Behind the Albergue Door: Inspiration Agony Adventure on the Camino de Santiago

pain relief and blister care, and are usually run by people very used to dealing with grumpy, whiny pilgrims with a limited grasp of the Spanish language.
    Ear Plugs
    You stay in dorms, you need ear plugs. That’s all I have to say on the matter.
    Pack Towel
    This is a tough one for me because I absolutely despise my pack towel. It is small, small enough that I have to choose whether I cover crotch or ass, never both at the same time. It has a unique quality that keeps it from sliding comfortably over your skin, instead grabbing and tugging like a big damp piece of velcro, or a piece of duct tape that has already been used on some leaky plumbing. And it starts to smell funny after just a couple days (and not marijuana funny, or coconut shampoo funny, more like damp, poorly taxidermied otter pelt funny). And, scary as it is, this one is way better than the first kind I tried a few years ago, which was more like a vehicle shammy. But at least they dry relatively quickly, although only if you go to the trouble to hang them out, unlike Madeline who had heard a rumour that “they never dry” so never actually tried. I was shocked to learn that after four weeks on the trail her towel hadn’t been completely dry once. Plus, they don’t take up much room. Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to be trying to force a big wet beach towel into your backpack every morning (or have it hanging from the back of your backpack like a big cape with a photo of the Doritos cat on it).
    Another, possibly better, solution is to carry a sarong. Personally I find them very difficult to dry off with but other than that niggling detail they do offer a number of advantages. They are larger and can actually be used to cover all the socially unacceptable parts of your body, but are still very light and dry in no time flat, especially if you can find even a hint of a breeze somewhere, or maybe blow on it for half an hour. Plus, Laynni occasionally used hers as a makeshift pillow cover or as a way to turn the bottom bunk into a secluded fort where she could play naughty shop owner in private.
    Small Valuables Bag
    When you finish hiking for the day you are going to want to get as far away from your hated backpack as possible so you’re going to need something smaller and more discreet to carry all your valuables around in. Things like your passport, iPod, unused bars of soap, diamond earrings, etc. Although the overall atmosphere and tone of the Camino makes me believe the albergue dorms are about as safe a public place as you are likely to find it still makes sense not to tempt people. And you never screw around with your passport. It’s one thing to spend a month and a half enjoying the quaint Spanish lifestyle of heavy jackets and afternoon naps but it’s another thing completely to be stu ck there forever eating giant baguettes and copious amounts of cheese until your bowels eventually just give up and run off to join the circus.
    And , although it may sound like I'm suggesting a day pack, that is misleading. What you really want is much smaller, just enough to carry the aforementioned items without unduly hampering your afternoon and early evening schedule of shopping for junk food, eating junk food and napping off your junk food high. The smaller, and less like a fanny pack, the better.
    Hat
    Protection from sun, rain and pigeon shit. A stylish option once you’ve gone a month without a haircut and only sporadic showers.
    Flip Flops
    How do you spot a Camino pilgrim in the city?
    He is the one at the grocery store wearing flip flops.
    It feels sooo good to take off your hikers at the end of a long day. Plus, almost every albergue will make you leave your hikers at the door so you’ll need something else to wear around anyway. I favour the “slide” style with a band across the top of the foot instead of a strap between the toes. That way I can easily wear socks in them when it is cold (ignoring the fashion ramifications of that for the moment). You could also take it another step further and pick out some really light and/or collapsible shoes that can be worn around town even when it’s cold.
    Head Lamp
    I often find myself rambling on and on about the merits of head lamps to anyone who will listen, which is usually only for a short time before they suddenly need to rush off because they forgot something they were supposed to be doing, or maybe thought they heard someone calling their name in the distance. So I’ll keep