You Be Trippin' - Camino de Santiago w/ Jasmin Shah | You Be Trippin' with Ari Shaffir

Episode Date: May 27, 2024

SPONSORS: -Visit https://sheath.com with promo code ARI and get 20% off your order On this episode of You Be Trippin’, Jasmin Shah hikes a really long way across the Camino del Norte all alone. There, she experiences the beautiful coastal views, friendly locals, and foggy mornings along the 512 mile journey. On the show, she talks about not having a home, living life as a nomad, and almost falling off a cliff. The two also discuss and taking photos on film, getting rained on, and how to get proof that you completed the trip. Sounds like a really long walk. Buen Camino! ‌ You Be Trippin' Ep. 16 https://www.instagram.com/arishaffir https://www.instagram.com/youbetrippinpod https://store.ymhstudios.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever won an award for photography? No. Never? Okay, I was going to say an award-winning photographer. Hold on a minute, one second. My parents think I'm pretty. Okay. Where you been and where you going?

This is Ari's Travel Show, yeah. We're going to talk about travel today. It's UB Trippin', yeah. Hello, everybody. Welcome to UB Trippin', yeah Hello everybody, welcome to UB Trippin', the travel podcast that takes you to interesting places around the world. It's not a travel guide, it is an experiential podcast. Today I have on a woman I met in Paris, France at a Rolf Potts writing class, an accomplished photographer and an accomplished traveler herself. Please welcome Jasmine Shaw. Hi, thank you.

Jasmine, where are we going today? We are going to the Camino de Santiago, specifically Camino del Norte in Spain. Very cool. I love a hike. Yeah. So I had not heard of this until Michelle Wolfe told me about it. I didn't know anything about it,

but it's pretty famous. Very famous. It's been around for hundreds thousands of years whoa yeah what is it it is a pilgrimage hike it started as a religious hike but um it now i think maybe about only 15 of the people were oh yeah is it i got a map here so So it's from around here. It's from France into Spain? Well, there's multiple versions that are – there's like multiple different routes. So I picked – anyway, so the normal is just the Camino de Santiago. And then I did the Camino del Norte, which is – hugs like starts in the Basque region and Irun, Spain. And it goes hugs the northern coast of Spain.

And then the last week I go down into Santiago. They all end in Santiago de Compostela. OK. And so it's like is the Norte and the Sur. Is that it? Are they the same amount of time? There's the Camino Frances, which is what, like there was a movie with Martin Sheen. No, not Martin. Who's the dad? Charlie Sheen?

No. Oh, Martin Sheen. It was Martin Sheen. That he did called The Way. And that's the Camino Frances. And that kind of, that goes from France and like kind of more like through Pamplona. But it's more central, and the route that I did hugs the northern coast,

and so you're seeing the coast the whole time, and it's really beautiful, but also really hilly that I hadn't accounted for. Yeah, it's hard. Yeah. Oh, I should also say, Jasmine is an accomplished photographer. I gotta give people,

especially when you're not a comic, I gotta give people some credit so people take you seriously. But regardless, she's a traveler. Yes, I am a traveler. I'm a nomad, also. Are you not a comic, I give people some credits so people take you seriously. But regardless, she's a traveler. Yes, I am a traveler. I'm a nomad also. Are you really? Yes.

I don't have a home. Yeah. I haven't had a home since July 1st, 2019. Really? Yeah. Since before pandemic. Yeah. Awkward timing because that made it really hard.

Yeah. Yeah. And then I lived in a van for a year, sold the van this March, and then now I'm back to traveling. Mostly only in America or everywhere? The van? No, I mean just Nomad Life in general. So the Nomad Life started off with an international bent so i was traveling all over and then i was in morocco actually march up to march 14 2020

march 15 2020 when shit was going down with covid and so i hustled back to the u.s because i just didn't know what was going on and then um and then yeah covid figured i didn't have a house to stay in place at so i just luckily had some friends who i was like able to crash at their place and then eventually i road trip all over the u.s just in a rental car and then i bought a van had it built in my home and i lived in that for a year now i sold that and now i'm back to international nomading. You know what I understand? You ever hear somebody try to explain space to a kid?

The Infinity version of it? And they're like, it goes on forever. And they're like, but what's after that? It just keeps going. And then what? There is no then what. It just keeps going. My thing with nomads is like, but where do you live?

It's like, you don't? But there's a difference in that and just backpacking, travel. My thing with nomads is like, but where do you live? It's like, you don't? But there's a difference in that and just backpacking, travel. Do you hole up somewhere? I'm actually going in December, January, I'm going to Mexico City for two months. And that's going to be a pretty long stay for me. And I'm really looking forward to that. Just having a base.

It might be time for me to start figuring out like a little bit of a base. But no, I've just been bouncing. And it's really great. I'm really tiring. It is very, very cool. But it's, yeah. But that's what gives me time to go on a walk for five weeks. Yeah, I've always wanted to do this.

Because most people don't have the time for that. Yeah, not at all. Yeah. That, I want to go, like, you know, buy a bike in, like, southern Vietnam and then, like, sell it in northern Vietnam or vice versa. And it's, like, three or four weeks at a time. You've got to, like, carve out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So let's talk about this one.

Okay, yes. How long had you been thinking about this? It had been, I'd heard about it probably like 10 years ago. So it was always there, but I think I hadn't had time for it and hadn't. But it was just like, oh, that seems like an interesting walk. And yes, it started as a religious pilgrimage, but now it's like maybe 10, 15% of people do it. Are doing it for that reason. Yeah, I didn't. It was mostly people who just felt like going for a long walk

you know what I think about brutalist architecture yeah so there's these they're not called Berlin something with a B husband and wife team and they just photograph

these like factories they think they're just gorgeous these factories and they're works of art and people ask them like what do they make in there and they're like

we don't give a shit it's got nothing to do with why we like it right you know it's like oh I like Mexico like how we don't give a shit. It's got nothing to do with why we like it. It's like, oh, I like Mexico. How was it formed as a country?

You're like, what? I like it now. It's so funny with these things too. It's like, is it a pilgrimage? I'm like, I guess. I'm not interested in the history.

No. I mean, unless you know it. No, I mean, I went to the museum at the very end and looked around and it's slightly interesting but it was more about the walk.

Okay. So how many days? what are you prepared for oh were you a hiker ahead of time yeah i like hiking oh so i had known about it for a long time and then two months prior i had my grandmother died my cousin died and i sold my van and uh i just needed some time to walk it out and like think and stuff. So then I just basically planned it. Like I had a month and a half before and just kind of was like, you know what?

I've got some free time ahead and it's the end of May, June. Let me go do that walk. And then that's how that came about. Look at this fucking idiot. I i told you it's always in and out come on dude go go go go if you're gonna go um sorry that's okay up come on up up up bandit up, up. Bandit. Up, up, up, up, up. Do it.

Yeah. What's up, buddy? Okay. First of all, this is awesome. The alone time is what I envy the most. Yes. Yes. Did you get, I mean, I could see people saying it'd be lonely, but I would be like, yeah,

it'd be so nice. I mean, as a nomad, I am alone a lot because I'm just out in the world away from friends and family. But I was because of I just really wanted to think and I really. So the Camino del Norte is a less traveled one than the Camino Frances. Is that why you chose that one? Yeah. Yeah. So I chose it because I wanted one and also the coastal views as a photographer.

It just looked beautiful. Yeah. So I wanted that. And As a photographer, it just looked beautiful. So I wanted that. And, you know, it just looked epic. But it also looked like many less people. And so until like some of the days when I wouldn't see a fellow pilgrim. You wouldn't see anybody? For a whole day sometimes.

