Day 21-22: May 30, 2016 O Cebriero to Triacastela to Barbadelo

May 04, 2025

Barbadelo, Spain

May 29, 2016
Triacastela
Hostel Villasante
12.88 miles, 31603 steps, 31 flights, 4:52 hr

It has been cold and rainy.

Coming down from O Cebreiro, I actually became dangerously hypothermic. I think I never really warmed up from the day before. But, the damp clothes, rain and wind conspired, and by halfway through the hike, when I stopped for coffee, I found I lacked the coordination to even hold the cup. So, I stayed and let the coffee warm me a bit before moving on.

Hypothermic people make bad decisions, and I moved on too soon, and frankly I got lucky: with the decent off the ridge, the wind abated, and so did the rain. My new poncho (after the dismal failure of the rain jacket, rain pants and pack cover strategy I fortunately added a poncho) actually added a extra layer of wind protection, and a hood which acted as a second hat.

By the time I reached the bottom of the descent, I was actually feeling good enough to pull my phone out and take some pictures... This was the moment of downfall.

Everything was damp, and my phone was in my front pocket, along with my money and credit cards. My debit card must have stuck to the damp phone, because when I reached the destination, I was left with my AMEX, and no debit card. My AMEX is an old card, without a PIN. I called the hotline and they assured me that I could go to any bank and they would give me a cash advance as long as I had my passport. This was not the case. The general attitude was: well, you're screwed...goodbye! But surely this happens, people lose wallets while on vacation... What do they do?

The bank

Fortunately the Templar Knights were entrusted to watch over the pilgrims, and they did. You'll recall that in a previous post I mentioned that the Templar Knights actually founded the first primitive checking account system for pilgrims. My modern-day Templar Knight is my good friend Ara, who lives in Madrid. Ara came to my rescue and through his Spanish bank sent me enough cash to finish the trip.

Ara, I can't thank you enough. Unannounced, you dropped everything else, and with no complaint worked on my problem for probably 90 minutes until you solved it. Everyone please take a moment to give a shout out for Ara. Next time you see a friend, or better a stranger, in a bind, please take the time to help them out... I know I will.

As for me, everything is looking up. The weather is supposed to improve, and tomorrow I expect to cross the 100 Km to Santiago marker. My feet continue to improve, and today I was able to walk to dinner like a normal human.