The Way, My Way

"I'd never done anything crazy like this before – a pilgrimage walk. I was not a hiker, and I wasn't a Catholic. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was a Christian. On the last government census when I had to state my religion, I'd said I was a Buddhist, mainly because they've had such a hard time in Tibet and I felt they needed my statistical support.

I was also not an adventure traveler. For me, adventure travel was flying coach. All this backpacking and wearing of heavy boots and flying off to France to walk ancient pilgrimage routes was a new experience, and not one that made me feel entirely comfortable."

And so Bill Bennett, an Australian based film director, set off on an 800 kilometer walk across Spain to Santiago de Compostela, not sure why he was doing it, and not feeling entirely comfortable. His discomfort increased markedly a few days later when his knee gave out – so the rest of the walk was a "pain management pilgrimage."

But he kept his sense of humor, and in the vein of Bill Bryson's and Eric Newby's travel memoirs, The Way, My Way takes you on a unique spiritual journey that's both deeply moving, and laugh-out-loud funny.