Tamino, fucking Tamino, a very familiar name to me. After inquiring if he knew my ex girlfriend that I met on the camino he responded with a resounding ‘yes’. Apparently I already met the guy 5 years ago very briefly on a terrace in Santiago de Compostela. A little less beardy but still the same calm demeanor. My ex-girlfriend walked with him from Santiago to the coast. Amazing to see him here of all places.
Casa de los Dioces is one of those pearls on the camino, a pilgrim stop run by some guy that looked guru-esque called David. It used to be a herders barn and when David purchased the land, there wasn’t much there, he created a place where pilgrims could just chill and rest for a bit. When Tamino was done smoking his weed in the sunset, we walked up to the place and I met the rest of the crew including El Rei Loco de Dioces himself, David Vidal.
I did not get much response on the first night but it was also already dark and good lighting is not a thing Casa de los Dioces is known for. Not to mention they were a little bit surprised seeing me since they had been holed up there for quite some time and every time they wanted to leave, police would find them and send them back to that place. To me..it was a stop on the way but for these fine gods it was a place of condemnation and inertia. Not all of em but a few felt like their feathers had been clipped for sure. Needless to say, there were some tensions that had built up over the last 50 days since they’d been there. For me as a newcomer it was pretty interesting all in all. All I asked for was a shower and David truly provided me with everything that I needed, Even a crazy king takes care of his subjects…
food/shower/fire..
was all I needed and maybe best of all – some decent social interaction. Walking alone and visiting all these ghost towns of scared people wearing masks really does have an impact on your psyche and is a true test for your mental fortitude, I mean damn…that moment when coercing police, into letting you go, becomes your only social outlet – thats when you know its a goddamn special experience. I don’t want to make this chronicle too sentimental so lets go over the gods that reside in this place.
David – (Crazy) King of Kings
Impulsive fella this one is, right off the bat you can tell that he’s the alpha and is looking for pussy. IF you dont have one, that automatically puts you at odds with him, the thing is though – Theres no pussy (that he’s chasing) for 500km (or more) around. All them pretty-ass pilgrims that normally stretch their pretty-ass-legs all over his-pretty-ass-bed (which is on the camino, c’mon dude) are not here at the moment. That makes him just as much a prisoner as the rest of them here, even more agonizing perhaps is the fact that this prison was build by himself. All jokes aside – in his heart and in the eyes of the true God – a good guy, a giver. He has the archetype of The Caretaker. Provide and you shall receive, there is no other credo in (his) life but to give. Giving your bread and hospitality is AS important AS giving your seed (to dat ASS). Like any good King, he gives to all his subjects EQUALLY and divides the spoils EQUALLY. He’s as much a hunter as he is a possessor, as much of a hunter as he is a shepard.. The odd ayuwasca trip here and there. A guru he may not be, a legend on the Camino, for sure though.
(Photo stolen from WhatsApp)
Tamino – Lord of Lords
Calm…Almost docile, good natured and friendly in any situation. Like that one song-that-never-really-gets-going is the first inclination that you have when you meet him. When you get to know him however, you soon see that he burns mighty with a deep passion for anything nature. An unshakable resolve to whatever he puts his mind to. Wether its him going his own way without being stubborn or wether you’re going on a flower-shop-mission with the guy, after 10-20 maybe 50 minutes of interacting with this guy, you will know that he is anything but ordinary docile Dont let the fucking beard fool you either, this guy has a fire raging inside of him that only he can put out. And put it out he did.. Long before I met him the first time, he was already able to focus it into productivity. When I met him this time around, he funnily enough was in the process of gaining ownership of Casa de Los Dioces. He had been asked to do so earlier, but everything has Go(d)t rhythm, and Tamino is one of the best dancers to this rhythm I’ve ever come across.
