33kms today and my feet are feeling it. I'm not sure what impresses me more. The human body or the human mind. Our bodies can endure so much whether it be the food we put in them, the alcohol, dehydration, extreme temperatures, or in my case today, the pain. Our minds however have this immense power to process all that our bodies endure and still convince the body to keep going. My feet were done at about 20kms but my mind talked me through to the very last step. I had to convince myself that I could do this, that I was strong enough and again I prayed. I needed faith. I needed to believe that a force greater than my body and mind would somehow magically propel me forward.
My feet feel broken. Walking on cold tile never felt so good. I soaked them in ice water to not feel them for awhile but in my head I know what I need is to stay off them for a while. So I'm in bed, with 2 giant blankets, my water and a view. There is a huge balcony beside my bed with sliding glass doors that I have open so I can hear the birds. For the first time on this trek, there is thick fog.
The photographer in me wants to rush outside and take 5000 pictures.... but my body is laughing at the notion.
I haven't packed up my gear and I want to have another therapeutic hot shower...
I am walking 22kms today so translated into real world numbers, that means probably 25kms or more hahaha.
But first let me tell you about yesterday.
I left Tomar around 0830 after trying to eat the breakfast that I made for myself. The only thing that went down well was the coffee. I tried to pack up the leftover groceries I bought for my next kitchen but then laughed and remembered the distance and the already monstrous weight of my backpack. My brain said nope and my body instantly lost that feeling of impending doom.
The walk out of town was simple and easy... that was a first.
I crossed a bridge over the river Naboa and turned left. That was it, I was on the path. After a few city blocks the trail turned into a soft dirt trail, narrow and followed the river for the first 3 kms or so. It was gorgeous.
The pavement can really hurt after a while and the gravel roads that I call the meat grinder are hard too. Cobblestone, as much as I love their beauty, have become the new "c" word ha! They are actually ankle busters.
After I veered away from the river I climbed up on to a high gravel road and had glorious views of green, rolling hills and small trees.
I carried on through a couple small towns and came across a cafe on a quiet neighbourhood corner. Outside, on the patio, sat 4 older local gents. They all looked at me with zero expression, just a blank stare so I greeted them with a smile and said "bom dia!". A couple replied with "bom dia" and a couple grunted.
I went inside and bought my much needed coffee and a water. This water bottle had me now carrying 2L of water for the day.
The gents were curious and they all spoke English, one very well, so they asked alot of questions. One lived in Canada for a year. He was very tanned, weathered, had maybe 4 teeth but had the coolest ice blue eyes I've ever seen. These guys were telling me I was entitled to a portuguese passport through my ancestry and that I had a right to live there. They were very convincing and when I left them I was certain that one day, I just might live in a hamlet like theirs.
Not long after, I passed an older woman in her yard wearing her little white apron and I said hello to her. She offered me an orange from her tree so I said "Sim por favor". She folded her apron and filled it with oranges and started handing them all to me over her little fence. I just kept putting them into my front pouch til I could fit no more. She was so sweet and reminded me so much of my grandmother. I bet she had some delicious vegetable soup already on her stove cooking.
I left there feeling so incredibly happy and grateful though I was now back to carrying extreme weight.
From there the walk was mostly through nature with minimal shade, small hills and very small, sparsely populated little towns. No other cafés until close to the end.
I was walking on the outskirts of a hamlet and a cute little weiner dog came running up to me, happy and sweet with a bounce in his step, his elderly owner was following him, as she approached me she asked in portuguese of course, if I saw an old man down the road. And I had, he was working in a field. She then asked me if he was OK. I said yes and thought how cute... she probably made him lunch and he was late and she was worried.
So many lovely encounters with the locals.
I was feeling sunburned and isolated after a few hours of forest lanes so I stopped and sat on a flat rock under a big, shady tree. I wasn't really hungry but forced myself to eat and get some nutrition and strength. The best part was removing the socks and boots and letting my feet feel the air. I was getting a heat rash on my legs. I get it when I hike alot in heat. It's a harmless vasculitis but it looks horrible.