And then I was like, okay, this might be pretty lonely. Or this is maybe a little more than I thought. But most of the time I would see other pilgrims. And you can always see people on the locals and the bars and cafes that you're stopping at. So it goes through towns? Yeah. It goes through towns. It goes through. And yes, I hike a a lot so that was easy but you don't need a whole lot of technical skill

to do this it's just walking it's not like scrambling or anything there are a couple moments but no but you are carrying a heavy pack you're carrying everything that you need for the whole entire time which for me it, it was five weeks, um, 515 miles, 515 miles. Yeah. Let's get back to it for a second. But like when you're done with this, yeah, you must feel cool. Right. I mean, you must feel like sick. I felt accomplished, but honestly I was, I got kind of depressed after, um, because the thing that I'd been doing for five weeks that made every single day just like super like wake up, you know, you know, brush my teeth, put on sunscreen, get my pack all sorted, get everything ready. And just like it's a matter of like how much am I hiking that day? Like usually between 10 and 22, 23 miles a day.

And so that was all I had to do was just walk and then once i finished it was like fuck like what do i do what's your life now how yeah i think women get like that after childbirth and then like i wouldn't know men and women both get like that after a wedding where it's like it's all geared towards this thing and then like but then it's like now what you know i don't know yeah i get like that after i do a comedy special yeah it's like a depression of like oh fuck that's over yeah so it was very like just obviously i felt fucking awesome when i walked into santiago de compostela and was like i did it because i didn't know there were some points where I really was unsure.

My feet stirred. I really screwed up my feet a little bit in the process. And so I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it. You thought about quitting? No. Never? That's not my personality. I wouldn't.

Unless physically, I really's not my personality. I wouldn't. Unless like physically I really fucked up my feet. But I think I was okay. I just had to tape them up and like do all this stuff to keep going. Is this a specific time of year or just keeps going? It's not like a race. No. And you can start any day you want to start.

Everyone starts whenever they feel like starting. And then you also can hike just like some people just hike a week of it. Or some people hike, go fly in, especially the locals or Spaniards just will hike a week and then they'll go back to their job. And then the next year they'll hike the next week and do that. Oh, wow. And they're like starting to go back to that place they finished and then keep going like a video game. Yeah. But I had the time and also I am a very kind of like I want to do the thing as it's supposed to be done. So I did the whole thing. I have so many fucking questions. And solo. And solo, right.

People do it together a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I wouldn't. I think I saw some people that were together that were like, you're lucky. Actually, let's take a side for a second. Okay.

The difference between solo travel and group travel. I wouldn't really know much about group travel. Really? I very rarely do it. Most people don't have the time to travel like I do. I mean, obviously, no one else is a nomad. I have traveled with friends. I do have friends.

I always find it's just a thing of like every decision has to be by committee. Yeah, I don't like that. You can't just be like, oh, I'm going here. It has to be like, are you guys okay with this? Right. Or like, let's say I don't feel like going today. I was like, we can all stop. You know, I'd be like, no, no, you guys go.

My shin's hurt. Right. And it's just so annoying. Right. It is nice to be able to talk but like i've had some amazing trips with friends like going up to um up to ladakh in india like with a friend and just like this amazing kind of we were up in the mountains and just like i just remember like laughing so much and it was really fun. You know, we just, and then we have such these like shared experiences. So that trip was like a good trip. But I've also had some where it's just like, just not quite vibing with each other and it can get really stressful. I'm much more of a like.

Also, how do you walk away? I'm much more of a like also how do you walk away if it's like at home if it's here in New York and like we're like you know friends and then we're just like I'm not feeling you anymore

or right now you're just like I'm like no I'm busy and you just want to talk you can't really do that when you're on a trip together like what do you mean you're busy we're here together

you know my trick is I usually go for a run in the morning and then sometimes my run is just going to get a coffee and sitting quietly by myself and throw water on your face and my god i'll bring you a coffee though i'll always bring a coffee back yeah um so tell me more about this because okay so that's so much i want to

fucking tell you it's so cool but like i did a hike in myanmar and it was like a four-day hike some people were like hey this is the thing we all did you know when you're like here from other travelers right something cool yeah okay knew maybe two is a thing we all did, you know, when you're like here from other travelers, something cool. Okay, knew maybe two of the people, and then met up on a group. And then we realized one of my friends was on it from Austria, and she goes, they have these hiker huts in Austria,

and you just go up and stay up in the Alps, you hike from hut to hut to hut, four to eight hours. It's different, it's not through towns. But then we had this theory that there's like, and this one is probably the most famous one, the one you did. That there are these

super long multi-day hikes, the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Coast Trail. There's probably that everywhere. There's one in Japan. Probably a ton in China. There's one in Japan. That seems really interesting.

Like Buddhist temples. Really? Yeah. Oh, what an episode so far, huh you got to check out jasmine's photos they're amazing they're really amazing they'll take you places uh she's on on just on regular website jasmine shah j-a-s-m-i-n-e-s-h-a-h.com and on uh instagram why don't you give her a follow i think i bet we could double her follows right now

she barely has any it's crazy she's addicted to the art and not to the promotion Jasmine Shaw photo on Instagram I am I'm having a blast

I got shows coming up in Brisbane and Sydney then that's the end of my tour right now I'm on the Great Ocean Road um then that's the end of my tour. Right now I'm on the Great Ocean Road. It's such a fun trip.

You'll hear about all this trip on the Patreon. This week's Patreon. Patreon.com slash YouBeTrippin. That's it. Check out my specials, Drew. Check out Jasmine. Give her a follow right now. Let's get back to the episode

oh, I heard vinyls, they're going to up the amount of signed ones the totals made are still going to be $1,000 but they figured out a way so until the pre-order is done you can get signed vinyls shipped to you as well as the Shroomfest shirts

July 20th, 21st, 22nd this year stuff will all go out in July, probably first week of july maybe second week grinders are also available all at the website rhfear.com please tell me i was in this i like to have fun everybody fuck your studio back to the episode yeah so like it's just this thing of of like i don't know hiking from spot to spot but this one is through towns that's way different so like where'd you eat how did you decide or like what do you do so the thing that made this so appealing over like the appalachian trail or pacific coast trail or any of that stuff is like you get to stay they're called albergues they're essentially hostels but they're for pilgrims or sometimes they're just like normal

hostels um or towns and then there's actually hotels and whatever but you don't have to ever camp so you're not like carrying all your shit you don't have to carry your food or a stove or sleeping bag or you carry a sleeping bag because some of the um i actually have like the silk sleep sack thing and then like a little blanket that i yeah um and that was enough for me for the time line that i was there it wasn't super cold it was actually really hot most of the time so that's fine um so then you have these albergues that are like anywhere from donation based or like 20 25 euros a night um but you're in a bunk you know room with a bunch of other pilgrims um and some are you can reserve head but some are you just like walk up which um and then and then settling were you like are they gonna have a space yeah i didn't like that

i think my being an american thing like started to make kind of hard and also you're walking a lot i didn't want to be fucking tired and then they're like you got to go to the next town i'm like no i don't want to go to the next town i'm done i did push it yeah so there was an hour ago there was one day that i really was just like pushing i had chosen the sometimes there was multiple routes on the way. And I had an app that kind of like gave the way. And I always chose the, there sometimes be like a little easier inner one that would be on roads. And then there'd be a coastal version. So you were really on the coast, but you were on trails sometimes.

And then you're going up and down, up and down constantly. And I chose that one that one day. And it was so beautiful, up and down constantly. And I chose that one that one day and it was so beautiful, but so fucking high. I was just like, I think I cried that day. Really? Yeah. There was multiple days.

