GANDHI SALT MARCH FOR PEACE

Yesterday we joined the 5th Annual Gandhi Salt march for Peace - a 22.5km 'march' from the Gandhi settlement in Phoenix to Battery Beach in Durban. The invitation I received for the march was from the Tibetan Society. Geshe Dhonden-la, a Tibetan Buddhist monk walked with the marchers but because of the recent news headlines, when the Dalai Lama was refused a visa to attend a Peace Conference, it was decided that marchers wear the Gandhi-ji t-shirts instead. Val was away down the coast and Marion had a cold, so it was Linda, Glynis and I who did the walk.

We arrived at the beachfront at about 5h30 and were taken to Phoenix by bus. On the bus we were issued with special t-shirts to wear on the march instead of the Peace in Tibet shirts. In the 1980's the house that Gandhi lived in was razed to the ground in political unrest. In the late 1990s, the settlement was restored and substantially reconstructed. It was opened as a heritage site in February 2000 and now forms an important local tourist attraction with a museum containing the old printeing pressed used by Gandhi.

It was a long, slow, shuffling march that took us almost 5 hours walking on the side of the busy North Coast road. The organisers did a great job of controlling the marching mass but a few people fell, tripping over the person in front, or being tripped by the person behind them.

We didn't bother to queue for our medals - or for the free vegetarian meal afterwards - and headed instead for the shady deck of the Suncoast Casino where we had something to drink before driving home.

SNOW, ICE, RAIN AND MUD ON THE ARAGONES

A fellow pilgrim sent me this update on his Aragones walk:


I had one hell of a day yesterday!!!! Arrived in Jaca by bus from Pamplona and settled in for the night in a very nice refugio. I met two Germans who grew up in Spain. They came here two weeks ago to walk, but found that Somport, the starting place higher up in the Pyrenees, was snowed in. So they started at the nearest village about 6 km below. They returned to Jaca and wanted to do that section to complete the Camino Aragon.
That night there was thunder, lightning and pouring rain. They said that probably that meant snow in the upper altitudes, but we all made it to the lower village. There we met a Spaniard and a Frenchman who also wanted to go to Somport. When the bus came to take us up, the driver said that there was much snow and the Germans dropped out. We decided to see for ourselves.
Yes, the driver was correct...in fact a blizzard was still going on. The Frenchman took a bus back, but the Spaniard, with more grey hair than I and mischievious eyes said "Let´s try". He bought me a cup of coffee, and somehow I saw some wisdom in his eyes and decided to trust his judgement.We left and started walking but there were about 6-8 inches (16cm) of new wet snow. We could not even see the path, so walked the road down. There were few cars to dodge, and it was only a bit tense when the snowplows came by. I took a couple of Photos but not more because of the wind and snow. It was really beautiful when you could raise your head to look.
It was a very steep decline so gravity helped us down. It took a bit less than 2 hours with some stops to talk about the sites and try to photograph them.The Spaniard, Jose, had left a bicycle at the hotel at the village Canfranc Estacion and would continue on by bike. Canfranc Estacion, he told me, was used in the filming of Dr Zhivago, and is a grandiose trainstation of the early 1900´s. I continued by myself. The snow had become just cold rain. The path was a still very steep downhill trek made of rocks of various sizes from pebbles to small boulders. This made it very difficult to keep your balance, especially since the rain and runoff from the tops of the mountains turned some stretches into little streams of water. My ankles would be going one way, my knees another, and my hips still a different direction to keep balance.
Along with this being my first day of walking, I was quickly becoming very tired and hurting a bit. I knew I would not be able to make it back to Jaca, and saw that there were accommodations in Villanúa. This meant only 16 km that day, but they were strenuous ones. Just as I got to the town, the temperature dropped, and a strong wind came up. Then it began to hail...pea sized hail. To my dismay, I found the first Refugio closed...and the second...and to my horror the only hostel in town was closed. I stopped in a bar and asked about a place to stay and they told me of some hotels on the main highway. By this time the hail was thickly frozen on my hat causing the brim to droop. I walked on to the highway.
Then I saw a door open and a repairman was there talking to a lady (Isabel). I went up to them and told them of my situation. The lady invited me in, perhaps the frozen look of desparation spured her compassion. She and her husband (Felix)from Logroño were there on holiday. They made me hot tea and he phoned around to find that even the hotels on the highway were closed. He explained that the last day of ski season was Easter and that was probably the reason that everything was closed. It didn´t explain the refugios being closed...but then there were obviously not many "pilgrims" around. After sitting and warming up and getting refreshed. The weather had cleared up a bit, and Felix called the next village, Castillo de Jaca, and secured a room for me. Any room would have done, but this one had a tub...a rare and welcomed feature during my time in Spain. I soaked for a half hour. What a delight!!!!
All emotions that I experience here on the Camino, are more intense than normal. This is especially true when I experience these random acts of kindness like I did from Felix and Isabel. There seem to be a lot of mysteries on the Camino, and one is tuned to interpret them mystically. I chose to think that the hardships of that day set me up to have the peak experience of the kindness shown to me by these two EX-strangers. That is what I will take back with me from this difficult day. That is what will remain in my heart forever.GlennDay 2:The water is high here on the Camino Aragon. The crossing with the stepping stones outside of Castillo de Jaca is flooded. The man at the bar, recommended that I take the road instead. He said that a few days ago a peregrina tried to cross and fell in. She survived but had to be taken to the hospital because of the freezing water.
Later in Jaca I met some people, who, instead of turning back decided to walk the train bridge crossing across the river. I would recommend having a train schedule first if you want to try that.Had to detour once between Jaca and St. Cilia because the river crossing was not possible. A lot of the path seemed like walking through a trout stream. Oh and lots of mud too.I heard rumors that the Guardia Civil had to rescue some pilgrims within the last week off of the SJPP mountain crossing. Unsubstantiated though.Glenn

