Thoughts at 35,000 ft.

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Vacation for the Soul and the Spirit: Hiking The Way

Vacation for the Soul and the Spirit: Hiking the Way

Camino Portugues-Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela

THE INSPIRATION

I have heard of Santiago de Compostela around 15 years ago. But my imagination of the place and its cathedral was captured after I read “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. The book inspired me to visit the place. So in 2011, I visited Santiago de Compostela. I was struck by its commanding presence and I was enchanted by the swinging of the BOTAFUMERIO during the pilgrim’s mass.

(A few months later, the movie “The Way” came out and I watched it.)

While I was there, I’ve met pilgrims who completed the hike by foot and by bike. The pilgrims looked joyful. Thus, I vowed to return as a pilgrim, hiking the camino.

THE PLAN

Fast forward 2014, I began planning to hike the camino but after researching the different routes, I realized that there are unsafe areas. Just like in the movie, I was confronted by “What If?” and simultaneously I felt brave I could do it on my own. After a thorough research, I decided that the hike would be best accomplished if I were to hike it with friends who are willing to rough it and who are willing to hike the 120 km Portuguese Way from Valenca (Portugal)-Tui (Spain) all the way to Santiago de Compostela. The hike was a year of careful planning and research.

After three friends (Edgar, Raquel and Precy), confirmed their interest, I began to draft the itinerary.

There are 9 different routes to Santiago de Compostela. These are:

Camino Frances
Camino Primitivo
Camino del Norte
Camino Portugues
Camino de Finistere
Camino Ingles
Camino del Salvador
Camino Aragones
Camino de Madrid

(So take your pick and choose the route that interests you most.)

I chose the Camino Portugues from Valenca, Portugal/Tui, Spain for our hike, due to its accessibility and its length.

Every pilgrim who wishes to complete the camino and who wishes to received the pilgrim’s certificate must hike the last hundred kilometers, or bike the last two hundred kilometers.

A pilgrim’s passport or credencial must be carried and must receive a stamp from a concello, albergue (pilgrim’s lodging), hostal, hotel, restaurant (taperia, cafeteria, cafe) or a church/cathedral. A pilgrim must get at least one stamp a day, which will serve as a proof of the completion of the camino.

THE ITINERARY

Day 1: Fly from Newark to Lisbon, Portugal

Day 2: Arrival in Lisbon catch the bus to Porto

Bus from Lisbon airport (Aerobus # 2) to Sete Rios bus terminal

Bus from Sete Rios to Porto = 20 euros approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes

frequency every 30 minutes

Rest in Porto

Day 3: Catch bus to Valenca.

Bus from Porto to Valenca = 12 euros approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes

Bus frequency 5 times a day (11am, 11:30am, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm)* Weekend bus schedules are slightly different.

Border crossing Portugal to Spain.

Cross the bridge from Valenca to Tui by taxi or foot bridge.

By foot from Valenca to Tui = 3 kms.

Day 4: First day of hike: Tui-Oporriñ = 17 kms

Day 5: Second day of hike: Oporriñ - Redondela =16 kms.

Day 6: Third day of hike: Redondela to Pontevedra = 18 kms.

Day 7: Fourth day of hike: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis = 23 kms.

Day 8: Fifth day of hike: Caldas de Reis to Padron = 23 kms

Day 9: Sixth day of hike: Padron to Santiago de Compostela = 24 kms.

Day 10: Spend a day in Santiago de Compostela and attend the pilgrim’s mass

Day 11: Train from Santiago de Compostela to Vigo, then bus to Porto.

Play tourist in Porto

Day 12: Bus from Porto to Lisbon… Play tourist in Lisbon

Day 13: Continue playing tourist in Lisbon

Day 14: Fly home

HIKING THE WAY

May 3, 2015 - Valenca, Portugal-Tui, Spain = 3 kms.

