Camino: Via de la Plata, Day 1: robbed!

The trek can only get better for me. It was cold, it rained, and then I got robbed: At knife point by men wearing balaclavas.

Doing one of the Camino's is largely considered quite safe. It is considered that only a particularly nasty type would rob a pilgrim.

I was walking alone (as I had always wanted to do the pilgrimage alone), when 2 men came out from behind a tree, wearing balaclavas and carrying knives. The knife I remember was a big kitchen knife, I've forgotten the other.

At first a thought that it was some joke. That these 2 were going to a party, or something (ridiculous, as I was still in a rural area, but I'm clearly the trusting type).

They said something like take off your bags. But I was pretty reluctant so one snatched at my phone and tore it from the leather case I've been using. Then they grabbed at the bags. I had a daypack on my back and an old satchel bag at my front (just with food, but the phone had been attached to this), and an external money belt that my shirt was covering (which I've been travelling with for years).

I ended up on the ground. I'm not sure if they pushed me, but maybe I went to the ground to double over for protection (does this protect me?? I was guarding my money belt.)
I screamed as I knew there had been 4 Spanish pilgrims who passed me not much earlier and I thought they might hear me. One man told the other to make me shut up, I didn't want to find out what that meant so I shut up.

I pleaded, in Spanish. 'Not my passport' the talker replied that they just wanted money. I opened my money belt and gave them my money: about €60 and some US dollars which I'd had for years but not bothered to convert (sometimes USD are useful), I think it was $83. I had to show that it had no more money.

They spread the contents of all my bags all over the road. I guess so I wouldn't be able to leave immediately and to see if I had more cash, they opened each container I had: like toiletry bag,first aid kit. I heard camera get mentioned, but since mine wasn't working I left it in Seville in my backpack, so they lucked out there.

I wanted my phone back so I pleaded for it, telling them it had my guide and everything I needed for the camino (I'm travelling with apps only). They said no, that they'd leave it for me on the corner. I didn't trust or like this idea, so I pleaded that they just let me look at it. Yep, it seems I was trying to negotiate!

The talker got the other guy to give the phone to me to look at. I told them it doesn't work as a phone in Spain, only in Australia. I took the sim out to show them. Amazingly they stood and watched while I did this. It's actually a Spanish SIM card, but it's hard to tell. So I was lying, but I'm sure it's okay.

Then I think they saw a glimpse of another pilgrim coming and they casually walked away, with just my money.

I saw the pilgrim. I was rapidly throwing things into my bag, bawling my eyes out and hoping this was a pilgrim and not another thief.

The pilgrim walked me to town and we went to the police station. I made a statement and the police have been searching.

Tomorrow I'll walk with my new pilgrim friend. If he'd been in front of me he'd have been robbed. And at the hostel I met the 4 Spaniards, one of them started solo last year but had everything (all bags, money, everything) stolen earlier on (at a point where they might have saved me today because today the 4 of them had been following me for a large stretch.)

Everyone has asked if I'll keep going. "Yes", I say, "it can only get better."

Brave woman or brave women?

Here is something that happened to me a while back:

I was sitting in a 3rd class train compartment, accompanied by a retired university lecturer who spoke English and and elderly lady who did not speak English. Both were Indian and she was typical for her generation: sari, glass bracelets, gold jewellery.

The man chatted to me about where he was going and what I was doing. The old lady, via the man, asked if I was travelling alone. Yes.

She told the man that I was very brave. It is a common view here.

I gave my head a brief shake. "No," I said, "the Indian woman who marries a man she doesn't know is brave".

He knew I was referring to arranged marriages which are still common today. He didn't translate it back to her. He replied "it's not so like that these days, now they do get to spend some time with the man before the wedding. But," he said considering the old lady for a moment , "in her generation she would very possibly never have met her husband prior to her wedding day."

I think that is a much scarier prospect than travelling alone.

Adding to this I have a an Australian-Indian friend who is visiting India to meet the ladies (I was told of 4) that his parents have arranged for him to meet. If one is chosen (and i am told that it isn't all up to him, she can refuse) how well can they really know each other in the short time they'll have with him here? (He is booked for a 3 week stay.) Adding to this she'll be moving away from her family and friends to another country.

Brave Indian women, that's what I see.