Ask Lonely Planet: Pilgrims rewarded at end of long road

The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. (Spain is the third-most important pilgrimage site in Christendom, after Rome and Jerusalem.) Photo / Peter Calder

I am planning on walking the Way of Saint James, the ancient Spanish pilgrimage route. I intend to walk the 800km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the south of France through to Santiago de Compostela towards the western coast of Spain. I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to get to the start of the walk in Saint Jean and, as I'm a young backpacker, the cheapest option would be the best. I only want to be taking about 10kg in my pack but want to travel further through Spain afterwards, so do you have any suggestions of how I can get the rest of my luggage to meet me in Santiago? Finally, many people talk about continuing the walk on to Cape Finisterre - or Earth's End - but is this extra 50km worth all the fuss?
- Fiona Davies

Lonely Planet Asia-Pacific travel editor Shawn Low writes:

First off, we salute your gutsiness at wanting to attempt an 800km walk. Let's get the admin out of the way first: you can send your luggage ahead to Santiago de Compostela. Many travellers recommend sending their luggage to Camino Travel Centre. The company charges €15 to €25 ($28 to $46) to hold luggage up to 60 days.

Alternatively, if you pack really light and do lots of laundry, you could get by with 10kg without needing anything further in Santiago. If your clothes have disintegrated, you could always get supplies and fresh clothes there. In fact, it might end up costing less. For getting around France, the speedy TGV trains offer the best and most convenient value.

The tiny St-Jean-Pied-de-Port is 53km southeast of Bayonne and they are connected by rail (11 1/4 hours). You can, of course, get to Bayonne from Paris on the train (five hours). This way, you can work your way down through France at your leisure.

Is it worth continuing another 50km to Earth's End? I'd say yes. What's another 50km in light of the 800km you've already done? Not much. Many other travellers agree that there's a palpable sense of excitement, achievement and deep reflection upon reaching the rugged coast of Finisterre. Don't forget to capture the moment at the 0.0km marker sign - perhaps prior to burning all your clothes and diving into the sea, as is the custom.

Dive into flavour of Malaysia

Three friends and I have five nights in Malaysia in between flying from Cambodia to India. We fly in and out of Kuala Lumpur and would love some advice on how we could spend this time? We are on a fairly tight budget but, ideally, we would love to get to an island on the east coast for some snorkelling if possible and would love to know where the best local food places in Kuala Lumpur are - especially for a chilli crab.
- Lawrence Ross

Shawn Low, Lonely Planet's Asia-Pacific travel editor and co-author of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, writes:

Five days in Malaysia isn't a long time but you can probably spend two days in Kuala Lumpur and the other three at an island.

Kuala Lumpur is a good place to unwind and load up on food. Gorge on an international spread in Chinatown and at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre area. There are plenty of restaurants to suit all palates there.

Start your day with breakfast at Imbi Market (Jalan Kampung) and rub shoulders with locals over a bowl of oyster and peanut congee and some mini-egg tarts. For lunch, get some Nonya (Chinese-Malay food) dishes at the Old China Cafe (11 Jalan Balai Polis, Petaling Jaya). While chilli crab is more popular in Singapore, you can find a good local version at Restaurant Tak Fok Hong Kong Seafood (2-2A Jalan Desa 1/3, Desa Aman Puri).

If you want to hit an island, you can try to catch a budget Air Asia flight across to Sabah in East Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu is a good launching point for snorkelling in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. The park is home to various islands such as Pulau Sapi. Also, the Semporna Archipelago on the eastern side of Sabah has the fabulous Pulau Sipadan, one of the world's best diving spots.

If you don't want to leave Peninsula Malaysia, take a bus up north towards Pulau Langkawai. It's more touristy but has some of the most accessible snorkelling at the Pulau Payar Marine Park.