I had a lovely conversation with a man from Brazil.

He had a perspective I haven’t heard before from the blogs and the articles discussing the history, the buildings, the travel tips, etc. What they do not discuss seemed to me immediately evident when Ramon mentioned it. The Camino is pain.

Few on the way are accustomed to walking twenty or thirty kilometers a day. There are blisters, sore feet, hurting joints, swollen tendons, back pains, and of course sore muscles. Everybody is in pain constantly.

A level deeper, most people struggle with the lack of sleep from snoring in the albergues. It’s considered part of the experience. For me it’s a serious health concern. Even the people who snore have a different kind of pain. Usually they know they’re a problem to others and it makes them sad. One man I met carried a small machine, a box with a sort of gas mask that kept him quiet at night. It must have added a considerable amount of weight, and I don’t think he could really sleep with it on. Somewhere around 4:30 he shut the machine off and put it away. Immediately the explosive snoring commenced and I did not sleep further that night.

Yet another level deeper, many come to the Camino with emotional pain. This is the least discussed, of course, but it seems abundant. Ramon and I discussed the role of people like us who walk the way alone. He likes the solitude, the space for his thoughts. I feel alone. There is a fine line between loneliness and solitude. A girl had observed to him before that some people fear being alone. They fill their day with conversation so that they don’t have to hear the dialogue inside.

Ironically, few people here are concerned with the religious aspect of the pilgrimage. But to me, Catholicism fits perfectly with what we experience. Images of pain are everywhere, martyrs pierced by arrows and Christ dying on the cross. Suffering was too close to the Medieval life to be ignored, and likewise the pilgrims on the Camino are expected to suffer. This is why the locals offer free foods, massages for donations, and exceptionally cheap accommodations and meals.

This is not all of the way, but it is an essential part that is less advertised. As the saying here goes, ‘the tourist demands, the pilgrim thanks.’ The Camino means sufferring and being grateful with each painful step.