UMHLANGA RIDGE

This week it was our turn to walk on Marion's side of town. We started at 6am at her apartment in Durban North and walked up to Umhlanga Rocks Drive - then along the ridge in a large, squigily up-and-down loop back to her place.
The Province of Kwa-Zulu Natal is like a crumpled up tapestry with undulating hills and valleys and a few rivers that start in the Drakensberg Mountain range and end in the Indian Ocean. Walking along the ridge we had stunning views of the Indian Ocean on one side and inland urban sprawl on the other.
It was a hazy day and even Durban was cloaked in smog.

SUNSHINE, BLUE SKIES AND TWO GORGES

Sunday 22nd March.
We did a walk through the Two Gorges today. One is the Kloof Falls gorge and the other is the Everton conservancy gorge. What a beautiful day to walk.
We had a full dress rehearsal with boots and spats, shorts, shirts, waist-bags, backpacks etc.
It started off coolish but the sun was shining, blue skies and spectacular scenery. The entire Kloof Gorge system lies within the Kranskloof Nature Reserve and falls under the juristriction of KZN Wildlife. We had a pit-stop at the picnic site and then continued up Kloof Falls road to the View site. Magnificent in the early morning with swallows still swooping above and the waterfall noisy and full after recent rains.
Glynis (who walked the Coast to Coast with us in 2001) and Linda walked with us too, but they didn't have backpacks.
The road up from the gorge is very steep and by the time we reached Waterfall after 2 hours walking we needed a coffee break. We stopped at the Waterfall centre and had a good stop there before carrying on along parallel to Inanda Road, turning left at La Domaine into Acutt Drive and the Everton Gorge.
Val, Marion and I decided to change from boots to sandals (might as well get used to walking in both) and walked the rest of the way back to Kloof in our sandals. I'm not so sure about the sandals anymore. They have a very high instep and after a while my left foot started feeling the pressure. I might have to have a rethink on taking them on this walk.
A good 22.5km trek this morning; backpack feels good; boots were comfortable and no hotspots or chaffing anywhere.
We had a lovely lunch at Sam Brown's in Kloof before going home.

PRETTY OLD THINGS

Sunday 1st March:
This morning we did a stunning hike. We started at the Pot and Kettle - a restaurant overlooking the scenic Valley of a Thousand Hills - down into a rural valley of small subsistence farms and horse stables. We call it the 'Wildlife Walk' because one sees all sorts of farm animals, cows crossing your path, ducks and geese, chickens, horses, as well as buck, wildebeest, zebra and other animals at the Wildlife Sanctuary on the way.
It is a tough walk with very steep up and down hills. Today it was cool and we walked through a mist belt at the top of Alverston.
John (the perennial pilgrim) and his friend Kenny joined Val, Marion and me. John is 75 and Kenny is 80 so they were a great inspiration to us 'young' ladies not to moan or groan as we trekked up and down the hills.
Walking through the small village of Botha's Hill we passed an antiques and collectibles shop called Pretty Old Things. We couldn't resist having our photo taken next to the sign! Further on we entered horse country where horses have the right of way.
Those bright red things on our boots are plastic spats that I cut out at 4h45 this morning when I saw that it might rain. We have decided to make waterproof spats (from a pattern I found on the internet) but these worked just fine this morning.

WET T-SHIRT COMPETITION!!

Today we walked in the rain - well, we didn't start off in the rain but the last 45 minutes it really came down! I wore my RSA shorts and top that I'll be walking in and we all wore our boots and backpacks.

