Jamilla - my Camino Donkey

A work in progress

LeeGil asked how I'm going to make the donkey I'll be taking with me to carry my baggage on my Camino walk next spring. I thought she deserved a posting of her own, as there will be much more news about her in the coming weeks/months. So here goes:

Jamilla, my donkey (the name means 'perfection' in Arabic) will be about the size of a miniature Mediterranean donkey.

Her framework has been cannibalised from an old ironing board, which I've dismantled and cut down to size/shape. Oh, my poor hands! On top of the (now smaller) ironing surface goes Jamilla's body, which also doubles as my bag. This has been configured to hold 45+ litres, as I carry about 40 litres, summer or winter and, along with my research on donkeys, has determined her over-all size.

Her body and legs, etc. will be made from a pvc-covered fabric, which will keep her waterproof. Shape will come from stuffing legs and contours (like head, for example) with polystyrene beads, for lightness, possibly with cotton batting to keep the shape neat. (This is very much experimental for me - I've never done anything quite like this before.)
Over that - I'm debating whether to cover her in fake fur fabric or just a soft, suede-like cloth; this covering will be removable and washable. Colour is yet to be decided, but will be pale - either honey-coloured or grey.

Then she will have wheels, from a couple of old shopping trolleys. And reins, which will be made easier on the hands by the addition of a softer plastic pull-along handle which comes from one of the shopping trolleys.

At present, I'm considering making the body dismantleable, and storing it between the legs, for a more compact bus/plane package. And I have yet to devise her 'horse-box'. These things take time and much thought - both conscious and unconscious.

When she has been completed (and road-tested) to my satisfaction I'll be putting up a website so she can start raising money for charity.

I'll let you know as and when.

Wish me luck.

Good luck with the creation of Jamilla.

I will be following the birthing of Jamilla with great interest. :)

Lee52

Hi,

These are the Older Travellers pages you know! Should we be doing crazy things like this? Maybe we should be setting an example for the younger travellers. Hmm come to think of it we are, but not maybe a perfect one he he. Best of luck with that Donkey - keep informed.

Well, I'd say 'second childhood' - but I'm not out of my first one yet. How about you?

Hi,

Does it sound like I am? Read my backposts - strong clues there he he.

:>))

Kudos to you, go_2, for your creativity and courage. I love the recycling gig you're on. Sounds like the whole thing might cost you at least 1 GBP, but easy come, easy go.

I don't know exactly what you in the UK refer to as a shopping trolley, but I'd worry about whether the wheels are up to the task (800km). One of the reasons rolling luggage has been so successful is that the wheel arrangements are made to the quality of in-line skates, and hold up on most any terrain. (I've never seen any of my fellow travelers with wheeled bags that have trouble with the wheels; conversely, I've seen many shopping carts in supermarkets with wheels askew--and all they've got to do is slide across tiled floors carrying potato chips and assorted snacks.)
Twere me, I'd get the largest-diameter wheels that are consistent with packing everything up and putting it in checked baggage, with special attention to getting top quality. (Of course, I wouldn't mention to anyone that this part of the donkey was purchased new )

My other main concern would be keeping the center of gravity as low as possible. But I'm sure you've thought this stuff through.
Best of luck, and do report on the progress.
Lee

i am confused.. acc to my figuring 40 litres is about 80 pounds... this doesn't seem right. I cannot imagine dragging that much along. And if you really are serious (which i am starting to doubt) the weight of your donkey even when empty would be pretty high. we need pictures! too bad we can't post them here... one nice thing about the two new alternate hangouts is that you can post pictures. .

Canayjun - litres is a capacity measurement, pound is weight. On trips abroad my bag weighs around 10-12 kilos (approximately 25-30 pounds) in total, including the weight of the bag itself. Add perhaps another 5 pounds (max.) for Jamilla's infrastructure, which I'm purposely keeping light but strong. And good quality wheels - see below.
It will feel much more like wheeling a bicycle along - something I had plenty of practice with when I had ME and had to take my bike to the supermarket to carry hone my shopping. It's actually easier than walking without anything to hold onto.

