Day 8

Menárguens, 11 o clock, 28 degrees, going up to 40 today. Not as hot as yesterday and it is cool in the bar where I drink a coffee after 11 kilometres through open landscape with fruit trees as far as the eye reaches. Aire acondicionado. Yesterday I walked through a street in the centre of Lleida where it was quite pleasant because cold air came out of all the doors of the shops. Scary as well though: temperatures rising, more electricity being used to keep our heads cool which leads to higher temperatures and more air conditioning.

I slept in a field with small bushy trees, hidden from the road where the occasional car was driving along until late and around 11 a big machine passed slowly doing some work. The mosquitos were relentless and I got up before sunrise after a restless night, to walk when it was still relatively fresh (which is anything under 30) and to be on my way before the workers would come in harvesting fruit.

In Corbins, Municipi de la República Catalana, a young man approached me and said he was new in town and looking for work. All I could do was direct him to the bar where I had seen some men drinking coffee. It seemed there was a lot of work harvesting and processing the pears and nectarines and peaches and it also seemed that it was mainly done by immigrants: I had seen them earlier being driven into the fields and just before 8 from all streets in the village men with a dark skin colour, some young, some not so, walked in the direction of the big factory. Lolita, whom I met later just outside the village, confirmed that they were in need of hands here and that they depended on the foreigners to do it. Working conditions were not very good she said, which I already suspected. Lolita walked like a young girl, light and smiling. She just came back from her daily walk to the next village, she had started walking at 6 already. She looked lovely in her flowery dress, big sunglasses and sport shoes. In 2 weeks it was her 87th birthday. We talked for a while and went our ways again after a long hug. 

Another 10 kilometres ahead to Balaguer and from there to a campsite where I’ll write some more.