes relax to see the hidden image. Especially in the coffee-less zombie stage of walking in the dark at 6am! Which Camino did you do this summer?
Going phone-less is my natural default setting and oddly, it's the quickest way to have conversations with others!
This gave me all the feels. I completely Camino Frances this year and every day I think about putting the pack back on. I followed my Camino with hiking the Malerweg in Germany but, while beautiful, it just didn't carry the same punch. I believe the difference is the people you meet along the Way.
Hi Holly, it is a strange addiction, isn't it? I had to look up the Malerweg---that route looks incredible! I find myself reading A LOT of walking travel memoirs in between Caminos, do you? Temptation alert: The Salt Path (Raynor Winn), Beyond Belfast (Will Ferguson), Grandma Gatewood's Walk (Ben Montgomery). Though they feel like 'working holidays' at times, there's something unmatchable about moving yourself between places and having no other agenda but that. And yes, the people in between always colour those spaces! Thanks for leaving a comment!
I was in Europe in 2007 and 2010 (no cellphone) and then again last year (with a cellphone). Getting around was so easy last year it felt like cheating. It made me kinda sad :(
Hi Jenna! When we drove home from the airport two days ago, Kim took a shortcut through Shelburne to avoid all the traffic lights (*fun fact: there were NO traffic lights in the capital city of Madagascar!). Anyway, we both wondered if our shortcut would actually connect with the main road again. A few turns later, yes, it did. Meanwhile, we both realized at the exact same time that we could have actually looked at the NAV map display in our vehicle, RIGHT in front of our eyes. We don't even know how to cheat when it's right in front of us! And you should have seen the photocopied map I had of Antananarivo with tiny mouse eye-sized font to navigate our way around!
This was fascinating and AWESOME pics. Have you two ever applied the Amazing Race? I feel like you'd kill it...you already know how to travel without technology.
Thanks, Kristi! We love the premise of The Amazing Race but cringe at all the song and dance routines---"time penalty please!"
Admittedly, I was quietly thrilled to see that the domestic airports in Madagascar still use wipe boards and markers to indicate outgoing flights.
Just as I was charmed to death the first time I landed in Jamaica 21 years ago and walked off the plane onto the tarmac. They didn't have boarding bridges and I thought it was cute and so primitive.
It's still all tarmac arrivals + departures in Madagascar! In fact, we were asked to remain seated to avoid "tipping the plane!"
Amazing! I love that there are still parts of the world that haven't bought into all the western world bullshit 🤣
I loved that you tried the old school way.
I always have second hand phones that I run into the ground and still use even when they become unreliable.
I’m sure a part of it is an excitement when it suddenly dies one day whilst I’m trying to drive into an unknown city and have to stop a random person coming out a dry cleaners if he knows the way to my destination.
I mean phones are dead useful, but I do miss not being contactable 24 hours a day. When my phones broke and my boss is trying to contact me for something not urgent (I think I’ve never been urgently contacted for anything as a teacher and if it was anywhere close to urgent it was due to poor organisational skills on my managements part) I can be like 🤷🏻♀️ phone’s broke. It feels like I need an excuse not to have a phone, and these things aren’t cheap! Yet work wise there is a pressure to have one that works, but they’re not paying for it… I’ve digressed massively.
You’ve peaked my Camino interest again. But basic hostels being €80 I’ll have to save a bit! That’s a lot of money on a Spanish wage!
Thanks for following along, Joy. It does require a bit of brain rewiring to rely on the yellow arrows, that's for sure! It's kind of like those Magic Eye puzzles where you have to let your eyes relax to see the hidden image. Especially in the coffee-less zombie stage of walking in the dark at 6am! Which Camino did you do this summer?
Going phone-less is my natural default setting and oddly, it's the quickest way to have conversations with others!