I was losing my inspiration and then I saw him. A giant hawk flew over my path, he circled over me a couple of times and then went ahead, above the path. That made me smile and kept me moving.
After 20+kms I was done. Truly spent. I made it to a small town with a pretty church and an empty café where I bought an ice cold coke and more cold water.
I rested again here and in front of the church I saw a sign for a taxi. My body said yes but my spirit said no. Clearly my stubborn portuguese brain is running the show here.
In hindsight, I should have listened to my body. It's the cardinal rule for hiking. That, and so don't hike alone.
If I didn't hike alone, I would have never seen some of the places I am so very grateful to have seen.
I pushed on through this town a bit further and turned a corner to see a bush of flowers and took a picture for Julie.
There on the first driveway as I started up a new lane was a brown dog, sitting oddly like a cat sits when he eats.
I said "hello puppy" in a sing song way as I walked past and this Cujo thing bared his fangs and barked ferociously at me, lunging at me. To my surprise Cujo was not chained. He was relentlessly charging me. Fight or flight? My instinctual reaction was fight. I turned my walking stick at him defensively and shouted back at him "NO!. I also said you wanna go mf? I'll kick your mf a**, you piece of s***. Hahaha. Foul I know but I was both angry and scared of this psycho dog. Besides... "go away bad dog" didn't seem like it would do much. I slowly walked backwards up a hill and away from him.
And to think he looked so sweet sitting there enjoying the fresh air. A wolf in sheep's clothing he was...
After my encounter with Cujo. I was on an open road for what seemed like forever. I had read earlier that this section was a soulless part of the journey and I thought well that seems harsh. But here I was walking on exactly that. An open road
to what felt like nowhere.
Time passed very slowly and I had to dig deep to find the will to keep putting one foot in front of the other. On top of the physical pain, the stress of zero support for at least another 7kms, and now in addition, it was a race against time.... the sun was setting soon and I just couldn't go any faster. When the long road eventually led into a small residential neighbourhood, it gave me the gift of yet another hill and some residential farms. After just having sent Riley a gif of a piggy while discussing the state of her room, I heard the funniest snorty sound and found a giant pig.
He was a small glimmer of entertainment for me as were the young cows I unintentially startled. Have you ever startled a cat and seen one jump dramatically away from you. I did that to a cow today. I must have been walking up silently along a stone wall and when my eyes could see over the wall I said "Hi Cow" and this giant chunk of animal jumped away from the fence as if I pinched her bum. I couldn't help but laugh. I told her I was sorry that I startled her and she and all her friends just glared at me.
The last 3 or 4 kms were the hardest. I went back to my mantras and prayer to get me there. Then came the cobblestones... oh that's not enough? Let's add a nice incline too. How about a road block and detour? Still want more? Let's add a fire and thick smoke in the air to complicate things a bit more.
Needless to say I did arrive just as the sun set behind the mountain ahead and what a glorious sunset it was.
My Hotel host was old and bossy but I liked him. He kind of reminded me of my grandfather. The kind of person that asked if you want hot pepper and you say no thank you but he gives it to you anyway because he thinks you will like it lol. I hadn't even seen my room yet and he said in his broken English. You eat here. It wasn't a question. He was actually telling me lol. So I said 'Sim'. Then he asked 'peixe or carne?' I said 'carne'. This transpired outside on the sidewalk in front of the hotel/restaurant at 8pm before I even had my key. He said 10 minutes. I spoke up and said "Nao, 30 minutes." He grunted and his stern faced, man-child of a son (seriously creepy, bitter vibe from this guy) took me to my room. It's decorated from 1974 but the bed is comfy and the shower was great.
My food was excellent and so was the wine.
Again I was brought a pitcher. I guess the rumours are reaching northern Portugal.
On that note, I really have to get ready to go. The fog has cleared only slightly but I need coffee.
Bom Dia! Xx
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