Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela -16

Day 16 Villafranca --> Sarria


Great weather today.


But then I remembered, it's April Fool's day. I thought I shouldn't be fooled by the fine looking weather.


Daylight savings time was being implemented so I couldn't leave until 8am because it was still dark. I had a long mountainous climb up until past noon. I was cycling until the early afternoon but it was still rather cold.


But after having a break and eating my lunch, the temperature rose. It became so hot that my inner shirt was soaked with sweat. Up there in the open road I changed to a simple T-shirt and it felt so refreshing. The view from O'Cebreiro at an altitude of more than a thousand meters was magnificent.


After a few more minutes, my descent began and it was a long way down. I wasn't sure if it was the good weather but the views were so stunning that I thought I was merely floating. Even with the wind blowing in my ears, I could still hear the birds singing. The scene that I could hardly describe in words are still so vivid in my mind. It's like an unforgettable dream. Only that it was real.


So smooth the ride that I arrived earlier than scheduled in Sarria. I was happy and contented. Thankful that I did not encounter any difficulty in today's leg. I searched for an albergue with a private room, or a room with 2 person maximum occupancy but there was none or was already occupied. So I checked myself in a business hotel.


Since the sun was still high, I walked around and did some food shopping to eat on the road for the next days ahead. While browsing for food, my eyes fixated on the yummy looking deep fried pork cracklings. I bought 2 packs, together with the smallest bottle of vinegar available, which was actually a big 500ml, to dip in the fried bits. I knew I was up for a food fiesta tonight.


When I got back to the hotel, I turned the TV on and watched while eating the fried pork bits. I looked at what I bought and found out that I forgot to buy some drinks. Good thing they had coca-cola in the hotel fridge. The yummy pork cracklings and the soda I nursed with it immediately made me feel full and sleepy.


Then around midnight, I felt like throwing up. Without opening my eyes, I tried to raise my pillows thinking that maybe I had eaten too much. But an hour later, I felt really sick and when I went to the bathroom I threw up. A lot.


Relieved and still sleepy, I went back to bed. A few minutes passed, however, I felt sick again. I got to the bathroom and threw up again. And again. And again. I was throwing up all night.


I didn't get away with April Fool's after all.
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Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela -15

Day 15 Astorga --> Villafranca

From Astorga, I chose to take the route close to the classic path- LE142 up to Ponferrada. I could say it's a mountainous route.

The day started out sunny but as the road ascended, the sky turned cloudy and there was snow on top of the mountain. Of course, it's cold. After consecutive days of mostly flat roads with warm weather, now I got the chance to use the snowboarding gloves I bought in Burgos. I never imagined how comforting it was to put on gloves that could keep your hands warm.

I stopped by the famed Cruz de Ferro on top of the mountain. The area surrounding this high post topped with a crucifix was covered with snow. I saw no pilgrims in the nearby rest area. Well, with the snow and cold weather, who would be sitting up here?

As I went downhill, the weather also improved. By the time I was in Ponferrada, it has turned into a sunny day. I went to the information center for a stamp. I asked what time it was because I was confused. Apparently, sometime during the weekend while I was in Leon, the daylight savings time went into effect and the time now is 1 hour advanced. So the truth was, there is no time zone change as I first thought.

Ponferrada was a rather big city. I was just passing by to get into my final destination for the day but getting out of it was difficult. The road names or route numbers tend to change or simply disappear. I found myself suddenly unsure of where I was until I saw the Camino road shell signs reassuring me that I was heading to the right direction. Well, the good thing with being on a bicycle is that it is easier to go back and retrace the path. Although I seldom did that. In fact, I only did that once in Logroño. That was because it was obvious I was on the wrong direction.

When I finally reached Villafranca a few hours later, I was given a room numbered 104 again for the third time in this journey. Hmmm...

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