Rain, rain, rain… I find peace when it rains. I find cleanliness when it rains. The water cleanses the air and the ground.

The rain purifies. The rain washes.

May 4, 2015 - Tui-O Porrino = 16 kms.

Hiking the camino makes you realize what’s important in life, what’s essential in life, and what’s capricious…

May 5, 2015 - O Porrino-Mos-Redondela = 16 kms.

Hiking the camino is a test of endurance.

Walking the camino is a test of faith.

Walking the camino makes you realize that there are too many unimportant things that you have.

I do not want to possess anymore material things.

I just want to keep my most prized possession for the moment, which is my poncho, my iPhone with google map. But even without the google map, there are plenty of locals to give you directions and point you in the right direction.

The google map gives you an overview of the area and gives you the quickest way from point A to point B, which is not necessarily the safest way for a pilgrim hike.

The best directions are the yellow arrows and concha signs.

The camino makes a person more forgiving…

The camino makes a person more giving…

The camino makes a person deal with challenges with a smile…

The camino makes a person realize that we are all in this world together… One quote says, “You’ll never walk alone.”

We are one big community.

The camino encourages a person to become a minimalist.

The camino is a learning experience.

The camino challenges you based on what you are carrying in your backpack.

(My backpack was approximately 20-25 lbs.)

The camino can tell much about what you value in life.

The camino teaches you about simplicity.

The camino teaches you about being flexible.

Rain, sunshine, wind, drizzle, cool air are all present during the hike at different times, and all elements of the weather at the camino teaches you about adjusting in life based on the weather.

I am malleable.

The camino teaches you to be self-sufficient especially when you are staying in an albergue. (An albergue is a dormitory style of lodging, which caters to pilgrims.)

The albergue teaches you to be quiet and respectful of the common space.

May 6, 2015 - Redondela-Soutomaior-Arcade-Vilaboa-Pontevedra = 19 kms.

The google map doesn’t show you the HIKE or the camino map, but it shows you the fastest way to get from point A to point B, which is the highway. The hiking path of the camino is not an option.

The camino hike is not a contest.

The camino hike a good exercise.

The camino hike is humbling.

The camino hike keeps you simple.

May 7, 2015 - Pontevedra-Barro-Briallos-Portas-Caldas de Reis = 23 kms.

The 23 km. hike went by so fast!

We are getting better as hikers.

We are enjoying taking pictures of the countryside, and we kept laughing along THE WAY!

Celebrated Precy’s 65th birthday!!

We are all the official PHOTO BOMBERS to each other.

May 8, 2015 - Caldas de Reis-Valga-Padron = 20 kms.

From the movie, THE WAY: “There is a difference between, The life we live and the life we choose.”

May 9, 2015 - Padron-Pontecesures-Teo-Santiago de Compostela = 21 kms.

Final strech!! 20 kms. to go!!

We continued to hike the way.

I began to pay more attention to the distance markers and began to do a kilometer countdown… 20 kms. 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and then we couldn’t find the 2 km., 1 km., and 0 km signs as we had to take a detour to reach our pensione.

Finally, we completed the 120 km. hike of the Camino Portugues to Santiago de Compostela.

May 10, 2015 - Pilgrim’s Mass at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral at 12noon

We roamed the old city and went to the pilgrim’s office to receive our credenical de peregrino or pilgrim’s certificate.

We met many pilgrim’s along THE WAY and there is a unique camaraderie among hikers and bikers. This kind of camaraderie restored my faith in the goodness of humanity. Everyone was supportive and helpful especially when a pilgrim is hurt.

A common conversation amongst pilgrim hikers during and after the day’s hike goes like this: “How’s your blister?”, “Is your pack lighter now?”, “How many items did you toss away?”

The conversation may sound laughable, but the camino reminds you that you are human.

It was like a graduation day!!

