On Walking the Camino Santiago

“The Camino provides” is a term that I kept coming across when I started planning to walk the Camino Santiago.

It is a metaphor for many things, mostly meaning…‘Don’t worry. You will find what you need, if and when you need it.’ In essence, it is an invitation to surrender to the unknown.

Philosophical much?

Philosophical, yes!! But also, very true, as I found out when I walked the Camino Santiago last April. Whether it was company on particularly lonely stretches, to strangers offering route advice…given my dodgy knees. From the appearance of a ‘donativo’, i.e., donation-based refreshment stand on a remote stretch, to donativo massages on offer for my aching limbs. From ‘Camino angels’ who appear at the right moment of need and when the need is met, are never seen again, to ‘Camino families’ who stay with you for most of the path…the Camino does provide!

The Camino Santiago, a network of medieval pilgrim routes that lead to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, North Western Spain, is a registered UNESCO World Heritage site for its cultural and natural heritage.

The shell...the sign of a pilgrim or peregrino. The Camino passport, in which a pilgrim collects stamps to prove that he has walked the distance, entitles them to their 'Compostela'.

Although it originated as a Catholic pilgrimage to what is believed to be the tomb of St. James, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, today, people of all faiths and even those who have no religious beliefs walk these beautiful, sometimes grueling trails, often choosing to walk them again and again.

The rise in its popularity in modern times is often attributed to the Martin Sheen movie ‘The Way’ and Paulo Coelho’s book ‘The Pilgrimage’. Since then, books by Shirley MacLaine and the latest Camino-themed movie, ‘The Way, My Way’, only serve to draw many to these routes.

In 2023, almost 4,40,000 ‘pilgrims’, including 181 from India, completed the Camino Santiago, either on foot, by cycle, or horseback to Santiago de Compostela. Most pilgrims will try to walk a minimum of 100 km, collecting ‘stamps’ in their Camino ‘passports’, entitling them to a ‘Compostela’, certifying their journey at the final destination.

“However, it is not about the destination,” says Bangalore-based Lakshmi Karunakaran, who walked the Camino in 2015, “It is all about the journey.” 

Lakshmi found the shared experience of pilgrims walking towards the same destination an opportunity to embrace the diversity on the path. Whether it was the people, the storytelling, the reaching out to help, sharing a smile, or a meal. “The rhythm of the routine of waking up each day to just walk, listening to the sound of your footsteps, nature, and your breath, sends you into a state of meditation”, she says. 

She so enjoyed the journey that the destination of a bustling town, filled with touristy Camino and religious paraphernalia, seemed like an anticlimax.  While she soaked in the joy and positive vibes etched on the faces of those who walk into the cobbled Obraidoiro square, in front of the cathedral, Lakshmi wanted to keep walking, holding on to the peace and spiritual strength she had found on the journey. 

“The Camino calls” is a phrase used to explain the inexplicable. Many pilgrims feel called to undertake the pilgrimage. What is it about the Camino that draws people of all nationalities, beliefs, economic status, abilities, and different age groups? Why would people choose a journey littered with physical, emotional, and mental hurdles? 

Sam Thatte, a marketing and PR consultant based in California, felt the need to do something more than just the regular work-home-work cycle. Chancing upon a YouTube video about the pilgrimage, Sam made a plan and booked his tickets. After walking his first Camino, Sam went back again to volunteer in an albergue in a way to give back to the Camino. 

“It is a way to open your mind and allow yourself to go back to loving yourself,” Sam says.

Making a deliberate list of things he wanted to dwell on as he walked helped him organise his thoughts, finding the peace and acceptance he was looking for, as he considered each issue. 

Like Sam, most pilgrims find that the infrastructure along this pilgrimage is what makes it very doable. From municipal and church run albergues to small and luxury hotels, cafes, and bars, clear signage of the yellow arrow that marks the path, the Camino is manageable for even the most inexperienced hiker. 

Familiar with pilgrims passing through their villages for centuries, the locals have a culture of warmth and kindness, ever ready to help the peregrinos who they can easily identify with the scallop shell that is tied to their backpacks. 

Walking the Camino with my sister Mary-Lou

The Camino, like every other area of our lives today, is not free from influencer culture. A pilgrim I met en route merely blinked at a selfie-taking and vlogging pilgrim,

“Each of us walk our own Camino. Let her walk hers and I’ll walk mine,” she said,

drawing on the acceptance she had found on the trail as she continued on, to soak in some more of the camino’ s real magic. 

One thing I do know is that by sharing the same purpose, walking towards a common destination, we sync with our breath as we learn mindfulness. We become aware of nature around us, our experiences make us re-examine our way of being. We begin to open ourselves physically and emotionally…overcoming our physical limitations, being aware of the needs of others, pushing through our own, to offer guidance, help, or just a kind word, we become aware of and respectful to those of others. One of the most important gifts that the Camino provides is that of being able to push through our defences, opening ourselves to receive.

Yet despite the pitfalls of modern social media, the Camino holds on to its roots as a religious journey. However, today it is initiated by inner goals in a more personal, interpretive, and spiritual way, one that continues to open its arms to everyone who feels its call. 

 I couldn’t help but wonder whether walking the Camino is a form of escapism or a microcosm of how we should live in our world. 

“ Ultreia!” a rallying cry of pilgrims on the Camino, urges us to go above and beyond, which can be translated to the Camino of our own life. “Buen Camino!” 

“When in doubt, just take the next small step” ― Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage