The Way the End Begins Page #4

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Ah!

Okay!

That's good. That is very good.

Dog fight near

a cheese farm...

Maybe there's no such thing

as metaphors.

Maybe I should adopt

a more conservative attitude

instead of trying to trickle meaning

out of every curve in the road.

Christ, I haven't had

an original thought in months.

Writer's block.

You know what that is? Any of you?

Writer's block?

And I...

- I'm a writer.

- Okay, so...

The reason I'm out here

walking the Camino. Writer's block.

I figure the sooner we get the

small talk out of the way, the better.

Now you know why I'm on pilgrimage.

Great.

Hmm...

Mailbox full.

- Ah!

- You have 35 unheard messages.

All from my editors,

who probably think I'm drinking again.

Which isn't a bad idea.

Well, they'll get their book.

Maybe not when they want it,

but they'll get it, by God!

Ooh! Can I bum one of those, please?

Oh. Uh, yes, sure. Sure.

Thank you.

So, uh,

what's your book about, Jack?

- The Camino, of course.

- Of course.

- What about all of you?

- What about all of us what?

Why you're doing the Camino.

Most of the pilgrims I've polled

say their walk to Santiago

is for religious, cultural

or historical reasons.

- You're taking a poll?

- Aye, informally,

though I have been keeping track of most

of the pilgrims I've met along the way.

So far,

less than 15 percent said

they were doing it for health.

Fewer than five percent said they were

out here looking for a miracle.

Miracles are in short supply

these days, Jack.

Well,

if you don't mind,

I'd like to include you in my poll.

I do mind.

Very much so.

Oh, uh...

Would it be all right if I

walk with you for a bit?

Well, I don't know about them.

Oh, okay.

But it's okay. It's cool with me, man.

- Really?

- Yeah, sure.

I'm Joost. I'm from Amsterdam.

Joost? Right. Hey.

I mean, I'm not here for God or miracles

or any of that stuff.

I'm just a fat Dutchman

trying to lose a few pounds.

So you're doing it for health reasons?

Yeah, you could

more or less say that. Yeah.

Yeah, well, would it be all right

if I put you under the category

"doing it for health" for my poll?

- Yeah, man, sure. Whatever. Yeah.

- Really?

Joost.

Dutch.

Health.

Ah. Thanks.

Would you like to try some of this?

It's Turkish.

I hear it's good for writer's block.

You may be right, Joost.

Yeah, man.

Tom! Hey, Tom!

Everything all right?

Yeah, sure.

So what's her story?

Tom met her in a refugio.

Walking the Camino to quit smoking.

That's all I know about her.

She's sexy

but complicated.

He seems like quite a stiff.

I met him in Saint-Jean.

He's an ophth... Um...

An eye doctor from California.

An ophthalmologist.

He didn't come here on pilgrimage.

Seems like it was more like an accident.

I started my pilgrimage in Paris, Joost.

Three months ago.

And if I know one certainty about

the Way of St James,

it is that no one walks this Camino

by accident. No one.

He carries the cremated remains

of his son.

He got caught in a bad storm

over the Pyrenees, first day out.

- Oh, you're kidding me.

- No.

He carries that box in his backpack.

He leaves little piles of ash

all along the Camino.

That's brilliant!

I mean, tragic, of course.

But brilliant.

Um...

Do you think he'd want

to talk to me about it?

I think he'd sooner shove

that walking stick down your throat.

- You're sick.

- What?

The reason you're out here.

- You're ill and dying.

- Not even close.

That's good.

But I will get it.

No, you probably won't.

Next town is Torres Del Ro.

"Towers on the river."

Your Spanish is pretty good.

Yeah, well, the guidebooks stress learn

as much of the language as possible

before you start the walk, so...

I thought you said something

about not wanting any tagalongs.

I did.

And if the last 15 kilometres

are any indication,

walking the Camino with you is kind of

like being alone, so...

But hey, you want me to buzz off,

that's cool.

The next town, I'll go my separate way.

But it's not like there's

a thousand routes to get to Santiago,

so you might have to suffer bumping

into one of us from time to time.

I'll take my chances.

Torres del Ro, then.

He's in a bad mood.

He's been in a bad mood

ever since I met him.

Well, death has a way

of doing that to you.

What do you mean, death?

She doesn't know?

She doesn't know what?

She doesn't know what?

What doesn't she know?

This town is so short of water

that the locals store it up

in winter for use in summer.

I don't see anything about bars.

There's an albergue called

the Casa Santa Barbara.

Oh, yeah. It's the only one,

but it has five stars.

I don't care how many stars

it has as long as it's got a toilet.

- S?

- Hola.

- Peregrinos?

- S.

Hi, welcome.

- Bienvenidos.

- Hola.

- Hola.

- I am el Ramn.

I'm Joost. I'm from Amsterdam.

Nice.

Good, good. Come, come.

Come with me. Come along.

Come along, please.

Passports? Please, passports.

- Now?

- I need passports.

Passports, everyone.

Yes, thank you. Passports.

- Passports, please. I need passports.

- Is there a...

This is my very own and very special

el Ramn stamp.

You won't find a stamp like this

anywhere else on the Camino.

Could I use your...

This is the Ramn stamp.

I will stamp your passports

with the Ramn stamp.

The Ramn stamp.

The Ramn stamp.

Perfect! This is the proof you have been

with el Ramn.

Yes, as I was saying, could...

- You must be hungry, yes?

- Yes.

Yes, you are tired, of course.

Oh, but you have come to

the best refugio in all of Spain!

Is there a bano I could use, please?

Oh, yes, yes, of course.

It's there.

Uh...

It's a bit more serious, let's say.

One moment.

Good? Good?

- Yeah, good.

- Good.

I think we're the only pilgrims here.

- The only ones alive.

- Tom.

Should we stay?

It's a bed, a meal, a few hours' sleep.

Obviously, we've interrupted something.

Well, that was, uh,

interesting. A bit cold out there.

Who's next?

Maybe we should stay.

Did anyone ask how much

he's charging for the night?

Because if it's more than

a couple of euros, it's too much.

- Yeah, I second that.

- Aye.

All right. When he comes back down,

I'll ask him about the fee.

But I don't think we're gonna get

a straight answer from el Ramn.

Well, it could be a while.

Okay.

I'll go up and ask him.

Them.

I'll go with you.

- Yeah, me too.

- Let's all go.

What are you all, five?

No, just scared.

Ay, Ramn!

Whoo! Ramn, Ramn!

Oh, man.

It's four and a half hours

to the next albergue.

Really? Well, we gotta think

about setting up camp for the night.

- No way.

- It's getting dark.

Hey, Boomer. Tom?

We're gonna camp out.

Now this,

this is a true pilgrim experience.

Cheers to that.

Even though I hated camping as a boy.

"A true pilgrim experience"?

What do you mean by that?

Well, I'm talking about tradition

in the purest sense.

A true pilgrim walks the Camino

with nothing.

He has to live off the land.

He has to accept the kindness

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