Why would you a Buddhist embark on a Christian pilgrimage?

Pilgrimages are walking Zen; step by step the practitioner makes his or her way through blue sky temples and white  cloud monasteries. Conducted in the traditional manner - on foot, in old-fashioned garb, carrying no money, accepting whatever comes - pilgrimages are among the most demanding, and therefore most rewarding, of all religious disciplines. (Martin Roth and John Steven, 1985,  p. 108)

I was asked why I, a Buddhist, would want to embark on a 1,200-km “Christian” pilgrimage from Valencia to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. My behaviour is seemingly viewed as incongruent. There are all sorts of reasons, of course, ranging from the sheer physical challenge of such a lengthy undertaking through the cultural/historic considerations to spiritual aspects in it's widest sense. There is  the build-up of inner strength as one day unfolds before the next, seeing new places, meeting new faces, the simplicity of life on the road, pared down to it's bare essentials, solitude, and each or a combination of them are personal to me as they resemble the reasons that lead me to walk the Cami de Llevant.

I had experienced the archetypal yearning to practice the type of embodied spirituality that is to be found by going on pilgrimage. I have a stirring that leads me to want to walk in the footsteps of earlier pilgrims and directly experience holy places. No matter how weak and far from the Christian religion I may feel before going on pilgrimage – during the time on the road I'm changing and experience lightness and freedom despite the hardships and ongoing uncertainties (the availability of nice nutritious vegetarian food is high on my list of ongoing uncertainties), and the monotonous routine of repetitive long-distance walking and daily chores. I explore new horizons. I'm in contact with God.

I have little control over what happens when on pilgrimage (or what happens in the world around me, for that matter). So the pilgrimage is my teacher and I learn to accept what the world does to me. I also learn to free myself from anxiety and how much I can do without. I'm also reminded about how much I don't know why I want to undertake these amazing journeys. An old Zen story captures the spirit of going on pilgrimage.

The wandering monk Fa-yen was asked by Ti-ts'ang, "Where are you going?"
"Around on pilgrimage," said Fa-yen.
Ti-ts'ang asked, "What is the purpose of pilgrimage?"
"I don't know," replied Fa-yen.
Ti-ts'ang nodded and said, "Not knowing is nearest."

Paulo Coelho wrote about his pilgrim experience,

My turning point was my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It was then that I, who had dedicated most of my life to penetrate the 'secrets' of the universe, realized that there are no secrets. Life is and will always be a mystery.