Val, Marion, Linda, Joy and I started from uShaka Marine World on Addington Beach. The clouds were rolling in, the wind coming from the south, and all the signs were there for heavy rain. We meandered our way through the development around the canals at Timeball Square, all the way to the construction fences surrounding the new harbour pier. Then we

headed north towards the Umgeni River.

By the time we'd walked about 6km it was starting to spit. Linda and Joy turned back but us hardy three peregrinas continued, outwalking the rain all the way up to the Blue Lagoon. We had a short rest on the wall - watching herons on the sand - and then headed back south. It wasn't until we turned around and walked back that it caught up with us.

First were the sounds of thunder, then a darkening sky, then sprinkles of rain that got stronger and stronger until it felt like we were being struck by small hailstones! I pulled my little black weather jacket out of my backpack and put it on to protect my camera which was in my waistbag but Val and Marion thought the rain would pass quickly and left their raincoats in their packs. They got soaked! By the time we reached uShaka at 9h15 we all looked as though we were taking part in a wet t-shirt competition! Val and I went back to the car and got our change of clothing before joining Linda and Joy for a coffee at the Java Coffee centre.

Equipment update: The boots came up trumps - staying dry even in that heavy deluge.

The socks got wet though - perhaps we should take our gaiters after all?

And, the little black jacket worked really well, repelling the rain and keeping my precious bag with the camera in it quite dry. A good training walk today.

Next week, the Pot 'n Kettle walk. Arrrghh ... a really tough walk up and down steep, sharp hills including a section of dirt road. Can't wait!!

TRAINING WALKS AND CHIN-SPLINTS!!

Photo by PauloCesar

We talk so much on our training walks that we are in danger of developing chin-splints rather than shin-splints!

I walked with Cheryl and Val walked with Linda and the jaws were going ten-to-the-dozen! (Marion couldn't join us as she has family here from England.)

Although yesterday's trek up and down the hills of Umhlanga and La Lucia gave Cheryl shin splints within the first hour of walking the rest of us only huffed and puffed a bit.

Cheryl isn't one of the three walking in June but she is a camino peregrino and enjoys walking with us on our Sunday training walks.

We started at the Gateway shopping centre at 6am. There was a reason for choosing a shopping Mall - Val needed to look for a lightweight fleece top and we were sure that we would find one for her at one of the many stores in the mall.

We walked through the built up area around the shopping centre and then down Armstrong to the La Lucia Mall, up to William Campbell and back down again. Then it was up-up-up Armstrong back to Gateway.

Gateway is quite a smart, up-market mall so Val brought a change of clothing and had to change inside the car. (I just changed my boots for slip on sandals.) We did a few km inside the mall window shopping before having breakfast at Sam Brown's. And then hit the shops. More trudging from shop to shop.

Nothing at Woolies, de nada at Cape Union Mart, zilch at Due South, lutho at Sportsman's warehouse.

So we drove down to the Crecent and hey presto! Outdoor and Camping had a rail full of Cape Storm, lightweight fleece pull overs. Val bought a charcoal top and after visiting a couple of other shops we headed home.

In a few weeks time will start doing back-to-back training walks including a few three day walks with backpacks.

3 months and 25 days to go!!

I LOVE MY BOOTS!!

I LOVE MY NEW HI-TEC ALTITUDE ULTRA V-LITE BOOTS WITH THE VERBAM SOLES!!







(Picture from www.hitec.com)

I have been wearing the new boots around the house, on short walks with the dogs and on ± 8km walks in Kloof but this morning we walked 19km and - I LOVE MY BOOTS. They are leather but are light, cushioned inside, great soles. They are an improvement on the HiTec Kevlar that I wore on the Via Francigena and in Spain as they are Waterproof. Hopefully, no blisters with these.