It was like crying because of just exhaustion. Yeah. And like, will I make it? And then I finally got to this. I mean, what is this thing? You're building really parts. I don't understand what it is yeah um and then just being stressed like will i make it will i get a bed i don't know because that

that particular town there wasn't many options so i was you know usually if there if the albergue is sold out you could find something else or you know that just involves spending a little more money which i was fine with but um yeah after that i started kind of reserving ahead just because it yeah it would unless like some of the albergues said they had a hundred beds i was like well that's i know i'm good it's fine i don't think i'm like worried but if it's like 30 beds that's stressful and i don't want to have to go really fast walking i want to go slow and stop show up late at night and just go in not even like late but just like if i see a cool so also you don't have to bring any food you just stop at the bars and cafes in spain so you're in spain it's like really good food and rural spain some rural sometimes

cities like you go through everything you just i just, I mean, 550 miles, you're walking through everything. So I would get up and then get ready and head out and then go to find my first little, usually, I mean, they just call them bars. They start drinking pretty early there, but you can also get coffee. So I would get a cortado and then a little bite to eat, usually a tortilla Espanola, which is egg and potato, and then have that, start walking, usually hit and get another cortado somewhere along the line.

And then after that switch to beers. Really? Yeah. Yeah, I'm walking really slow. So it was it was fine it was like it's nourishment and then then get a sandwich i mean i really yeah it's like it is carb i was like i'm walking that's fine um i wouldn't like have multiple yeah at a location be like one and then go um and. And then I never really brought food with me. I very rarely had even food in my pack because I always felt fairly confident

I would be able to find something. There were some days that were longer stretches and I would bring food. Bars? Yeah. Or, you know, nuts and fruit and whatever. Or sometimes I would have like some jamon and some bread and make a little sandwich for myself on the way yeah well with language an issue i don't speak spanish very

well i speak a little bit i was trying to learn more um i don't know if you're if you travel a lot i just have it it doesn't bother me to not be able to communicate always like perfectly. I feel like I'm pretty good at miming and like getting through or being okay with like – I can get through like my basic necessities like food, bathroom, water, all of that. So if you can do that, then – Do you learn any words when you go to places like that or other places? Yeah. I mean, I try to. I try to do one through three.

Please, bathroom, food, just food. I don't have to go to a restaurant or whatever. Just food. And then like, where is. Yeah. And then please, thank you. Yeah. But like, that's enough to get by with my.

Right. That's enough. Yeah. I also learn. I've started to learn. like I'm full, weirdly enough, because sometimes locals want to just like keep feeding you. That's a good word. I had never left the U.S. until I moved to Japan when I was 25, much like Rolf, I think, was like he had moved to Korea. Rolf, I think, was like, he had moved to Korea.

And one of the first things I learned and still remember is onaka-i-pai, which means I'm full because they would just like keep feeding you. Oh, wow. And then after just getting back from India, it's bus was the. Enough. Yeah, enough. It's so funny. It is really good too. And then you're like, if you're like, I can't be like, you're not going to finish

on your plate. Like, it's my third help. Why don't you put more on my plate? Yeah. And they just get so mad at you. So, but that they generally get impressed. If you can say it in the language, then they're like, oh, respect. Okay.

Then you can be done. Yeah. So. But yeah, no, I was able to communicate enough. I would get frustrated sometimes. I mean, I would want to talk, especially on the days when I wouldn't see any pilgrims. It would be nice to communicate a little bit more with locals. see any pilgrims it would be nice to like communicate a little bit more with locals but um like in the bosque region they would speak bosque and then which that i didn't that i didn't

know at all um and that's right in spain they speak like three multiple dialects yeah um or languages actually bosque is like different than we speak in barcelona it's something else catalan catalan yeah it's like related like that one's more related bosque is not related at all Actually, Bosca is like different than. We speak in Barcelona. It's something else. Catalan. Catalan. Yeah. It's like related. That one's more related. Bosca is not related at all. I actually did learn some words in Bosca because, you know, you're walking slowly and so you're going through the region. It's not like you're there for a day.

You're there for like a week and a half. So it was. Yeah. You know what I like about travels? Like what's Spain like? And you're like, it depends where. Oh, yeah. It's like I'm saying what's America like? Right. I don't know. What are you know what I like about travel is like what's Spain like? And you're like, it depends where. Oh, yeah. It's like I'm saying what's America like?

Right. I don't know. What are you talking about? Right. It's wildly different. Yeah. The language is different. That's nuts.

Right. And then at the end I was in Galicia. That's also a different language. Yeah. What surprised you about this? What kind of things were you like not expecting at all that were like oh um what surprised me um maybe you're super prepared i don't know no i wasn't prepared i think i didn't i was prepared

and i really didn't know what was going to happen you know like i just didn't have I was prepared and I really didn't know what was gonna happen you know like I just didn't have I was prepared for like not knowing what the fuck I was doing yeah so I was just prepared

and that um I was just gonna go and see I can't think of what surprised me did anything disappoint you? um

were you hoping for that you didn't get to? Get to see or get to, I don't know. No huge, like, stories for me. I was hoping maybe I might meet some people that would be, you know, I've seen, this was like something I've seen some people talk about like their Camino friends that they, you know, but I also realized, yeah, which I actually made some friends. I'm so any, my friends, I did make some friends and I have that, but I didn't have the, where I joined and then just like had this like immense bond,

but you know why? Because I wanted to walk alone. So that was my fault too, is I would shy away from the larger groups of walking and stuff. I mean, it's a give and take when you want to do that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the way you did it was you're a photographer. Yes.

So I remember when you talked to the class about it in Paris, it was like that you wanted to get back to like real film like talk about that a little bit like your relationship film and yeah so yeah so i'm a photographer and when i first started photography i started in film um but it's been 17 no even more than that it's been a very long time since i've uh shot with film it's all digital it's all digital um and i just i i just knew i wanted to photograph because it makes me i know it would bum me out to not have a camera even though i wanted to this to not be like a work trip necessarily or make it like all about photographing so I thought about like back to my roots of photography and the first camera I ever used was a Pentax K1000 and I thought let me just take that and take film and then I also took a Holga for fun which is square it's a plastic camera Holga? It's a plastic camera. It's kind of like a toy camera.

It's really light. But it's medium format and square images. And it kind of has this like dreamy quality about it because there'll be light leaks and all this stuff. So I brought that. But that meant I brought like 35 rolls of film and two cameras, which ended up adding quite a bit of weight to the pack. And you can't like once I would shoot the film, I mean, I have to keep carrying it. So there's no way to like offload anything.

It's just like I was carrying it. So that was a, but that's on me. I'm just used to always having to carry a lot of stuff. This is the problem with souvenir taking on like long trips where it's like really the only way to do it. I remember I got this in Myanmar and then hiked around until I think I went to Thailand after Myanmar.

And I'm like, what the fuck do I do it's just taking up room right you have a backpack and that's it and just taking up room and then eventually I was like oh I gotta find a just a post office right and like send it home the slowest way possible yeah it seems like that might

be the only way to do it is like I gotta get rid of this along the way yeah with film I got a little like that would just kill me yeah Yeah. You know, it can go through sensors and stuff like that. I just didn't want to do that. Hi, everybody. Today's episode of You Be Trippin' is brought to you by Sheath Underwear. Guys, Sheath Underwear has come with me to the most exotic places in the globe. Yeah. I asked them for a pair before I went to Guatemala. Did not realize there was tons of hiking to be there, to be had in Guatemala.

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Use your promo code. Promo code Ari. I'll see you later. It's possible that it's sheath.com. Promo code Ari. I'll see you later. It's possible that it's sheath.com. Promo code Ari. Try both. Promo code Ari. So I just kind of carried it and dealt with it.

