1,300 miles

It’s true I walked around 1,300 miles.

Some say:

“Wow you're amazing, how do you do it”

Whilst walking all those miles, a thoughtkept popping into my head. I had a choice to walk and a place to stay, whether that was going to be in my tent or somewhere else, I knew I would generally be safe and warm, that I had money in my pocket and if all went drastically wrong that I had some sort of back up not to far away. “I had a choice”

“For those who have no choice, No money, No backup of safety, the homeless, the ones that feel the cold and hunger of the day and night,  the one’s who flee their countries for their lives, the one’s in refugee camps, the ones who walk thousands of kilometres with the fear that follows like a shadow that can’t be shaken who perhaps are treated like criminals once in refugee camps that we are not fully aware of, It is those people who are amazing” it is those people i'd ask you to think about whilst you read my story. “I am a person with a back up, they are people who have no backup, no comfort, and have much fear that follows their footsteps.

In this blog I will write  a little about my walk, and a story that takes me back to a few years ago, finishing of with with a write up  about my Reiki healing.

Walking is addictive:

I did not plan to keep on walking after Santiago but something just told me to keep going to the place the Romans called the end of the world, to that place called Fisterra that sits on the tip of the North Atlantic ocean in Spain, a place where I felt great energy, a place that captured me for a few day’s. A energy that was hard to walk away from, I did not even say goodbye to the people I met there in that time, I do not know why, I just had to go in that moment in time when night broke into day. The night before I watched that sunset behind where time was suppose to end, then I was gone without a whisper in the wind.

Where togo:

I wanted to make my way to Portugal to follow the sun, the weather had turned in the north where I had been feeling the cold.  I was told I had to go back to Santiago to find a route to Portugal, that was not my style and the last thing I wanted to do was  back track, So I started to walk the wild Spanish coastline hugging its shores as I headed south towards the warmer lands that called out to me, to the land that again held a different language to what I knew, a country that would test my communication skills that I look forward to. A place different from the rest,  that in the past it's countrymen had greatly sailed the seas that brought news of new found lands and riches from this apparent flat world that the Roman empire named the end of the world.

The coastal villages that I passed through whilst still in the far north of Spain were so tranquil at that time of year, the weather a little over cast from day to day that held a slight breeze and brought some rain, the sun was beaming its rays of warmth  that captured the raindrops as they fell gently to the floor lighting them up like miniature rainbows, as if gifts from the sky, I found myself looking up at this marvelous big grey patchy sunny sky whilst collecting these droplets on my face as time drifted gently by, wandering in the array of that magnificent sky where the atmosphere merged together creating pictures before my eyes, as if a artist were up there painting amongst that sky hiding from my little brown eyes.

The ocean colour blue and beautiful, the sand untouched from tourist footprints that crunched heavily underfoot when walked on, shells of all types and sizes scattered the beaches in great numbers. As I walked along I found myself looking out over that great ocean, my name being called by it’s voice that the waves carried into shore, calling me, calling me to step into her icy water,  I finally gave  in to her cries and I strip off entering that great Atlantic ocean, it was like a knife cutting into my skin but I just had to do it, once past the fragile point of no return the rest was a little easier, diving head first to cover the rest of my naked body.

I shivered for a good 10min after I came out of that icy ocean clumsily fumbling for my cloths to warm my body, the chatter of my teeth sounded like some London hi- tec orchestra whilst I struggled to find happiness  from my encounter of that big blue beautiful, icy Atlantic sea that in that time had truly called out to me, her voices now silent in that place of shivery.

The hill’s

Spain: From a town called Noia to Pontecesures I had decided to cut cross country up over the hill’s that were around 600m in height.  I worked out a route and got underway, leaving the town of Noia behind me heading up into the hills felt good. I got stopped by a lady who was concerned for me, she asked me where I was going, that foreigners don’t come this way, and that I should turn back and head for Santiago as I would get lost in these hill’s, what would happened if I got hurt, how would I raise the alarm. But I told her I was going and that was that, thanking her for her worries  trying to reassure her that I would be fine.

Flashback Africa:

Whilst walking in those hill’s I had a flashback from Africa that would not leave me alone. There are a few stories to tell about that place, but here I write one for you.

