Day 10: It's about the journey, not the destination

Dear traveler,

I woke up a bit grumpy, but that feeling flies away fast when I see Mamarmot's face.

-"What happened, Mamarmot?"

-"Well, Marmot, I can't say I slept too well..."

I wonder what happened this time...

-"Mosquitoes buzzed me all night long. Someone left the door open and I guess at some point all the mosquitoes from the forest were here in the room, with us. And when the mosquitoes finally stopped, the snoring contest began. It's as if they were giving auditions for the best snore! It think I could sleep around two hours, the most, more towards the morning..."

It's clear, someone will be moody all day.

The coffee left by Pedro in the kitchen sweetens her up a little and we hit the road right after breakfast. 

Outside is still twilight and we quickly leave behind the small albergue that hides behind the hill. 

The trail continues along the forest, then enters the next village. Mamarmot is pretty silent and I'm trying to cheer her up with one joke or another but without any luck.

- "Come on, marmot, let me enjoy the silence, please. I'm sleepy, my head hurts and on top of that, my back hurts too. It might be because of that mattress..."

I'd like to tell her to stop focusing only on what's bad, as she tells me all the time, but a signpost on the road speaks my thoughts. 

- "Stop complaining! You see, Mamarmot? Listen to the Camino as it speaks the truth. The signs are everywhere!"

What follows is a moment of total silence. Could I have pushed my luck and this is only the calm before the storm? I'm expecting the dragon to breathe fire any moment now, but Mamarmot starts laughing out loud.

-"Such a great philosopher, aren't you, marmot! But what can I say, you're perfectly right. I'll try focusing on the beautiful things."

And beautiful things we receive. The trail leads us through green wine yards, like labyrinths from which we get out only when we reach a crossroad. Wild flowers and ferns pop up from time to time along our way, up to the entrance of the umpteenth village for today.

Have I told you already that I love so much how these people are decorating their villages? While yesterday I saw colorful inflatable rings, now we cross a village filled with ribbons of all colors. 

A stop here for something sweet and a coffee for Mamarmot and it seems she already forgot about the mosquitoes and maybe her back pain too.

A wooden pilgrim points our direction and we continue slowly towards our destination, before the afternoon sun starts burning. 

The last part of our trail takes us through the forest and finally to the small village O Pino. We don't have to seek too much to find our sleeping place for tonight as a queue of backpacks that are patiently waiting in front of a shut door is stating the obvious. And of course, in the area there are also the carriers of these backpacks. We put our backpack in the queue as well and then we rest in the shaded courtyard. Mamarmot sits next to a stone pilgrim that is checking his feet after a long day of walking. They do look very much alike.

After we get our beds it's time to go find something to eat.

- "So, when could we have some ramen though?"

-"I told you, marmot, you'll find ramen for sure at Santiago, until then, not a chance. We have just two more days until we get there... Actually, just around 35 kilometers but I think it's a lot for you to go in just one day. "

I'm longing so much for a ramen but I do remember the signpost from this morning and I choose not to start complaining. But still... what if I could get there in one day? It's not actually a distance I haven't walked before...

-"Mamarmot, what if we go to Santiago tomorrow?"

- "Well, from our side, we can go, would be even better. But it's up to you, marmot. We can walk up to the last town where it makes sense to stay the night... that's around 20 kilometers. And then we see how we feel, alright?"

-"Alright!"

We enter a small diner that seems deserted but on the inside it's swarming with people, most of them being our roommates.

I forget about the ramen bowl when before me appears a tray filled with goodies. I hardly manage to finish what's on my plate but luckily I have a separate stomach for desert. It's just that now I'm moving like a raccoon. Veeeery slooow.

The short walk after dinner sets things in order in the stomach, as well as in my mind. I realize we are close to the end of our journey and I have no clue how come time has passed so fast. On one hand I'd like to enjoy one more day here on the trail. On the other, I'd like to surprise my parents and show them I can walk more in one day, that I'm strong and I'm not the small kid I once was, that had to be carried on the shoulders. Of course my legs get tired now too, but as I grew bigger, the world became a bit smaller. Or maybe I just started to enjoy the journey more. I've decided, I'll surprise my parents tomorrow! And it's not even about the ramen anymore! Well, maybe just a bit. But I won't say word about it!

-"Marmot, you're kind of silent. Still thinking about the ramen bowl?"

-"Ah, yeah, yeah, sure. I was thinking about the longest noodle that could exist."

A noodle of around 35 kilometers, that I'll be enjoying step by step. Because isn't it so? It's about the journey, not the destination.