And it was a really interesting experience, too, to shoot with film again instead of digital because for so many years and working, you know, I would, if I see one thing I want to photograph, I'll take a picture, look at it, and I'll be like, you know, I would, if I see one thing I want to photograph, I'll take, I'll take a picture, look at it and I'll be like, Oh, and I'll like take a bunch more or like check. And now it was like, if I saw something, I would take a picture and then there was nothing to look at, nothing to compare, nothing to know if I got it or not got it. I just like would put it back in my waste pack and then not think about it. It was like a really nice gift to myself to just like shoot it. And then I'll see in a couple of weeks if it's good or not.

Yeah. There's a thing now, I mean, you've been traveling so long. What did you start a year ish to like traveling and getting lost? Uh, like first international was 2001, 2001 pre cell phones,

pre smartphones. Yeah. Pre-cell phones. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pre-smartphones. Yeah. So like the difference between, you must have seen a change in hostels or wherever. Oh, yeah. The difference between like

people being able to connect versus not. And then the taking the picture and the constant taking pictures, unlimited film versus limited film. Right, right. I see this all the time in New York or anywhere.

There'll be a cool shot. Yeah. Roses or something like that. And you see people, they're almost embarrassed to take the picture because as soon as they get it, they walk off. And you're like, stop, literally stop and smell the roses. But they can't do it. Yeah.

This seems so freeing, the way you did it. Yeah, it was great. It was a nice, like, I wanted it also as maybe it would make me think differently when I got my digital camera back and was working, you know, just like thinking about it because I had to kind of, I had a limited amount of film and I had a very long walk ahead of me. So I also had to kind of judge like how many photos can I take a day? So I started off taking a lot of photos and then I was like, Whoa, I gotta be careful. Cause I might like blow through the film. And then I like went a week where I took hardly any photos. Cause I like pulled way back. And then I kind of got into a groove after a week where I took hardly any photos because I like pulled way back

and then I kind of got into a groove after that where I could just like and basically what I chose to photograph was just like what am I seeing what do I want to remember what is interesting to me and not always like the most epic photograph I mean I would inherently try to make it interesting of a photograph but um it was it was just like whatever whatever just like made me curious what type of stuff would you be into like faces faces but I did less of that I don't know there was something less portraits than I normally do that's normally what I photograph um but more just kind of landscape um people's like houses laundry on a line beautiful light the beautiful like the hay um the weird the huge huge bales of hay which I will always if I smell this smell again I will

be taken right back to the Camino. It's the smell of hay that's been sitting for a really long time. It's this weird, sweetly fermented smell that's kind of unpleasant, but also really nice. It's a very specific smell that was almost every day I would smell it along the way. Is it farmland there? Yeah. There was a lot of farmland and. Yeah.

You ever drive through like a cow pat and you're like, ew, but like. Yeah. So sometimes it'd be like mixed with manure, which wasn't great, but sometimes it would just be the hay, but it was very like a sweet fermented smell of hay. So I would took some pictures of hay. Have you smelled that since? No. You have not?

No. I haven't been any farmland since. If you get one of those smells immediately take it back somewhere else. That one I know. That one will take me back. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah, these pictures are a cool way to remember.

And it's like, what do you take? And the idea of I only get one shot at this seems like it'd be way freeing. The idea of like, I only get one shot at this seems like it'd be way freeing. Instead of taking like, on my phone, it's always like seven of almost the same shot, trying to get it perfect. And then they're like the same. And sometimes, I mean, even I'm a photographer and I can like sometimes see the difference between photos. I was like, why did I like take that many photos of that one thing?

And it's like, whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was actually going to ask you about the smells. Oh, yeah. That's interesting. How much does this cost? Well, it costs nothing to do.

I mean, just to be on the trail. You're just hiking or walking. So it's just really hotels instead of a hotel. Where did you start? What city did you start in? Arun. Ar started irun irun so let's say you're hanging out in irun it's just like you're either in a hotel there or you're in a hotel nine miles away right and eight miles from there yeah four miles yeah yeah it's just hotels yeah or albergues yeah yeah yeah so that cost is the same right and actually so um i would stay in albergues which were pretty inexpensive but then sometimes it's hard i don't know staying in bunk beds um

with like a whole bunch of people yeah and you're really tired so i started looking in occasionally to solo rooms and they would be like sometimes 40 euros and i was like you know what go for it that like in your own bathroom and then you can um because you would i was washing my clothes every night in the sink just be really nice like you just like go in the room like strip wash all your clothes like shower relax like just be like, ah, no backpack, no nothing. Then get ready, go out. It was just more pleasant. No, no people snoring. Yeah.

You know, do you ever have those, any of those super long beds where it's just like, you're just like your spots from here to here. They're just like pillow. And so you have to get up like towards the foot of your bed and you can't like sleep with your elbow out. You'll just be elbowing somebody. Wait, you were like. It was just a long, like a 30 foot long mattress.

Oh. And they're just like. No, I didn't have that. They put eight pillows up. No. Oh, really? No. I was the worst one.

And you're like, there's nowhere to like not hit somebody. No, no. I had that where it's like a long bed where, you know, I felt like maybe there was one where it was like here, but it's just like one really long mattress, but twin size. And so then one person's here, one person's in the middle, and then one person's at the end. So it's like, do you want the feet by your head or do you want? Oh, right.

Yeah. But I'm 5'2", so that's not too much of a problem for me. Oh, right. Yeah. Did it feel safe at all? Oh unsafe to ever feel no i travel all over generally by myself so i have a pretty good sense of like what to do and not to i've never really gotten never had anything bad happen so and this is just walking I mean obviously there's like shit could go down

if there's a horrible person on the trail but you're just walking I felt really like everyone was the locals that you pass through the towns everyone was really nice like I wasn't sure like maybe they'd be annoyed by these pilgrims but they're very used to it.

It's what's been happening for hundreds of years. Yeah. Right. Right. So it's like not weird for somebody. No. And it's, you know, you're spending money, so that's good, too. But no, I felt safe.

And yeah. So the cost is, you know, the cost of your albergue or hotel or whatever. Twenty five to forty. Yeah. Not much. you know the cost of your albergue or hotel or whatever um 25 to 40 yeah not much or like zero to 40 because if you stay in albergue that's donation not zero i would i probably gave 20 there so five to i think the cheapest one was five euros to 40 and i was there in europe while the dollar was just getting stronger and stronger to the end where it was just the same so we're in paris it was like yeah it's, it's actually not this cheap. You just make this cheap.

Yeah. And it was so cheap. Yeah. It was nice. Not crazy like Asia or like, like Latin America, but like, like really nice meals for like six,

like you couldn't even come close to that in New York. I know this is an expensive town, but like, yeah, yeah. I love it. Yeah. And then like the coffees,

a Cortado would be a Euro 50. Oh, great. You know, um, yeah, I loved it. Yeah. And then like the coffees, a cortado would be a euro 50. Oh, great. You know, the breakfast would be maybe with the tortilla espanol breakfast would be three to four euros. Sometimes I would throw in some orange juice, you know, slash out. And then lunch would be, you know, a bocadillo, just a sandwich. Dinner also. Like it was generally food was pretty inexpensive. Spain is pretty inexpensive compared to even Paris.

So that was not bad. Occasionally you would have like the good lunch deals that you would get the starter, the main. On where's this? Yeah. On where's this? Did they call them that? That's lunch. Yeah.

Maybe. In Ecuador, that was the term for a set meal was just lunch. Okay. It was like on where's. But it's like Tienes on where's. It meant like do you have the lunch deal? Oh, yeah. And they were like $2.50, $3.

