The Camino is Crazy

I was reflecting on the Camino from an objective, logical perspective and realized  that it seems like quite a crazy thing to do. Let me paint a picture for you of the day to day realities: imagine yourself sleeping in a room with a stranger. Now multiply that stranger by 8 or even 20, and imagine they are all from different countries trying to communicate in different languages. Now imagine that all 20 of you are sleeping on either a) squeaky, rickety bunk beds or b) thin foam mats on the floor. 

Keep in mind that at least two of these people (usually the men - why I don't know) will snore incredibly loudly. Now imagine that you have to get up between 5:30-6:30 a.m. (whether you've slept or not) and organize all of your earthly belongings into a backpack (weighing at least 15 pounds) that you will carry for the next six to seven hours or however long it takes you to walk 20 kilometers to the next lodging where there may or may not be space and may or may not be bedbugs! (We have not met any so far, although my dad was bitten on a few occasions last year on the Camino). There may only be one toilet and one shower for men, and one for women. 

Now remember, we are not refugees (whose traveling conditions are much worse). What may be the strangest part is that we are doing this by choice, and paying a fair amount of money to do so. Those of us who are privileged do the strangest things sometimes! Here are some images of things I've found along The Way that make this whole ordeal seem less crazy: