Balugaes to Ponte de Lima

Umm, there was no walking today. I woke up barely able to walk to the bathroom. And besides, moderate to heavy rain, with a chance of floods, was forecast.

I decided to reach out to the itinerary planner, Portugal Green Walks(PGW), for a clinic suggestion. They advised a particular hospital in Ponte de Lima. Tears streaming, I ordered an Uber to fetch me from the hotel and take me to the hospital. He spoke decent English and was hopeful that I’d have good results. I accept!

The results were good. Nothing bad on the x-rays, and an Rx for pain killers and stronger anti inflammatory. 2 every 6 hours if needed. And doc said my planned rest day in Ponte de Lima, tomorrow, was well timed and I could continue on the Camino as long as I could tolerate the pain. And, I had to cover the full cost of the visit, 70euro. Why the heck are American medical charges so high?!?

PGW was tracking me on WhatsApp and picked me up at the hospital to take me to the hotel and had arranged an early check in and had gotten my suitcase there ahead of me. Big hugs to Ines from PGW. There was a Farmacia a couple doors away and just across the street, a warm pilgrim lunch, with salad AND vegetables including zucchini.

And I had been such a brave girl that I deserved a lovely chocolate crepe for dessert.Read more