It was more than that. But it would be like 10 euros to 18 euros was like a really fancy one. But also included like wine. Wow. I did do one time I walked with a woman and we got a really fancy lunch, like a set, and had wine. And that was the rest of the hike that day a little rough because it was like a really big lunch and like wine split a bottle of wine and then walked 10 more miles and that was like oof but um it was also one of the most enjoyable meals because it was

it was nice to sometimes share that yeah yeah what other type of person was on this what are the other pilgrims like were they from so it started off i felt like i saw a bunch of people from the states and i was kind of like i want to see that but then i took a couple day break because i had um years ago i was in a car accident hurt my back um and the carrying the triggered, like it flared up the one spot on my back. So I had to take a couple day break. And so that kind of got me off the timeline of who I'd started the first couple days with. And so then I was a different timeline of people. And then it was like I didn't really see Americans for, like I got off this.

I don't know why it would have been that I was on this. It was just like random. But then I was with mostly Europeans. And that was – Cooler. Yeah. Yeah. It's like I don't want to talk to people from – yeah.

I saw – I had a picture of myself in maybe Myanmar. Yeah. And I remember posting some comments like, that's a lot of white people. And I'm like, yeah, but they're Germans and English people. It's still like you meet other travelers. Right. Yeah. You talk about like, how much vacation time do you get in Australia?

Yeah, you're learning about other cultures. While in a third culture. Yeah. Yeah, you're learning about other cultures. While in a third culture. Yeah. Yeah. So, and then, yeah, a lot of Spaniards, a lot of, I became friends with these two Italian guys. Oh, those ones you had a picture of?

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That we just kept running into. We talked a bunch at an albergue. So I would go sometimes to the solo once i started got a taste for like getting my own room i was like this is really nice yeah so but then because i was by myself that would just be like walking all day and then being by myself at night and i'm okay

with that but sometimes i would just get a little too lonely, you know, and it was like, um, an introverted, extroverted, introverted, no introverted. I don't know. Whatever. I'm both. But I, I definitely need my time alone to recharge that. I definitely. They say, regardless of what you are, it's just like, you need a certain amount of alone

time and a certain amount. Like I need more alone time than together. Right. Yeah. But then at some point you're like, Hey, it might be after two months more alone time than together. Right. Yeah. But then at some point, you're like, hey, it might be after two months, like I gotta have a conversation.

Yeah, no, maybe it's like after a couple days. Yeah. A couple days, yeah. That's when I always get the most social. Yeah. I'm super lonely and I'm not able to just talk to strangers.

Yeah. But after being so lonely, it's like you just sit down with people like, where are you guys from? Yeah. I'm like, this is how people really normally are? Just friendly?

It feels so cool. Yeah. No. And that's the nice thing about the Camino is that if you see someone with a backpack, you can just talk to them. You know they're doing that thing. And you have this shared thing you can talk about. That was the other depressing thing about finishing. And I was back to being solo, but without any reason to just talk to a stranger.

And I was like, Oh, I'm just going to be back to being alone again, which it's okay, but intense sometimes. And, and harder for me, I get nervous about like approaching people,

but the Camino made it really easy. And that was a nice thing. What do you think about this? I have this theory that I've never really done when you see at the airport you'll see somebody that's a backpacker yeah it's like a hosteler you know they have a big backpack maybe the yoga mat sleeping mat thing and just just like they have stories so just like where you been tell them about some place cool and And they'll just start sharing. But I never do it, but I always wanted to. Yeah. Yeah. Did you, was there any, like, romance shit?

Or not really? No. No. That was maybe one of my disappointments. That you thought maybe. Some Spanish fling for two stops. Yeah. Yeah.

No. But it's fine. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah yeah it would be cool someone's out being gone where you're like it just makes everything like ups the romance of the you know yeah yeah what were the toilets like fine always i mean it's bane it's like sit down. Yeah. Yeah. Flush toilet paper. Flush toilet paper. Yeah. All throw away

toilet paper. No. Flush. Yeah. OK. Yeah. That's cool. I think that's just

Latin America mostly. Really. I think so. Asia also. Asia. Yeah. And like Middle East. I think it's a lot of

places but I don't know. Well not Europe I guess. Yeah. I think it's a lot of places, but I don't know. Yeah. Well, not Europe, I guess. Yeah. I've not encountered it in Europe. Yeah, I'm trying to think. That was always pretty easy. I wasn't a fan of the shared bathrooms in the albergues. It was the stalls.

I mean, that's just like hostile stuff too, but it's just like you're like so tired and you're trying to like balance yourself and like wash some stuff and then there's just like some old german dude walking around in a towel and you're like i also hate taking like oh like a real dump with people walking by that i got the face you know yeah it's just like embarrassing and especially if like it's not up to you how it's gonna smell sometimes they smell worse than others and if somebody's like oh like damn it yeah in spain actually so with the bathrooms there are usually

like it's just unisex like sometimes you walk in and and it'll be a shared bathroom and there'll be one stall for women one stall for men but they're like right next to each other so that is a little like yeah as far as that yeah also if i was a chick i would not want to be next to a dude dump it's like this is one of the things that makes you guys better than us well we do shit but yeah but it's not that horrific you know ungodly smell that a man can achieve like are you rotting from the inside um yeah what did you have anything that you're like if you had to tell somebody what to do i want to hear like what you do different and we're like oh you gotta you gotta see this this spot or you gotta get some of these like sandwiches or like you know yeah not even Not even specific spots, but it sounds like the Cortados are really cool. I mean, don't carry too much.

You really need very little stuff. And so it's just like two shirts, one long sleeve shirt. Two shirts? Yeah. Yeah, you wash it at night, right? Yeah. Would you dry at night, right? Yeah. Dry it on your back. Dry it like on hanging in the bunk bed at night or whatever. And then if it wasn't dry by the morning,

you'd pin it to your backpack and dry it while you were walking in the sun. Um, I had a pair of pants and a pair of shorts and, um, I had like a dress that I would use and wear at night after I showered and when I was washing my other clothes. And then I think three pair of underwear. Yeah. Four pairs of socks.

Why four pairs of socks? Did you double up? Sometimes you would change. Yeah. Oh, I got pretty bad blisters. So, yeah, you were. And then. Were you hiking boots or shoes? they were hiking shoes okay and then

they were hokas but i actually ended up leaving those at a hostel somewhere along the night and swearing at them i bought new ones i really did not like them they did not serve me well yeah no could you um that's another thing can you like re-up like you completely tore something could you like you could yeah because you're passing through some of the you're passing through like i passed through bilbao um that's a really big city and then i passed through quijon that was another big city um yeah so you're passing through like and they have pharmacies everywhere so you can just go stop at the pharmacy for whatever you need if you have a cold you can be like get cold medicine yeah you don't need to bring any of that and it's all the same stuff

you know it's not um do you get um i always get beholden to the shit i have so it's like way better to not have it because i'm like i can't drop it and so i carried around two pairs of jeans through the hottest region in the world yeah and so eventually i'm like what the fuck am i doing and she's like here's one yeah um yeah it sounds way smarter as to like not have to not have to be beholden to it and it's like you need it you'll just find it right and yeah you can buy clothes or you i did stop there was a decathlon as a store that's like an kind of rei of europe and um so I think at one point I was like oh I'd rather have like a tank top

so I bought that and like a little I forgot what I bought some other little things but you can buy them

along the way and whatever I felt like I needed do you have period issues sorry yeah is that an issue

for anything I mean as a woman yes it happens but it's you can buy tampons along the way and whatever

and then I think I just left them left the remaining supply at a hostel along the way and I was like

donate yeah I don't want to carry this along I don't need it until I need it again and then when I need it again I'll just stop at a pharmacy. There's almost no chance you're going to get a new period a week later. No, no, no. So I was like set for the rest of the hike. So I was like, done.

