Santamer to Golega (22.27 miles/35.86 km)

I woke up this morning at 5:30 and was actually feeling a bit better and decided with some reservation to start trekking. I figured once I started I was committed as there are no places to stay before Azinhaga, 18 miles (28 km) away. As it turned out, today was a very challenging day. Not only was I not 100%, but the hot weather made it tough.

I left the hostel about 7:30 to a nice cool morning and literally no one on the streets. I walked through the beautiful old part of Santarém that is built to the edge of the hilltop, where the Camino starts its descent. The view going down was very beautiful as you could see the river in the distance as the sun was coming up. At first it started out as a nice cobble pathway and within a few hundred feet it turns into a rough and very steep rock and dirt path. I was surprised how steep it was and found myself using both trekking poles to keep from slipping, and having the Wheelie made it much harder.

Once at the bottom, the Camino moved onto a busy road with a sidewalk so narrow I had to pull the Wheelie on the street with my back to traffic. Not one of my favorite things to do.

As it moved out onto farmland it went through what looked like a homeless encampment. There were several cars with people sleeping in them and also several groups of people sleeping on the ground or mattresses covered with blankets. Strangely there was a little boy about two years old walking around by himself. It was a little bit of a sad sight to see.

From here the Camino moved back and forth from the asphalt road to a dirt road, and then a dirt path, all through farm fields most of the day. The first few hours it went through grape fields and then it was mostly corn fields.

The temperature was fairly cool in the morning and started heating up late morning, and by 1:00 it was 95 degrees (35c). What made it worse was the lack of wind walking through the tall corn fields. Later in the day I felt so overheated that I had to stop about every half hour to sit in the shade, if I could find some any. It was so hot that I ended up going through five liters of liquid. I just don’t know how some of the others pilgrims could walk through this heat with a couple of little bottles of water. I don’t think many are prepared and run into trouble because there are little signs everywhere telling pilgrims to call if they need help.

I was not sure to where I would make it today, so I did not make reservations at the only three private homes in Azinhaga. Just outside got of town I called two that were booked, and the third had a disconnected phone number. By the time I got to Azinhaga I was fairly tired and exhausted from the heat, but I had no other choice but go the additional five miles to Golega.

From Azinhaga the Camino was on the asphalt road all the way to Golega. Traffic was fairly busy and there was no asphalt shoulder, so every time a car would approach I moved onto the dirt or into the bushes. Fortunately, almost every car moved over if they could. Maybe it is because they are use to see pilgrims on the road every day?

I made it to Golega about 5:00, which was later than I had hoped. I ended up staying at the Golega Inn Hostel and got a private room for €20 ($22), with available food for breakfast here. There is one other French pilgrim here that got here after I went out to dinner, and to the mercado to buy my five liters of drinks for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, again, I am not sure how far I will go? There are several small towns with lodging that are six, nine, and twelve miles away, and then the next town is another nine or ten miles. The first few towns are too close and the last town may be too far. The other issue may the the weather as the temperatures are suppose to reach over 100 degrees (38c) for the next few days, and there are also lots of hills in the next stretch. Like today, I’ll just have play it by ear, and hopefully with a good night’s sleep it will be the right decision.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc., as I am typing this on my phone, and I am probably pretty tired.

If you would like to see the Alzheimer’s Association website, see our team page, and donated, please go to:

act.alz.org/goto/tedstrek

Leaving Santarém this morning

Beautiful quiet streets of Santarém in the morning

Passing one of many churches in Santarém

The start of the Camino’s downhill from Santarém

The Camino got really steep, rocky and rutted

The Tagus Rio in the distance

Beautiful view going down

Going through the homeless camp

The Camino on the farm road through the grape and corn fields

I needed some quick energy and had to eat a bunch right off of the vine

Walking through the windless corn fields when it got into the 90s was pretty miserable

Then there was plenty of mud on much of this area because the farm sprinklers

When I saw the gravel road end at this plowed field I thought I had missed a turn? No, the farmer just plowed over the road as there was a yellow arrow a few hundred yards further up. Farmer must not like the Camino!

Then there were miles of soft sand, which is a lot of extra work, like pulling the Wheelie at the beach.

It got so hot that I had to soak my purple “Alzheimer’s Association” evaporating towel over my head and around my neck. It really helped keep me cooler. I was struggling with the heat before I used it.

Back on the asphalt road to Golega. Note the beautiful field of sunflowers.

This is how the five miles to Golega looked when a car approached in the opposite direction. No shoulder, so I would move over onto the dirt or into the plants. Out very pilgrim friendly

Finally made it here!

They are everywhere, the beautiful old churches. This one is one of several in Golega

The Golega Inn Hostel, where I am staying

My room to myself

Kitchen area

Nice bath. Not bad for €20 ($22)

Look at the descent out of Santarém

My trek today

My trek today