A month ago, I didn’t know I could hike 19 miles with a pack.

Today’s 30-km stage, one of the longest on the Camino, was a mix of long climbs and rolling hills.

I’ve run into a fellow peregrino from San Diego named Louie a few times. Louie is 66, with hypertension and diabetes, and is generally huffing his way up a hill when our paths cross.

An accountant by trade, Louie immigrated to the US (legally, he emphasizes), in 1984 after finishing college and working in Mexico.

At some point, an associate offered him a job in the US servicing vending machines. He said the pay made it hard to turn down.

Louie now has over 500 vending machines of his own throughout the Southwest, and has made a comfortable living for himself and his family. A real American success story.

Why hike the Camino now? His answer was unexpected.

Stem cells.

Louie was diagnosed with long-Covid during the pandemic, and never got back on his feet.

At the advice of a friend, he went to Mexico for a stem call injection. Eventually he had a second one. He said they made all the difference in the world.

This 66-year old said he feels like a 26-year old, and joked that his wife was *very* satisfied with the results as well. I understand a small amount of the debate over stem cells in the US, and hope we are on the right path.

I had been waiting to hear bagpipes since entering Galicia a few days ago. I remember hearing them on the main square in Santiago in 1989. Most Gallegos consider themselves part of the Celtic culture, with traces in their language, iconography, and music.

Somewhere in the last 10 km of today’s hike I heard a drum and bagpipes in the distance. It was two young men set up in a lean-to on the side of the trail. I tossed a couple of Euros into their instrument case and took the photo below.

The Galician bagpipe is somehow different from the Scottish bagpipe, left handed and with different tuning, I think. The sound is subtly different, in a not unpleasing way.

Dinner was a very passable Paella mixta on the plaza, with a slice of local sheep’s cheese and honeycomb for dessert!