Cool. Very cool. be open. Don't, you know, I did start booking ahead sometimes just because I wanted to, but I would only do like a day or two ahead. I wouldn't be booking. Like some people had like their whole thing booked out. And that just seemed like if you just, you're having an off day and you feel like going less, you know, you don't want to like force yourself into having to walk so far or you like

meet some people and you're like you know i want to hang in the hostel they're in and or like just like hang out in the town they're going to be in or you're like i want to be ahead of them because i don't feel like hanging out yeah or just like i never had anywhere where i don't like but i was just like maybe i just want to like get ahead. Could you go away from the, from the Camino a little bit and then back in like off, off the route, then back, you know what I mean?

Like do a little detour. Yeah. But that would have involved walking more. Yeah. Right. So, I mean, I generally stayed on the Camino.

I think one day I walked from the route to dinner and it was an extra three miles round trip. It was to this town that was so cute and beautiful that it was worth it. Along the way. Why? What was cool about it? It was like this old fishing village that looked

the houses were built up on the side and they were colorful colorful and um it was just a really beautiful village but it was you had to go down this big hill that i was like after dinner i had to go back up it but it was i had again i was by myself i had got a room by myself somebody tell you about this place? Someone had mentioned it. And then I checked. I was like, oh, that looks pretty cute. And then I realized where I was staying wasn't too bad.

And I wasn't feeling trash that day. You know, some days you're just like, no, I'm not doing anything. And then some days I had a little more energy. And it seemed appealing to go explore because also like when am i going to be in this random town somewhere on the north coast of spain to have time to go to this so i i walked to it but yeah usually i didn't go too far off because you'd be really tired could you get in a car did you get into any automobiles or any like during this whole time because i imagine like let's just say i'm hiking through America and I get to, like, New York.

Right. And I'm like, I want to go uptown. I'm like, why get in a cab and then keep walking to Boston? Yeah. No. No. So you'd walk everywhere. Yeah.

Damn. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. You just get so used to just walking that you just then walked. And it just, which has been nice since then to just, once you see in a map how far you can walk, you're like, I can walk to my friend's house or I can walk, you know, like what? When I go to LA, I do that. People are like, let's pull over. I'm like, what's wrong with you? I'm like, going to fucking Whole Foods. I can walk, you know, like what? When I go to LA, I do that. People are like, let's pull over.

Like, what's wrong with you? I'm like, go on a fucking Whole Foods. I'm like, do you want to ride? I'm like, it's 20 minutes. Yeah. It's like my subway stuff. People don't like it. It's the same thing.

It's like you're attacking us by doing it. Yeah. What's the farthest you went any day? I think 23 one day miles was. Pretty much a marathon. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. That day was long um i did a couple in the 20 to 23 range towards the end i started to get kind of be like okay let's get this done

like in a good way but like let's let's get this kind of going um. But it was usually probably more in like, I think a really happy, good day was like 14, 15. I still liked it to be a good, solid walking day. I didn't like the two short days sometimes, especially if you're by yourself, if you didn't have anyone to hang out with, you're like, what are you going to? Just go hard.

Yeah, like if there's not much to do in the town, then you're just kind of like hanging out, like drinking another beer in a bar, which is fun. But I would rather like spread out a really long walking day, be tired at the end of the day, have a nice dinner, go to bed, wake up. Sleep well? Yeah. I mean, that was generally pretty easy because i'm too tired um uh did you walk at night or were you done by the nightfall well in spain the i think the sun rose at like six six no 6 37 a.m um but it didn't set until like 10 o'clock at night. So there was never any danger of walking at night.

Honestly, I rarely saw night. I felt like I would generally be like winding down by the time it was getting dark. So it wasn't in Paris. Yeah, it was like really. Oh, yeah, it stays like 9.30, 10. Yeah. But there were some really foggy days. in Paris yeah it was like really oh yeah it stays like 9 30 10 yeah but there were some really foggy days

there was one day where it was super foggy I love the mornings I love waking up relatively early um and then there's very little

to get ready in the morning get ready go start walking and it was just like there's something about morning it's just like

so peaceful and quiet and you're out there by yourself and um but one day it was really really like fog had rolled in off the coast and i was taking this path and um i couldn't really see where i was going i mean it was like pea soup fog or whatever, you know, like you really can't see in front of you. And I heard the water and I finally like got close enough. I looked down and I was on the edge of the cliff and there was like the water below. And it was like two feet for me. Yeah.

So that was like the closest to kind of that was like my major danger danger day were there any animals that could catch at you there was cows and horses you would just be walking through no no no no attack animals but that day so the foggy day i was like about to then like i was like oh shit like you know trying to move in from that, but like still hugging. I had to like hug that to, that was the closest to the trail I could get. So just being really careful not to get too close to the cliff. But like, I was about to send a text to my friend with like my location, which would have been a really shitty text to send. Just be like, hey, if you don't hear from me anymore, this is where I fell off the cliff. Um, but at that moment I heard some people talking and it

was my Italian friends. And that's kind of what like, yeah, that's what made us like really friends after that was because I went running them and gave him a big hug. And then we stuck together after that. They were like, come with us, you know? And then we just, then after that, we would walk together most days, but like for, for one week I kept running you know and then we just then after that we would walk together most days but like for for one week i kept running into them and then they took a different camino route so oh really they took a there's like one route that is starts in the norte and then it's called the primitivo and it goes into the mountains where so it diverts inland through mountains whereas I stayed on the Del Norte which I stayed

on the coast until I had to go south into Camino de Santiago Is Santiago a party? Yeah it's a it's Santiago de Compostela it's kind of chaotic it's like really crowded.

Are they full of locals or finishers? Finishers. And then just like it's a popular tourist city too. I didn't really love it. I kind of got there after like being solo and really quiet going in. You know, I felt it was amazing to walk in to the cathedral and be like i did it that's the yeah yeah that's what you're and then but then after that it was like i just i felt like a little overwhelmed with the amount of people um yeah i bet especially for like

seeing almost nobody or rarely to say overwhelming. Right. Yeah, actually in the last hundred kilometers of the Camino, so you have to walk, the whole time you're walking, you have something called the little, it's like a little passport. There's a word for it and I'm forgetting it right now. But you're getting stamps along the way to prove that you're doing this.

So you're like all the little bars that you're stopping at, all the little albergues, everything. So you get a stamp. Like a Facebook check-in or whatever. But it's like a stamp on it and it looks like a passport. Cool. And so you have it as this thing. But for the last 100 kilometers, you really have to have the stamps. You have to have two stamps a day

to prove that you were like walking it you know that you were doing the steps you have to stop and to get it yeah who do you prove it what do you mean who do you prove it to so then at the end you go in

San Diego you go to get your like certificate to say you finished it if you want that I did it because it was there it was free but you have to show them the passport and then you can say like i started here and um then they'll write like where

you started and um that your finish date but it's a um the last 100 kilometers are what you need to prove you did if you want to get that certificate. So I did 800 some kilometers. It didn't matter that I did that for the certificate. But at the end, it gets a lot more crowded with people. So for those last 100, there were a lot of people, even on the Del Monte. Did they all converge at that point? Yeah, you converge in the last like two or three days, I felt like, which was really weird to have almost,

there was like some parts where it was like a crowded, like a traffic jam of pilgrims. Weird. Yeah, it was really weird. Isn't it weird how you get used to a certain amount of people or whatever, you know, language or like time. And then suddenly you're like right, like within a month it sounds like where you're like, oh shit, I can't handle people right now. Yeah. you're like right like within a month it sounds like

where you're like oh shit I can't handle people right now yeah yeah and I'm not like generally bothered by it but I was just so used to being kind of

really quiet and solo and um yeah damn did you follow the routes okay

was it like mapped was it like marked trails yeah so the whole way you have um there's like these little shell signs that you can see or yellow arrows. So you really don't have to look at your phone or map.

