I have come to the conclusion that Spaniards, although lovely and friendly people, have a national sleep apnea problem. Sleeping in the same room as 30 of them is proof enough. After a sleepless night Hetty and I crept out of the Alburgue at 6:00 waking up all the dogs as we went along. Quickly we were in a forest. The sun wasn’t going to rise for anther 21/2 hours. Slowly we saw the sun rise in the west. Hey, are we going in the wrong direction? No, the km posts were winding down. It didn’t help when we saw two pilgrims heading towards us.
Soon the strange phenomena was revealed. A genuine Spanish bush fire across our path. We couldn’t travel any further. So we sat freezing in a bus shelter with growing band of pilgrims. Cars, trucks and a couple of buses had to stop as well. When the fire was reduced, we piled on the local buses to the friendly welcome of the passengers and we escorted by the police through the remnants of the fire.
We continued to Portos, a small two house town. Hetty asked in the cafe if any one had rooms for hire. Which they did. So we stayed in and old Spanish farmhouse. It also gave us an opportunity to go on a side trip (5kms) to Vilar deDonas. A place where the headstones of the local,kings were preserved in an old romanesque church. Well worth the trip.
That night we have relief from snoring Spaniards
Travels from Ur 
Hey Dad,
I’m assuming Hefty is your pet name for the heavy backpack you’re carrying around, and not Mum!
Stay safe and keep clear of bush fires!!!
Love you, Jacko
Currently I’m traveling with “slightly less hefty” after the walk and her daughter.
Hey Dad, You fell for the spring weather thing too (shorts!) I got caught in a snow storm in north Japan, just managed to get my plane. Looking forward to hearing more.
Jen-net-toe (my new Japanese name 🙂
Hi Pieter and Hetty
I do not think it is possible to be hefty after 120 kms of walking with a pack! Congratulations on getting so far. We had a beautiful reflective Good Friday service, with some classical pieces played. I am looking forward to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus in the morning. Today I visited both Tommy and Ann. Both need to know the love Jesus has for them and both want a miracle of healing. How I long to see Jesus’ kingdom come! I just keep praying that the Holy Spirit will break through the barriers that keep them from faith.
Naomi had to come back from camping in the Otways with the five kids at 1 30 am due to storms and the tents being flooded and the river breaking it’s banks. Fred stayed to pack up the gear and got home at seven am. They had a few glorious days though. The Excitement of camping!
Lokking forward to hearing about the other few days. Love Jo and Ron