092309 Day Ten

Location: Sahagun, Castilla y Leon, Spain
Date: 092409, 6:33 Pm


Supplies:
9 pieces of Dentyne Ice -appears to attract tiny sand flies. (Man, that really needs to be on the label.)
still no oxicotin
22 pretzel sticks -appear to be missing a pretzel stick (Rats!! Darn ninja!)
1 very mush pastry
1 topical antibiotic
1 paper tape
1 old plain yogurt
35 small spoons -don´t ask
1 nail clippers (goal)
0 jeans (goal)

I left Itero de la Vega after waking at 6:30 AM and not being able to sleep because of some noisy old Italian dudes. Again I was lucky enough to follow the stars. I followed Orion´s arrow tip westward into the hot dry plains of Spain. Question, why do they take a siesta in Spain? Answer, because during this time of the day Spain becomes the a freakin hot dry, shadesless, desert (I am talking surface of the sun hot, yo). I had orginally planned to make today another short day, however, in a fit of madness (probably due to the sun) or arrogance I decided to try to go longer. I ended up going 28 kilometers. The last 8 were in the hot blazing sun. I was fortunate to find a hippie bar in the middle where I could get water (I had run out) and a cerveza(beer). In the heat everything looks closer than it is. My crooked legs have never walked such a straight line in my life as when I walked the last 4.2 kilometers to Villasirga. I walked into town and went straight to the albergue. I reached the albergue to find out that I had been fortunate enough to take the very last bed, even though at the last minute I had been passed by 3 bikers who must have made a wrong turn because they were shut out. (Yeah buddy!) The man running the albergue along with his wife was Gunner from Cologne Germany. He was very nice and talked like Darth Vader. (He really did. I tried to get him to Luke I am your father but had not luck. No, I didn´t.) He was a very helpful dude who answered many questions I had regarding bus and train travel. He and his wife were very kind people. They really made me feel welcome. At this point in the journey my total focus is getting to Madrid on time. If I get stuck in a remote place in the countryside I may not be able to get back to Madrid in time to make my flight. I tried to nap but couldn´t (My brain was still basically on fire from the death march in the desert. So what´s better to put out a fire than the local watering hole across the way -10 meters from the front door of the albergue. ) I had a beer and bought 3 for some other pilgrims who came crawling in, Carlos from Texas, Wagner from Brazil, and some other gal from Estrella Spain who gave me 2 cookies. I went back in and tried to sleep. Failing at this again I went back to the cantina ordered a gin & tonic, sat in the shade outside the cantina before dinner, and IM´d my brother to tell him he is still a loser (nice). I then ate dinner, drank wine, consumed a rice and cream desert, and went to bed hoping I could get some solid sleep. Tomorrow, I need to first walk 5.8 kilometers to the city of Carrion de los Condes and then start to draft an exit strategy.

Later...