Chapter One
Whenever I travel, I prefer to do it light; however, seven pounds of lightness
was new to me. Having done the trek herself, my Brazilian friend Anna Strong
warned me that each ounce I carried in my backpack would become tons after a few
weeks. Sooo...shoes would be essential and must be carefully selected — just
one pair to walk in and one pair to put on at the end of each day. I have always
had trouble with extraneous sounds while sleeping. I knew I would be sleeping in
shelters (refugios) along the way with many others who snored, coughed,
talked, and dreamed out loud. I wondered about my ever-present sound machine.
Too heavy, I decided. I couldn't carry the batteries. I opted instead for
earplugs, even though I had been told by my homeopath and acupuncturist that
earplugs obstructed the meridians to the kidneys. I carried a light sleeping
bag, two pairs of socks, two pairs of panties, two T-shirts, a small towel, a
small washcloth, one bar of soap, one pair of shorts, one pair of light leggings
to shield me from the sun's rays, some homeopathic remedies (for giardiases,
nausea, cuts and bruises), Band-Aids, Nu Skin, adhesive tape, a water bottle
(there woul ... read full excerpt from: The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit ebook
