Shanti, New Zealand

"Don’t get me wrong - reaching the Cruz de Ferro and spotting the Cathedral de Santiago for the first time were numinous, reflective moments that felt bloody amazing. But for me, the Camino was rather slow burn of comprehension that if I can walk across a country on my own two feet carrying everything I needed, I can do anything I want."

“Eighteen months on from the Camino, I still think about the Camino on an almost daily basis. To be completely honest, at the time I didn’t think the camino taught me anything drastically new. During my trek, I spent a month waiting for a flash of insight, an intense realisation, or one of those important moments of self discovery that everyone else seemed to be experiencing.

Don’t get me wrong – reaching the Cruz de Ferro and spotting the Cathedral de Santiago for the first time were numinous, reflective moments that felt bloody amazing. But for me, the Camino was rather slow burn of comprehension that if I can walk across a country on my own two feet carrying everything I needed, I can do anything I want.

There’s something beautiful about the simplistic complexity of the Camino. Waking up each day with the single aim of walking is in so many ways difficult yet at the same time uncomplicated.”

-Shanti, New Zealand | Travel and hiking blogger at “A Wanderphile.”

Share Story:

Related Stories

Marc, USA

Camino de Santiago
Adventure
"The Plaza del Grano brought me images of thousands, maybe millions, of citizens and pilgrims doing their thing for hundreds of years before me. I felt a part of that plaza like few other places along the Camino."
Read more

Tylerann, USA

Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago
Adventure
“When we finally bought plane tickets in February 2014, that’s when we knew the Camino was really going to happen.”
Read more

Nerida, Australia

Pilgrimage
Adventure
"And for some unexplained reason, I became obsessed with the pilgrimage. I don't know why! I had never traveled out of Australia, but I felt like it was calling me. Truly, a seed had been planted."
Read more