That would bug me to constantly. That's what I do on hikes too. I'm going the right way. I'm going the right way. And then it's like annoying. Very rarely. I would try really hard not to not look at my phone because that's... Yeah, it takes you out of it.

Yeah. So generally, any time that I would be like, am I going the right way? If I just would like look up and look around, I would see an arrow and I'd be like,

I'm good, I'm good. And then there was a couple times that I didn't look and then I would have, I'd be like, oh shit, I walked past and then I would have to go back. But whatever, it wasn't like that big a deal could you ask for directions um yeah or like the

the very first day the very first hour when I was in Arun I was just like I was very emotional that day like starting just because I was um that's the first spot yeah and just like the anticipation of it i mean i had no idea how i was gonna do walking this thing and you know i'm by myself and just like yeah and this old man um this old boss man, he was like, almost like, it's a hat, like really cute little guy. Um, he got excited. He saw that I was a pilgrim. I mean, it's obvious, like you've got the pack on, you're starting. Um, and he said, um, he was like kind of pointing. I knew I was going the right way, but he was pointing. And then he said, Boin boin camino which is what people say have a nice walk yeah um and i just started crying and like his face was just like like didn't know why i was

like just like the emotion and like talking to like having one other person recognize what i was about to be doing was really intense um but yeah, people would give you directions. Generally, if a local saw that you were kind of, the cities were the hardest parts to navigate because you're in like, all of a sudden you're just like, it's not Manhattan, but there was like some of the cities

you'd be like right in like the downtown and it's chaotic and like people are going to work and doing this and then you're like there with a backpack and you're walking. Yeah, the streets, as I'm assuming, are not super concerned with the people coming through. Right. Probably like, which way to downtown? Right.

The signs would be a little bit smaller. So that would, I feel, I felt like that would be the hardest parts was going through the cities. Yeah. What would you have done differently now that you did it if you had to do it again? Or regrets of not doing it? I don't know. I think maybe slower.

I don't. Like taking scenery? Yeah, and just maybe talk to more people. I think I got, sometimes I got a little in my head and was like very like, I'm gonna, I have things I gotta think about, but like, you know, there's time to think about things so you can like also talk to people.

The people, the times I would talk to people were like really like gave me life. You know, some of the locals, there was one time I had this amazing morning. I had woke up early. I was staying in a room by myself and I, there was an extra, like it was supposed to be, what was it called? It was like this magical beach. And it was like an extra kilometer or two away from where I was staying. But I could go on that and then catch the trail. So I found it on a map and I kind of figured out how to do it. And I went there and I was by myself. And it was just

this just epically beautiful, like, and beautiful, like the sun was rising for photographer. It was like the light was glowing. I was just like, so happy. And then, um, and then I walked and found the path and was walking for a while and I hadn't had a coffee at that morning for that and then I found a cafe and the woman was like really chatty with me and then there was two local guys and they were chatty and it was just like it was just like magical morning because they were happy and it was just us I was in their little morning routine and I had had this I don't know and they let me take their picture and um so those things like kind of maybe I wish I would have learned a little more Spanish and talk to people a little bit more tried yeah it's hard when there's a language barrier it's hard

enough just you know yeah yeah to meet people right like with the length I don't know but everyone was just like in your story at all like who are you where'd you come from yeah so you would talk to other pilgrims and people you would share stories about like you know where you're from what you're doing um why you're doing it or just like how many blisters do you have or where did you start how many miles are you doing it would just be probably same questions yeah yeah the pretty um but then you would have like longer um if you would walk with someone a longer day then you would have get into it like more life stuff you would also like you'd start sharing like deep personal stuff about yourself while you're walking with a stranger who I'll probably I'll never talk to again but it's because you're just in this moment and you

also neither of you have anything else to be doing but walking so it's not like you're keeping each other from anything so you could just feel like you could just talk yeah um yeah um we'll wrap it up in a second yeah this is a very cool trip and it makes me want to do it when you when you tell somebody when somebody's like oh i heard you went on the you know community of santiago do you get like an image that pops into your head of what that was um yeah it's, I think maybe it's a feeling. It was a meditation of walking and it was just like this, like very, the routine of it and the meditation. And so it's more just like that feeling is what I think of.

And that's what, I I mean I would do it again I really yeah yeah yeah that one maybe I would branch out and do a different version of it but I would do it again because it was like as much as there was hard parts and really lonely my feet hurt. That meditation was really addictive. Like that, that feeling of just going and the routineness, I think because my life too is like, there's no routine in my life.

So that was just really appealing. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No one understands like that. It's like, well, you had the weekend off and it's like,

that's not enough to really let your mind go fallow. Yeah. To really have an occasional talk. But generally, it's like in travel, too, they're like, a week. And I'm like, no, right around 10, 11 days in is when I really start feeling unconnected to my past. And that's when I start feeling this way. Right. Relax.

So it's like, 35 days? How long was it? Five weeks. Five weeks. Yeah. So yeah. Even. And then even like the loneliness.

Like sitting in the loneliness. And like just being like. Feeling it. Yeah. Was good. Like too much at first. And then like. Oh I'm used to it now.

Yeah. And like. Learning to be okay with. Me. And. And then knowing what I needed. Was like. okay, now I need to talk to someone because that's what I need. But then I'll go back to this and yeah, I don't know. It was, um, not because I was forced to, but because I get just like,

it was a good learning experience. So I would suggest it to everyone. Um, if you have time, you can do like, you can just do portions. You don't have, you know, I would suggest at least two weeks. Yeah.

Longer than the hundred kilometers and like just try to go to the lesser crowded ones. That's your vibe. Yeah. And you did some days where you're like, I'm not walking today. I'm just staying at the hostel. There were select days.

That was usually because like hurt my back, got a cold, was worried about being in a hostel. Oh yeah, rain. What did you do in the rain oh rain there was rainy days but I

those I just walked I don't think I ever stopped because of rain rain jacket and you're just like I'm wet now right and then like

a cover on the backpack and then like once you get poured on you're like you're just wet yeah and you just keep walking

I mean it's not great it doesn't feel great. But the first time I got truly poured on, there was one time where it was just like, where you just soaked, except for the rain jacket, but like my pants, you know. And I was like, just started laughing because I was like, this is. And then it was like storming. There was thunder.

Like, you know, like just crashing. I remember I was like doing, I'm not like one to do like a lot of like just crashing i remember i was like doing i'm not like one to do like a lot of like videos of myself but i think i was like doing a video like oh it's rain it was like all of a sudden like this huge thunder clapped at the moment i was doing it i was like cool yeah um and then yeah you just kind of go with. You lose all kind of like you're not worried about how you look, how you – it's like whatever. And then – yeah, so I stopped because of that. I stopped because my feet hurt. And then one time I was like wanted to like go shopping and buy like a couple little things like the hiking, like the tank top.

I don't know. I was just like, I'll just spend a day here. But there was probably only like a couple days in there that I took like a day off. I think there was one day like I hiked all of three miles and that was because I was still getting over the cold. But otherwise, yeah, no, it was just like some walking every day yeah

we were talking about that writing exercise of like reminding stuff it just reminded me of like being in Indonesia and like being with this guy from Belgium we're on like mopeds

and just that pouring rain and you just start laughing it's that thing you just start it's so ridiculous yeah and you're just like it's my underwear's wet

it doesn't matter and it's already wet you're already in a pool yeah and you're just like what is this my underwear is wet. It doesn't matter. And it's already wet. You're already in a pool. Yeah. And there's – It's like, what is this? Yeah. Yeah, there was – someone was like, oh, do you try and find a shelter?