LeeGil - the 'trolley' I mentioned isn't the same as the supermarket wire carts, but the one that people take to and from the shops. They have an aluminium frame with large, pvc shopping bag attached and good quality wheels six inches in diameter, with very strong, hard, treaded rubber tyres.
She's not all recycled - I'll have to buy the fabric new as it will take about 4.5 metres. But I always try to recycle what I can.

6-inch tires sounds good!
I loved it when they came out with those 3-wheel baby strollers for joggers, with wheels 14 or more inches--virtually an all-terrain vehicle.
.

Like Lee warns, keep the center of gravity low and pack carefully.

Hehe .... Oh dear!

(Reminds me of the donkey carts I saw in Wadi Halfa. Later I decided they must be mules - but they were so perky and proud-looking.)

It sounds like a Burning Man project.

No nudity, no 'funny stuff''., no destruction at the end ...
Sorry to disappoint you, Usher. :>))

HOWEVER - if anyone wants to come along with Jamilla and me, we're planning on leaving around 15 April next year, starting from Seville.

You need to be self-sufficient, as everyone travels at their own pace. However, we can meet up in the evenings and/or at points along the way.
Lots of people are now doing this route (though not the huge numbers walking the Camino Frances) and the infrastructure is quite good. There's plenty of info on this route (the Via de la Plata) and I'm expecting to take 6 -8 weeks to complete it, building in rest days (at least one per week) and walking around 20-30 km per day. Until the last week or so the walking is quite flat, though I heard we'll climb the equivalent of two Everests along the way - fortunately not all in one go.

If you fancy coming along, you should get in some serious training this summer, walking with a backpack or whatever you're going to use for your baggage, and walking perhaps three days in a row @ 20 km a day - because a single stroll of 20 km on one day without a bag will NOT prepare you for walking 1000 km.

Then contact me via the email address on my profile, giving your TT name.

Edited by: go_2

Okay, for those curious (like me), here's the Via de la Plata depicted in elevation profile.

@go_2 >> It will feel much more like wheeling a bicycle along - something I had plenty of practice with when I had ME and had to take my bike to the supermarket to carry hone my shopping. It's actually easier than walking without anything to hold onto.<<

Well, go_2, you’ve done it now: you’ve put your project out there where idiots like me can take pot shots at it. Fortunately, friendly idiocy is redemptive (I just made that up; I’m not at all sure it’s meaningful in the slightest ).

Anyway, I’m having a hard time visualizing your walking along with Jamilla. First off, I’m assuming it’s a 4-wheeled device (sorry, Jamilla, for the banal characterization). Walking along with a bike, you can tilt it toward you, to achieve a point of comfort and balance. With Jamilla, won’t you be tilting uncomfortably toward her, introducing a certain amount of strain over the course of a day (many days)? Will you have the option of walking in front of her, and pulling her with a simple harness? (Now wouldn’t that bring a hoot from the casual peasant farmer who sees you walk by, chuckling that these damn pilgrims don’t know who should be pulling whom :- ) !

@BacHien: Horse and cart, soooo funny! Reminds me of all the overloaded motorbikes in SE Asia.

Lee

Will you have the option of walking in front of her, and pulling her with a simple harness?

Yes, that's exactly the plan. And I shall be 'test-driving' the basic structure, loaded with 10-12 kg of weight, before final assemblage.
I shall look very strange walking through the streets of London with what looks somewhat like a miniature Tower Bridge, but folk round my area know I'm a bit odd anyway.
And if they ask why, I'll have a chance to explain and maybe get some more willing sponsors/donors. I already have one from the shop where I bought my material, and another potential one or three from the DIY shop where I've been getting advice, brackets, etc.

Assuming Jamilla has four wheels, will your harness steer the front wheels? (If not, you'd have to give an inordinate amount of attention to whether she's tracking with you.)
Lee

Lee, try a little harder to use your imagination.