I was traveling a country called Lesotho in Africa. Where I had hitchhiked to a mountain range that was off the beaten trail, it took me two days to get to them from where I was in Lesotho, it was on the spur of the moment which is the way I like to work whilst on the road.  The roads that I had traveled on to get there were merely dirt tracks, the people I met curious in many ways as a westerner does not travel those parts,  the scenery was outstanding, deep valleys and gorgeous, high mountains and roaring thunderous rivers from below, people of the land working as they have done for hundreds of years, the people untouched by western life and un distorted by technology. “That was a great adventure”

When I arrived at my final destination it was getting dark, I managed to stay at someone's house after they got talking to me, the light from the day had now faded, I went with them where I stayed that night. We spoke of my plan and I could see they worried for my sanity and safety. I showed them my basic map that covered the whole of Lesotho where they gave me some good tips of where to go in the future, but I had no fixed plan for the coming weeks or months.

The next morning I got going after they made sure I had been well feed and gave me 3 days  food supplies. My plan was to do a day’s trek, stay out that night and return the following day.

I set off into these breathtaking mountain where I past through some gorgeous valley’s that had fields of wildflowers that I had never seen before, I sat for a while breathing in there many fragrances that filled that air where mountains seemed to trap it’s sence, it was so enchanting to be there and hard to leave. I had been walking for most of the day when I stumbled across an army patrol of eight Lesotho soldiers, as I tried to pass them they stopped me and questioned who I was, they asked me for my passport that was nothing unusual, Then they asked to look inside my bergan.  I then knew exactly what they were after, they were going to give me a hard time for sure. I questioned there request that did not go down to well backing down rapidly, I had to start to think pretty fast as I could see my valuables possibly disappearing into their hands. I knew that the Lesotho army was not as well equipped compared to their neighbouring country, South Africa, so with some quick thinking I pulled out my map and started to try and break the ice with  conservation in hope to steer them away from my belongings.

My plan worked and soon all eight of them were huddled around me as I spread out my $2 map of their country. Pointing to to a point where we were “knowing that I was well of the area to where we were actually standing” They laughed at me and pointed me back to where we were, my plan was working and I laughed with them “Ice broken” they told me that I was not to far from the Lesotho-South Africa border. They told me that about 15 kilometers from our position was a South African military outpost  where I could  get stamped back into the country. “Sounded like a better adventure than what I was already on” It would also mean I would not have to hitch back the way I came from.

Direction:

They gave me direction to where I was to head to, pointing out a mountain in the distance, so I said my goodbyes rapidly, but not before they confiscated my map, it was not much use to me any way. I had a good sense of direction and just had to keep heading South until I reached the line of control. That night I set up camp under the stars knowing I only had around 8 kilometres left for the next day before the checkpoint.

Baboons:

the next morning I got under way, I found myself climbing up over a hill where around 100m in front of me the ground flattened out into a plato, there were around 60 baboons with their young in front,  I was downwind of them and they had not seen or heard me. This was not good, they were right in my path  where I had to go. If I startled them or divided the young from the group accidentally the alpha males could turn and attack where my life would of been lost, I was unfamiliar with baboons behaviour, I had no experience with baboons before so I was very unsure what I should do. I lay down and watched for a moment to see what direction they were heading in, they seemed to be feeding whilst moving away slowly from were I was so I gave them a few minutes then picked up a few stones and knocked them together that caught their attention, then I shoutted out aloud and they moved on pretty fast with the alpha males trailing behind the group keeping an eye on my position. I finally stood up and showed myself and with this they moved away faster. It was a testing time.

The border: Not long after I made it to the very daunting border that had a line of barbed wire and razor wire, the fence broken in many parts for as far as the eye could see.  I picked up a trail that lead me to the S.A outpost where I managed to get stamped back in after a few more questions, I managed to hitch a ride on the back on a army truck to the main road, I loved my time spent in Africa such a great journey.

I have written a great deal to this week’s blog, but bringing you back to the hills between Noia to Pontecesures in Spain: I made it across safely, after some days I made it to Lisbon by walking all the way, with some brilliant stories to tell for the future.

Total 1,300 miles more or less.

Reiki healing:

On this journey here in Spain and Portugal I managed to channel Reiki healing throughout this trip to various people, some contacted me for distant healing and other’s who had various walking injuries that I met along the way that was a great success. There are more stories on my facebook page “Reiki’d craft about this ancient healing technique  that is strongly coming back to light, The NHS and doctors from around the world are now recommending this to patients in certain circumstances,  they admit that they are unable to make scientific sense of this energy healing tecnec, but are now opening up slowly to this. I think modern medicine is great and a real life saver, but every little bit helps. Reiki healing dose greatly speed up healing in many fields of sickness and grieving.

Feel free to contact me for any information or questions about Reiki healing, or travel and I will do my best to help.

Feel free to leave  anonymous feedback if you wish.

Thanks.