I was like, I'm walking – you know, I was trying to explain it to people. And I was like, I was walking in a field. There's no shelter in a field. Like, there's nothing to do. I had enough time from when I, like, felt the first drop. I had seen it getting darker, but I thought maybe I might have time from when I felt the first drop. I had seen it getting darker, but I thought maybe I might have time. And then I had enough time to grab my jacket, put that on, put the cover on my backpack. But after that, it was like, oh, no.

That's one thing I learned in Southeast Asia is when you see the rain coming, just prepare. Because once you're soaked, you can't unsoak. So like just put it on. If it passes, no big deal. Right. Take your jacket off. I do remember getting to the place I was staying that night and I was so tired and that it was a – I had a room by myself and there was nowhere to eat. the there was nowhere to eat the this hotel did have she did tell me a beer which i was like can i please have a beer but then there was no food um and i happened to have a pack of a can

of tuna and some old crackers that were like totally broken um and the the place to eat was i would have had to walk in the rain, like another like 20 minutes and then walk back. And I was like, I just I can't like now I'm like dry. So like now I can't do that. So I just remember like, having the tuna and like the broken crackers and put it in like the mug in the room and just like stirring it and eating it and just being like, this is actually pretty, pretty amazing. Like this is all I need. I just need some substance. And like, I'm good. I love like learning what we'll do for you.

Right. I was like, this is good. Yeah, great. Bread, some sriracha. I'm solid. Yeah. Yeah. There were a lot of just random meals like that that I was like, yeah.

Damn, that sounds fucking cool. I want to do that. Yeah. Okay. So I try to do this segment sort of whatever at the end of these. Okay. Give me a place that's gnawing on you that you want to go to. Okay. Mine is Guatemala right now.

It's in my brain. Yeah. By the time this comes out, I'll have already been there. And then like a travel tip for everybody especially if you're such an accomplished traveler um i want to go to western africa i don't know exactly where i've been around africa yeah just somewhere around there i've been to east africa and south africa and north Africa, but I haven't been to West Africa. So Liberia plays like that.

Yeah. Yeah. The French read. That's like the French reasons. Yeah. Um, I don't even know, like,

I don't know much about it. So it would be kind of, I need to research. I need to just go. Um, and yeah. So there, that's cool. cool yeah and then a tip um i think just be open don't you're not at home so it doesn't need to be like home just

see how it is other places i get i think a lot of people are like yeah and for sure it's scary. Yeah. You're, you're not home. So it's different. Enjoy the different. That's the whole point of traveling.

Yeah. We talk about like, it's an American thing to make reservations. Right. Cause your restaurant was like, it's open. It's like, like what I said,

just come forward to like hurry when we were in Paris, you know, you want it like, why is it so slow? Why are they having us eat for, you know, it's like, yeah, yeah. No. Cause you're supposed to enjoy enjoy your meal you're supposed to sit there and enjoy it um be open to a new way

of right of like their way of doing whatever it is right i mean it's hard it's not always easy to fight what you've had but even just like i don't know try everything you can try I don't there's no good nothing like a factoid kind of tip I have but no that what you said is like be open yeah that's a good one yeah otherwise there's no point yeah and so like I just I say yes to most everything and I get lost whenever possible because you have your phone you'll get back home it's fine yeah yeah you'll figure it out yeah but getting lost is just like

it's the most fun yeah people get so scared of that like what if I get lost like they can't even comprehend that your reaction is like sick and you're like what no it's a negative like it's not a negative no yeah find some new street right and you just don't know i did that in morocco and fez like i just was like so excited about just walking and people

kept trying to like steer me back the locals and i'd be like no i just want to i want to get lost. And I try to do that wherever I am. Yeah, nice. All right. Hell yeah, Jasmine. Thank you. I for sure want to do the Camino de Santiago now. All right, everyone subscribe. And yeah, I don't know.

Maybe we'll have merch by now. Bye. Thank you. Bye. Where can people find you? I'll say that. Oh, Instagram, Jasmine Shaw Photo. Jasmine, no E, S-H I'll say that. Oh, Instagram, Jasmine Shaw Photo. Jasmine, no E, S-H-A-H Photo.

Yeah. Jasmine Shaw Photo. Okay. There'll be links to it in the bottom. And my website, jasmineshaw.com. Also jasmineshawphoto.com. jasmineshaw.com. Yeah, that's not, it's confusing.

But yeah. Great, thank you. Yeah. Well, that's the episode, everybody. Thank you, Jasmine Shaw, for coming and telling us about that. What a fucking cool trip, huh? God damn. If you just had a month, if you just had a month, there's a way to do it.

I'm on the Great Ocean Road right now. There's a hike you can do there, 100 kilometers. 100 fucking kilometers. I was like, I could do that. How long was that, 25 kilometers, 100, it's like 60. It's like eight miles a day, five days. You could do it in seven. Damn, if I had more time and the weather was a little nicer.

The weather's fucking great. What are you talking about, complainer? One time when I was starting in comedy, I had this chick, and I was like, went to the garlic restaurant one time, and I was like, if I had the money and the time, and they had this great baña calda.

It was five dollars. It was a side, just melted garlic, closed, just melted garlic. Closed, just ready to be fucking touched. And just like disintegrate. And they bring you free bread. You get it before your meal. We saved up once and I got it for like our anniversary or something. And later I was talking about it was so good, the garlic roast.

The stinking roast. And I was like, when I get more successful, if I had the time and money, I would go there fucking every day. She goes, Ari, you're a stand-up comedian. You have all day at home. You write an hour a day. You sit at home for fucking eight hours watching videos and shit,

talking to your friends, smoking weed. You have the time, and it's literally $5. Like, oh, yeah. I guess it's just on me, the excuse now, then. Whoa. Jasmine Shaw, what a fucking cool photographic journey. Goes to jasmineshaw.com, on Instagram, at jasmineshawphoto. Is that it?

We'll do an insert if I'm wrong. Next week, Matt McCusker. Guys, wherever you're listening, I heard they don't suggest these on Spotify. People tell me, like, I didn't know I had a new episode for fucking, whoa, four weeks they missed them. Guys, subscribe,

and so they'll tell you when there's a new episode, which will be next Monday, and it'll be the fucking wizard Matt McCusker talking about taking us to Brazil. Is that our first South? No, we've had some South American ones. It's our first Portuguese speaking one. Subscribe wherever you are. I will be talking about

this trip on the Patreon. Great Ocean Road. That'll be this week's Patreon. Maybe some pictures in there. Patreon.com slash youbetrippin. That's it, you guys. Subscribe wherever you're at. I'm going to be in, is this Monday?

Brisbane and Sydney is all I got left for my whole tour. Brisbane at the QPAC. Something like that. Sydney at the Enmore Theater. Two shows. Second show added. Brisbane show's almost sold out. There will be no second show.

And then, fucking, I got a lot to tell you about this. But anyway, that's it. Subscribe, listen. Thank you guys for tuning in. Fucking leave a comment tell us your favorite experience if you've done the camino de santiago uh fucking cool you know who else did it michelle wolf she ran it i'm gonna get her and to talk about her you can compare the two that's what this podcast is all about and travel guys thank you very much for tuning in i'm rick shafir

till next week wait ciao i know this one. This is Spanish. I don't know Catalan, but... Bonote. No, that's Portuguese. Well, I know how to say goodbye. Adios. Stupid. That was an easy one.

Anyway, goodbye.