Gala(?) – godMother
If David is the King of the group then Gaia(?) is definitely the mother of the bunch. Free spirited but forced into an awkward situation, still constantly giving and taking care of whomever she feels worthy of her services. Kind spirited, positive and pensive on her situation, helping wherever she can and making sure that there’s as little pain to anybody as is humanly possible in any situation. Galla(?) Seen it all, been through it all, will see it all again and will surely go through everything again and again. Ever constant in awareness and ever aware of her surroundings.. For all of the above, will also never give up or relent. A true constant..
(god of the road obscured by god of the gypsy’s)
Carlos – god of the Road
This guy, the silent and gentle type…that is until he starts rambling his ass off in the early morning while you didn’t have any sleep and you’re like, damn Carlos, I wish we talked about this at a more opportune time, LIKE LAST NIGHT – WHEN WE HAD SOME GODDAMN ALCOHOL IN OUR FUCKING BODY’s. No, this guy will just walk off in the middle of a conversation to cut some wood or do any other thing that serves everyone in an indirect way. Strong group mentality and seen so much shit and loss in his life that he’s got this nice PTSD-insulation to anything life can throw at him. Get to know him though and you’re going to be surprised at how gentle and educated he is. A treasure throve of (bad) experience, from stabbings to addictions to break ins. You think you’ve been places? Pablo already been there my dude, and he wont say a word about it until he’s going in the paint ..hard…
Alan – god of Knowledge
Great guy, just fucking great. English accent, nicknames for anyone he holds dear, pleasant to the eye. Spent many days of his life in magical places where men and women alike find themselves. Educated on all that is nature and a strong contestant to be the lord of lords (if only he made more effort, if only he didn’t relent to himself). Lacking in social skills so hard that for the untrained Soul, you might think he’s against any social contact at all. On a certain level, he is against all levels I guess.. Never moves without a proper construct of a plan, inhabited by a Soul that seeks tests throughout. Not road weary as the road is weary of him. Will provide a listening ear to all talk that doesn’t rub him the wrong way. Strong mental eye that doesn’t look at him a (personally perceived wrong way).
Paco – god of the Gypsy’s
Long greasy hair, unshaven, lumberjack shirt and a thermo pants. Loves porn and motorcycles but not as much as his bicycle and the freedom it gives him. Once dragged a police officer behind a car for a good amount of kilometers before ending that lasagna with a piece of lead in the cabesa. A moment that will forever define him. Still.. a good heart. A good heart of the mischievous kind. A gangster and maybe an original one. Born and bread for the road, by the road. Fake plays a fake piano for the coins that good samaritans will throw at him.
Gypsy for fucking life!
Tau – god of shepards
Apparently he just came walking in without trouble, having only a plastic bag with him, police most likely misunderstood him for someone going to the supermercado. Still a very friendly guy from Portugal, his dream is to own a herd of sheep or goats and to just roam the lands. Very gentle in his approach and very forthcoming when it comes to helping anyone with just about anything. Had a bit of a falling out with some Italian guy in the beginning of the year after which the Italian hobo got kicked out which is a testament to his good behavior. Bless this man and his herd to be.
Manuel – snake in the grass
Im not even supposed to include him but he was around in the beginning of the first few weeks and in a sense just as stuck as the rest there, mentally – not physically mind you. Working on a documentary called…wait for it – Destiny – ((echo)y-y-y) – he was around for a week and was just straight in your face about everything that he felt like recording. A quick question if he could soon led to him taking shots of you going into your tent, taking a shower, and even taking a shit. Absolutely fucking annoying and disrespectful. Never been on a camino/pilgrimage himself but really wanted to leech off everything and everyone that has ever been. He rubbed me all the wrong ways as soon as we met and throughout I found out that it wasn’t the fact that he wanted to leech off us, he just wanted what David had. Pussy..
I eventually spent about 2 weeks here before I got fed up with everything and kept on moving. Shared some laughs and some tears. Certainly a necessary stop again with interesting people.
Drákōn World 