Benel D. Lagua l July 28, 2022 l Manila Bulletin
For Catholics, walking the Camino De Santiago in Spain is to reaffirm faith. The pilgrimage walk is to visit the remains of St. James, the Apostle, which were transferred from the Holy Land to a small village in northern Spain.The Church offered forgiveness to sins of the travelers and plenary indulgence. According to tradition, the penance in confession could include doing the Camino.
Today, a good number of those who walk the Camino are not even Catholics. People walk for tourism adventure, for exercise, for various reasons that may be unrelated to faith. Most will leave Santiago de Compostela with personal affirmations reflecting better self-awareness. Even non-believers find something magical and holy doing the Camino. The power of the Camino is such that this writer endorses it to anyone in search of meaning and in search of internal meditation and nourishment of the soul.
The Camino was in my post-retirement bucket list and when my friends Greg, Lito and Robie announced they were going to do it in 2020, I immediately got on board and registered with my wife. But our Camino was not to be with the onslaught of the pandemic. It took another two years before we could finally do it and it was worth the wait.
Our journey was unique because all the pre-trip engagements were generally done through e-mails and zoom meetings. Via zoom, we shared how we were getting ourselves ready for walking in the comforts of our home. It was up and down the stairs for Nina, walking the treadmill for Robie, some with video assist, but doing it the lockdown way. It was only in early 2022 when some of us finally tried walking outdoors. Greg related his experience walking 15 km in Batangas. Lito tried walking with loaded backpacks and used golf as his preparation. Myra was dancing with her colleagues. Mafe and I walked the UP oval on Sundays but could only muster 10 km maximum. Terry believed her mall walks were enough to get her ready.
We were friends in Ateneo but because of the pandemic, we had not gotten together for 2 years. And we have not met most of the spouses. To those who came from the Philippines, we first finally met each other in NAIA as we were to board our plane to Madrid.
This was a bunch of seniors not fully prepared for what was coming soon, daily walks of at least 19 km to 25 km for a 151 km trek from O’Cebreiro to Santiago de Compostela.
One of us already had difficulty in her gait, and we had not even started walking. Another complained of a stiff shoulder. In Madrid, on the way to our transport, someone was short of breath walking up the ramp. We were all smiles but somehow, I started to doubt in my mind how we could endure the trip. Of course, the spirit of this group would eventually prove me wrong.
Before our actual walk, we had bonding time in Madrid. We were joined by Tony and CY from Washington, DC and Annie who had established residence in Madrid. At the start of our guided Camino, we had day trips to Leon City and Astorga. One of the stops was the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross), the highest point on the French Way of St. James. We left stones from where we come from as symbol of leaving our burdens behind.
The start of the real walk for the group was at O’Cebreiro from the Iglesia de Sta. Maria. We were all exuberant and excited in the first day’s walk. It was a scheduled 21 km walk which includes steep climbs and descents, regular trail paths, rocky ones and stony paths.
Along the way, we passed stone churches, small streams, viewed a spectacular panorama of mountain ranges, places that appear suspended in time. It was to be a beautiful walk through the countryside, through tiny villages, forest and meadows. We would experience walking in different temperature for the next days –cool mornings, blistering afternoon heat — and through unpredictable weather with rains and muds included.
While I initially thought our group was challenged, surprisingly many finished the full day one 21 km route. Strategically, the group chose to walk the last 151 km to Santiago knowing that the minimum requirement for a Compostela is 100 km. By choosing the longer route, some of us with aching knees, blisters and pains could decide to skip few very difficult stages in the day’s walk and still meet the 100km target.
Notably, half of the group did at least 130 km. On our first day alone, majority completed more than15 km, way beyond what we all could do pre-Spain. It was amazing to see my friends (and myself) overcome physical limitations to go beyond our pre-Camino normal.
Walking the Camino allowed us to discover inner strength, resilience and understand the need to adjust and be flexible. We learned to pay attention to everything, discover our present and live according to the dictates of the mind and the body. It was mindfulness in action. We also learned the value of letting go.
As Bea, our guide, advised: “The Camino is a demanding school where you learn to distinguish what is necessary from what is superfluous, because everything bears its weight, and you cannot carry everything. There are things in life you must let go. Even immaterial things weigh. We must learn to live with less. Discover that few things are necessary and that our wealth lies within.”
The Camino is a blessing. Aside from stirring personal life changing insights, we rekindled friendships and discovered new ones, enjoyed sharing walks, laughs and meals. It was a pleasure meeting Noel and Liaa, for example, who joined the last leg. Our group even had a beautiful wedding ceremony together as Weng arranged for the renewal of vows for us all with Fr. Manny Domingo in Santiago de Compostela.
The benefits of the Camino are immense. We are brought closer to ourselves, to our Creator, and to the people around us. Walking in groups and then in solitude, the wonder of nature, the spiritual adventure, the historical insights, the personal sharing, the rustic manors and hotels, the culture, and the renewed physical and spiritual vigor – all these create rewarding personal discoveries. I encourage anyone with the means to do a Camino at least once in your lifetime. You won’t regret it.
*** (Benel Dela Paz Lagua was previously EVP and Chief Development Officer at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He is an active FINEX member and an advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs. Today, he is independent director in progressive banks and in some NGOs. The views expressed herein are his own and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.)