AND I LOVE MY SOCKS!!
The socks are FALKE stretch hiking socks with padding around the toes, under the foot and heel and around the ankle but they are not padded on the top which allows some air in. They were very comfortable and I don't think I'll need sock liners.
It was a HOT day - 30oC - and it was a loooong, flat walk on tarred roads, grassy verges and on the hard sand along the beach from Durban North to Umhlanga Rocks and back.
We stopped at the pavement cafe for a coffee and I asked for a black Decaf - but, I don't think it was Decaf because by the time we had walked a couple of km I started to feel twitchy and by the time we got back to Durban North I had a red face like a rooster and was feeling a bit woozy. Could have been the heat or could have been my thermostat! A short rest at Marion's, a cold Cranberry Juice and a few grapes and I was feeling again.
On the way home Val and I stopped at Sportsman's warehouse in Springfield and we bought her plastic cutlery set, waist bag, folding backpack, telescopic pole and a few other odds and ends.
I bought Marion a Karrimor waist bag for her birthday next month. We've been looking for something less bulky than the Cellini bags we used to Rome and this is a really nice bag with 3 zippered compartments and a soft, mesh back lining to absorb perspiration.
On Friday morning we are going to Westwood Shopping Mall to visit Cape Union Mart for boots for Val & M, and to Dischem to buy the shoulder-strap pads.
Our aim now is to get fitter so we are going to walk the 'Pot 'n Kettle' walk next Sunday. Woooo ... those hills are killers and the 18km is more like 25km!! But, if we are going to cross the Pyrenees we need to get hill walking.
Val doesn't work on a Friday so in a couple of weeks time we will do three-day, back-to-back walks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and see how we feel.
I feel a bit like I did when training to run Comrades! I want to be slim, fit and strong for the walk.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Now we are down to three of the original VF Five. Linda has had to withdraw for personal reasons. Val can only join us for two out of the 3.5 weeks.

It was my turn to have a luncheon get-together on Saturday. We discussed air flights, transport to Lourdes, where to stay etc.
We three will walk from Lourdes to Oloron Ste Marie, turn south to the Sompost Pass and walk the Aragones Route to Puente La Reina. We will have a rest day when we take a taxi from Jaca to San Juan de la Péna with it's massive over- hanging rock (that gives it its name). Here is a legend about San Jaun.

"One day in about 732 a noble Mozarabic youth from Saragossa went hunting deer in these mountains and he chased a steer until it fell over the cliff. The young man almost fell over as well but he was able to rein in his animal. Looking over the edge he saw the dead steer lying next to the entrance of a deep cave. Inside the cave was a tiny shrine and on the ground, lying dead with his head on a stone was the venerable hermit Juan de Atarés. The youth buried the hermit, sold all his own wordly goods and with his brother came to live in the cave. Before they diedm, they handed over the hermitage to two disciples and thus the fame of this saintly place reached the outer world. In this tiny sanctuary was born the Kingdom of Sobarbe which gave birth to the Kingdom of Aragon." (Walter Starkie - The Road to Santiago)
http://www.monasteriosanjuan.com/monasterio-san-juan-de-la-pena.php?L=en
Val will return home from Pamplona and Marion and I will be continuing on to walk the camino Ingles from Ferrol.

We had a great working lunch. I did a tapas platter and variation on the Coquille St Jacques using artichoke hearts instead of scallops. I also made polenta slices with leek and rocket, and did Caprichos (meringues) with a special almond cream. Mmm...mmm.. it was all very delicious!

I even found a bottle of white wine called Muchas Gracias.

We have all booked our flights on Iberia. We leave for Toulouse on the 4th June and get a train to Lourdes on the 5th June. Whilst in Lourdes we plan on taking part in the torchlight procession. Joy and I visited Lourdes in 2004 when we were walking the Via Turonensis but we didn't stay there. We start walking on Saturday 6th June. Can't wait!!

Yesterday the 1Time newsletter arrived in my email inbox. They have a special on until the end of June - limited number of seats at R278! That is half the price of a normal one way ticket. So, M and I booked our tickets to Johannesburg from Durban. I haven't booked my return flight yet - will wait until another special comes up in a few weeks time. We have 4 months and 16 days to go.

Val will book her flights this week. She and M have British passports - I have to apply for a Schengen Visa from the Spanish Consulate in Pretoria.

Here begins the journey .........

YEEHAAA!!!!!! 2009 - 21 weeks, 6 days, 4 hours and counting!!!

The FIVE are down to FOUR. Kathy can't make it. She is doing her Ph.d this year, has a son graduating and does not have time to make the walk in June. We will miss her - she was our map reader, mountain goat leader and great fun on the VF. I've promised her that when she has time to go walk-about again, I will organise a walk on the Via Romea from the South of Italy to Roma. (She LOVES those Carbinieri in their tall black boots!)


So we are now down to FOUR - Marion is thrilled that her foot has improved so much that she managed two back-to-back hikes in the Drakensberg over New Year without any pain or discomfort.
Val still has to ask her boss for four weeks leave in June. We are all holding thumbs that she will get it. If not, she might still make the first two weeks from Lourdes to Pamplona.
Marion has been considering whether to go to the UK before we walk to do a few weeks of care work. If she does, she won't have to re-register with the Agency here and won't have to renew all her papers.

Linda wants to wait before she books her air ticket and will buy her clothes ' later ' so it seems that we are not completely ready for booking of tickets and making our final plans yet.
But, we are having our 2nd get-together here on Sunday 18th January and we should all know by then where we stand.
I am considering doing a two week hospitalero stint at Corcubino after the walk. That means that I will be away 6 weeks.