Yup - still here. Last year was seriously hectic, and this year isn't looking much better.
I was planning to walk the Camino Frances (pilgrim route from the South to Santiago in Spain) in May this year, but that is now unlikely - I hope to do it in September this year or in May (or even September) next year instead. [P.S. As of Oct 2009, that still hasn't happened - but it remains in my bucket list.]
A very good book on it, lent to me by a friend (thanks Donella!) is Joyce Rupp's
Walk in a Relaxed Manner. Unlike most other Camino books, it doesn't give a day-by-day account of her walk (with geographical details and recommended stops, refugios - overnight places, most extremely basic and crowded - and things to see) but rather a series of reflections on aspects of the journey as a whole, like the need for humour, the learnings, disappointments, challenges, beauty, relationships. Anyone planning to walk at some stage, do yourself a favour and read this book (in addition to the ones that give the facts and lots of advice). I'm now realising that for me the challenge won't be so much in the walking or the distance (800 km) but in the living conditions. I don't cope well with crowded sleeping accommodation, cold showers and dirty loos (or no loos) at the best of times! But yes, I'm still planning to go.
Another thing I'd planned to do this year was the Argus Cycle Tour next month. I've decided, reluctantly, to scrap that idea after several mishaps and time-stealers that made it impossible (OK, difficult) to get reasonably fit in time. Once the decision had been made, I felt greatly relieved, especially as I've had increasing pain in my foot, which isn't helped by cycling. Next year... [P.S. Yes, I did it in 2009.]
Anyway, this is not a great time to blog, so I'll leave it there - and maybe remember to write about the Namibia trip soon!