Cardinal Rosales was one of the celebrants of the mass. The mass was in Spanish and the ceremony was beautiful. The whole experience of completing the camino and attending the pilgrim’s mass was just EXTRAORDINARY and EXTRA SPECIAL.

There were other Filipino pilgrims during the mass, and we met them after the mass.

Would I do it again? Yes, I will, but I will take a more challenging and longer route.

In the afternoon, a local friend of Edgar showed us around Santiago and the “touring” was great coming from a local perspective.

I was impressed how THE WAY is organized, and how the pilgrim’s mass was so extraordinary. We were reminded, “We have been organizing it for 2000 years.”

GOODBYE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

Goodbye Santiago de Compostela!

Thank you for the lessons along the camino!

As we say goodbye to Santiago de Compostela, I’m adding a special thanks to all the Portuguese and Spanish people along THE WAY, who never fails to greet us with, “Bom Dia,” “Buenos Dias,” “Buenos Tardes,” “Buen Viaje” and my favorite, “Buen Camino,” and “Bo Camino.”

We have officially named our group as:

120k P-Bombers (120k stands for the 120 kms. that we hiked. P stands for all the P words that we love, we have learned and laughed about our hiking experience)

P stands for the following:

photo

pilgrimage

peregrino

pp on the grass

pulpo

porto

Portugal

Portuguese Way

paella

panaderia

pastelleria

pan

paa blisters

prayer

pathway

parque

praca

Paladino

Padron

Porrino

Pontevedra

Pontecesures

pescado

paltos

pinchos

poncho

Originally posted on May 2015.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

To See or To Look

When I was in 3rd grade, I remember one of our teachers was explaining the value of seeing and looking, and the value of looking at the big picture.

According to the dictionary, "to see" is defined as: perceive with eyes; discern visually; recognize. On the other hand, "to look" is defined as: to scrutinize and examine; investigate; think of or regard in a specified way.

Our teacher showed to us an illustration similar to this:

A Recruiter's Notes

A Recruiter's Reminder to Applicants and Candidates

1. Be on time. If you are unfamiliar with the location of the office, research the area, check the building and know how to get there. Use Google map. Do a test run the day before or the night before your interview.

2. Dress neat, sharp and appropriately. Business attire is recommended.

3. Attention to details. Bring an updated résumé, cover letter and letters of recommendation/referral. Present your résumé neatly. Limit your résumé to 2 pages max. Bring only relevant letters of recommendation/referral. Check your grammar, sentence construction and spelling.

Do not put sales position, if you are applying for a customer service position. Worst, do not address your cover letter to the wrong company or organization. Do not put ABC company, if you are applying for XYZ company.

4. Do not include skills such as language or other skills if you are not proficient in it. You are just highlighting your deficiency.

5. Know about the position you are applying for and about the company or organization. Research both the position and the company or organization.

6. Smile, be friendly but not overly friendly to the recruiters.

7. Listen and follow instructions. Relax. Take a deep breath.

8. Answer the questions. Do not go off tangent. Keep your thoughts organized and interesting. Give examples. Tell a short story related to the question. Give the situation/task, describe your actions and explain the results. (STAR).

9. Avoid casual language ("You know"/"Kinda"/"Sort of"/"Awesome"/"Cool”). Use proper vocabulary. Use complete sentences.

10. Avoid casual behavior such as drinking your bottled water during the interview or sipping your coffee during the interview. Do not chew gum or eat any candy while being interviewed. You are in an interview not in a social gathering.

11. Given the opportunity to ask questions, only ask job related questions. Do not ask personal questions to your recruiter. The interview is about the candidate/applicant and the position, and not about the recruiter's personal life.

Monday, February 9, 2015

The Modern Day Samaritan

The story of The Good Samaritan is one of the most popular parables told by Jesus.

