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Day 24:  Dare I say that I caught bed bugs?

Taking a day off due to discomfort (Candace)

Villaperde

Distance: 0 miles (0 kilometers)

Total Ascent:  0 meters

Difficulty:  5

Calories Burned: 0

I can’t decide if I’m embarrassed or disgusted. We stayed at a municipal albergue the night before last in Cadavedo, which cost $5 to sleep (it is so true that you get what you pay for). When I arrived, the place was full of mosquitos because the windows were open and the albergue is located in the country. But Andrew and I had decided together that we were going to finish our Camino like true pilgrims, and stay in albergues for our last 9 days.  So we sucked it up, made the best of the situation, and slept through the night.

Unfortunately, as I started to hike yesterday, I became more and more uncomfortable. I was itching like crazy, and was convinced that the mosquitos must have gotten to me in my sleep. My face, shoulders and back were all eaten up and I had bug bites all over my body.

But as I continued, the bites spread to my legs, feet and butt, and now I’m covered.  I couldn’t sleep at all last night due to the itching and pain, and woke up this morning an emotional mess.

I want to have the truest Camino experience.  I do.  But I am also committed to care for myself and my body.  We’ve decided to take one day off from the Camino to allow my swelling to go down and thoroughly wash our clothes. No more albergues for us, I’m afraid. This is our honeymoon, after all.