All posts tagged: Nature

Day 6 Camino to Santiago de Compostela – from O Cebreiro to Tricastela

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Late start today after unfortunately only getting 4,5 hours of sleep. There are some significant changes on the Camino since my last time here. One of them is that they have created alternative routes. At O Cebreiro the forest track I took 2012 is now a complimentary route, and the new one I take today is the official route. It’s a delightful soft forest path running parallel to the road, but you never actually see it through the dense forest, and sometimes it runs on a different level from the road too. It’s foggy and everything gets damp, including me, but it’s a pleasurable hike. The first café I get too is dark and crowded. I grab a quick coffee at the counter and want to exit, but there’s a bunch of Americans getting ready to leave too, and one of the girls has left a backpack right in front of the door. I wait for her to move it so I can pass, and she replies rather impertinent that I can just jump over …

Day 5 Camino to Santiago de Compostela – from Las Herreías to O Cebreiro

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I overslept! Gah! Woke up at 6:45am after the best sleep I’ve had in weeks! But of all the days to do this, did it need to happen today when I had a date to walk with others. Well, the good thing is that I probably needed it because I’ve been sleeping very little for far too long.  Left Las Herrerías at 07:20 and though I was the last pilgrim out, but of course I wasn’t. The climb is steep at first, but wonderful. The forest is refreshing and has a sweet scent of leaves, bark, and soil, and I’m incredibly happy to be in Galicia again! Well, technically I’m still in Castilla y León. The border to Galicia is a bit further on up the mountain, but mentally I’m already there. As I have anticipated this climb to be difficult, I’m booked to stay in the village of O Cebreiro at the top of the mountain, so I can take it easy and walk at my own pace. It’s going to be fun to …

Day 2 Camino to Santiago de Compostela – from Rabanal de Camino to Molinaseca

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Wake up early and collect my now dry clothes from the clothesline, get dressed and out of the door at around six thirty. Today’s walk is 25,6 km, but it’s the steep descent down mountainside that’s going to be the challenge. Typical pilgrim shadow in the morning The first part is wonderfully cool and walking up the mountain is no problem at all. Beautiful nature and wildflowers and the higher I get, of course, a wonderful view, once I pass the fog. I take my morning coffee in the small village of Foncebadón, just before the peak experience for most pilgrims, the large cross, Cruz de Ferro, standing 1,504 meters above sea level on a large mound of stones and pebbles. Pilgrims traditionally leave a small stone at the Cruz de Ferro, to symbolize leaving all their burdens behind. I find myself unexpectedly unmoved by this iconic place, both physically and spiritually. Perhaps it’s because I expected it to be on the very peak of the mountain with uninterrupted views, but it’s surrounded by high pines, and …

Guatemala II – Arriving at Lake Atitlán

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I’m on my way to lake Atitlán where I’m going to stay for nearly a month. My thought is to stay in one place and thus have the time to settle down to write and to work. I board a shuttle and we set of for the three hours drive to get to the shore of Panajachel. At lake Atitlán, the transports are made by small vessels darting to and fro between the small pueblos that are situated on the shores of this vast lake. It takes about forty-five minutes for my small boat to arrive to my destination San Marcos. Next stop San Marcos. It’s nice to arrive by boat to a new place. This boat ride reminds me a bit of the archipelago of Stockholm in my own country. The inhabitants of this small village consists of a Mayan population and of westerners, a lot of them spiritual seekers, who believe that there is a special spiritual energy here. The billboards are full of activities on offer such as meditation, yoga classes, Reiki, massage and chakra …

Uruguay

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I arrive in Uruguay when the summer is starting to build up. After months of living in large cities I’m longing for the sea, beaches and nature big time. So I swiftly sidestep Montevideo when I arrive there with a ferry from Buenos Aires, and head to the bus station. The long-distance bus is packed to the rafters, but everyone is good-natured about it and in holiday mode. My destination is La Pedrera Rocha. Or more precisely, to the small settlement of San Antonio. Here I meet a vast and pristine beach with not a soul in sight, pine and eucalyptus forests and the lovely home of David and his beautiful daughters. They live in a big house that David purpose-built himself as a family home but also as a guesthouse or a posada as it’s called here. This hidden away and very private retreat is only reached by a dirt track through the forest. The house is nestled in the forest and the beach is only a short walk away. It’s made of simple but honest materials, wood …