A man traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell into the hands of thieves. The man was beaten, wounded and left nearly dead. A priest passing by the road, avoided the man by going to the opposite side of the road. Similarly, a Levite passing by the same road just looked on at the beaten man and continued on the opposite side of the road. However, a Samaritan showed compassion to the beaten man. The Samaritan bound the man’s wounds, clothed him, fed him, offered him a drink, and brought him to an inn to give him rest. (Luke 10:29-37).

Levites and Samaritans do not like each other. Jews and Samaritans despise each other.

In our modern life, we often pick and choose who we help. Genuine giving and helping is not everyone’s usual practice nor in everyone’s intention. Often, we choose to give and help based on what’s convenient for us.

Last month, January, the group Beatus Ad Infinitum (BAI), delivered its first giving project. The goal was to give toiletry kits to underprivileged children, which include homeless, abandoned, and juveniles. In addition, a light snack was provided to all recipients.

The day of giving took place in three different locations. First was at the Social Development Center/Tahanang Mapagpala in Caloocan. Second was at the Yakap Bata Holding Center, which is behind the Caloocan City Hall. Third was at the open quadrangle in front of Caloocan City Hall.

Beatus Ad Infinitum prepared a total of 233 toiletry bags for distribution in the following facilities:

(Each bag contained one or two of the following: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, small towel, and cologne. In addition, each bag contained a juice drink, a cupcake and a candy. Also, 300 pieces of assorted breads were distributed on the day of giving.)

First stop: Social Development Center at Caloocan City North - There are two buildings in this center. The first one is for homeless/street children/abandoned children. Ages 14 and below (mixed gender). 95 children received bags in this facility. The second building (Tahanang Mapagpala) houses some homeless boys. There are old people too in this building mixed with the boys. 15 people received bags in this facility. The building is obviously neglected due to the inadequate condition of the following: (a) rooms: inadequate beddings, inadequate ventilation; (b) kitchen: needs a new refrigerator, proper kitchen sink, a proper kitchen counter, a working kitchen in general; (c) roofing/ceiling: the roofing and ventilation is in dire need of repair, the structure is close to collapsing ; (d) the front yard and backyard: needs to be cleaned up and organized, which can be used for outdoor activities. This place is in dire need of repair and maintenance.**

Second stop: Yakap Bata Holding Center (3rd floor). This is the center for juveniles. Ages 9-15 boys and girls. The holding area is in the same floor with a divider for boys and girls. According to Mona, the social worker, no photos are allowed in this holding center due to pending cases against these children. There were 30 kids in this holding center. The facility is in a terrible condition. No beds, no proper bathroom, no table, no chairs, no electric fan, no air-conditioning, no mosquito nets or anything. The social worker informed us that the following items cannot be given directly: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo container, bar soap. Toothbrush cannot be given directly because the kids find a way to sharpen it and use it as a weapon. The shampoo container can be used to store drugs and also sharpened to use as a weapon. Toothpastes are usually emptied and used to store drugs. Bar soap can also be used as a weapon. The social worker informed us that they will be responsible in providing those items when the kids need it. This place is depressing and sad. **

Third stop: Caloocan City Hall open area - There were 93 children who received the bags in this distribution. The volunteers have prepared the list of recipients. Many of the recipients are street children. Some children are homeless with their parents. A group of street children are part of the welcome committee for the Papal visit. They were included on the list. They presented us a song number, which they performed during Pope Francis' arrival on January 15th.

We can all be a “Modern Day Samaritan.” We can give and help in our own way whether in a small way or in a big way. The intention is to give and help.

Give and help without expectations.

Give and help from the heart.

Give and help not because you will be credited for what you do.

Give and help not because you will be recognized for what you do.

Give and help not because there is something in return.

Give and help without prejudice.

Give and help not based on belief system, race, age, sexuality, civil status, political affiliation or relationship, just like how the Samaritan helped the man on the road, and not knowing whether he is a Jew or not.

(** Please note that these were first hand observations and information gathered by the writer. This is not meant to demean or offend anyone, but rather to call the attention of those who are in charge.)