Playing Catch Up...

Hey duderinos.

I have some good info for you here. First, let´s talk about the screamer.

The Screamer

When frequenting hostels, you may expect the usual: snoring, people shifting in their sleep, farting, etc.
You might even expect that people react badly to noisiness in the morning or exhibit rude behaviours. Such was the case for Becky and I the night we stayed in a municipal hostel in Pamplona.
You see, pilgrims are expected to vacate the hostels by 8 a.m., typically. Usually it is noisy enough by 7:30 a.m. that you get the message. In Pamplona, soft music began playing over the intercom to gently wake us up.
It was a lovely Roy Orbison song, quite nice if you ask me. It was a welcome change from the harshness of an alarm clock.
So we were surprised to hear a male voice shouting ¨shut the hell up!¨ It seemed to come from a guy just a few bunks away. FYI, we were staying in a beautiful converted church.
It came from an American, about 18-years-old, who shortly followed up with, ¨you have got to stop talking!¨
I was surprised and amused.
A few days later, it was confirmed that he actually has nightmares which cause him to scream out single sentences in his sleep.
During that night in Pamplona, I had been awoken by someone screaming, ¨noooooO!¨ I lied awake for some time, slightly concerned that there might be a serial killer loose in the hostel.
Since then, we´ve heard many pilgrims refer to the boy as ¨The Screamer¨ and we feel terribly bad for him. Some pilgrims, though, will bypass hostels if they see him inside.
However, I´ve learned to enjoy his yelling. It´s entertaining, in a sick way, and it´s a whole lot better than the super snorer from Belgium that I wrote about earlier.
FYI -- the Belgian who snored so badly during our night is notorious. He is also known as a total ass, and our Australian friends Mel and Guy swear that they heard him having sex with his ¨gross girlfriend¨ in the shower. ie. slapping noises

Now, onto something different.

Top Ten List
Ways to Tell it´s a Pilgrim´s First Day

We set off from Burgos yesterday and it was evident that many of the pilgrims had started that morning. You can tell because...

1. No sock tan.
2. They pass you with a bounce in their step and no ¨buenos dias¨.
3. No braces or walking sticks.
4. They take 15-minute showers in the hostels and don´t leave any hot water.
5. They have clean clothes. Clue -- look to see if their shoes are white.
6. They don´t know the spanish term, ¨ampollas¨ -- blisters.
7. They get drunk at night. This only happens once.
8. They lack a walking rhythm. A keen eye can detect this.
9. They´re wearing earrings or make up.
10. They cut in line for shops and hostels.

Today, we are in Castrojeriz. It is a smallish town with a beautiful castle and church -- so? I have shinsplints on my right leg. It hurts quite a bit. I might limp tomorrow.
In two days, we´ll hit the halfway point in our camino. Woohoo!
Song of the day: Free Bird

I miss you all.

Stay tuned,
-J