I've checked out whether or not to have tracking front wheels. My tame DIY guy said it wasn't necessary with the size 'footprint' Jamilla will have. However, this is why I'll be 'test-driving' the structure first.

You might be tempted by this donkey accessory:
http://tinyurl.com/plun88d

(note - Jamilla means 'Beautiful' (fem.) in Arabic, perfection is a different word).

Textibule - I like it. :>))

Lynne - no words translate exactly; however, as 'insan el kamal' is translated as 'the perfected man' and Kamal and Jamal are the same words in different dialects, I'll stick with my meaning (and accept 'beautiful' as a subsidiary meaning)...,

Added - see [http://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/list-of-origin-gender-names-meaning/arabic-girl-perfect.html] -the spelling is a little different, but different transliteratons are common.
In [http://www.islamicity.com/culture/names/female.htm] 'Kameela' is rendered as 'most perfect'.

(Of course, I'm not at all averse to having her called 'beautiful, graceful, lovely' as defined on one website. - [http://www.names4muslims.com/baby-girls.php?list=&name=%&page=8] )

I'm going by Arabic, as written and spoken, in Arabic-language dictionaries and across the Arabic- speaking world; as I've heard it used over the years in many Arab countries; I also looked it up in my Arabic script dictionary.

"jameel" means beautiful", although, in Egypt, it would be pronounced "gameel" owing to Egytians not pronouning "j" as the rest of the Arabs (and, indeed, we do): they substitute a "g" for a "j". Written, however, in Egypt it is still "jameel" (feminine: "jameela").

"kaamil" is perfect, "kamaal" is "perfection". (femin. "kaamila"; "kamaala").

"jameel" and "kaamil" are not different dialect words - they are two distinct adjectives in Arabic and Arabs use them in the ways listed above, in talking and in written Arabic.

I was just pointing out that "jameela" (or jamila or whatever variation) doesn't mean "perfection" in Arabic as you said. Your donkey can be "beautiful" - nothing wrong with that - even if she isn't "perfection". :-)

Sorry, Lynne - I'm not convinced. Because I didn't get Jamilla's name from a book but from a native speaker.
I would have called her Camilla, but preferred not to draw parallels with the Duchess. While the meaning of my donkey's name is important, in the situation Jamilla does just as well.

Go_to, guess what. I think I have found us another two interested tcs to do the campion trial. Can you bear being surrounded by Aussies?

One Brit and three Aussies. You will be outnumbered. Lol

Hi,

Hmm hardly fair odds Lee. 3 to 1? I think you need more Aussies than that he he - tough cookie you know! Oh and not wishing to alarm you but the "Lions" are heading your way - be warned.

A Kiwi outnumbered by 3 Aussies! You're joking, aren't you Lee?

But I'm hoping for quite a few more. When I've finished Jamilla (who has been put on hold while I entertain a Camino friend) I'll be asking around my classes. They're all between 50 -75, but I met older people walking it last month.

Kiwi!!! but, but, but, I thought you were a Brit.

So, neighbour, you are a Kiwi disguised as a Brit or has the gin and tonic I had for breakfast muddled my thinking process. lol

Brax, Lions! Pardon me, but I must googled and come back with a retort. Remember, although a true blue Aussie, I am an import from the exotic land of Asia. lol

I'm a Kiwi, but also a Londoner as I came here in my 20s and stayed.

Not exactly disguised, though the accent I learned when I arrived (so as to fit in, you understand) owes more to Maggie Thatcher than Helen Clark.
And I do favour the Lions over the All Blacks these days.

I'm a Kiwi, but also a Londoner as I came here in my 20s and stayed.

Wow! that explains it. So, Brax, what about you, are you an import too from somewhere downunder?

Btw, can one of you please clarify whether you keep to the left when out and about? Daughter has been annoying and saying to me that over in the UK, you stay in the right. She is teaching her mum to suck eggs. Also, not that the Brits are reserved and not to make eye contact at them or greet them when out and about. What happen if I did, would I turn to stone? lol

These pesky young ones can be so '"know it all".