Travel, the only thing you buy that makes you rich
Door: Birthe van Opzeeland
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Birthe
07 Maart 2014 | Nederland, Haarlem
The End….. is it really the end?? Yes unfortunately it kinda is. It’s the end of the most amazing year I’ve ever had! But it’s not the end of my travel or experience! I did this and I’m back in the Netherlands but its just the beginning of a new period and a new me. I’ve exactly been away for a year, from the 18th of feb 2013 till the 18th of feb 2014. Now I’m home it feels like a dream, so unreal, like it never happened. But off course I know it did and it will always stay in my memory!
To complete my travel I spend my last week on the east coast. I went to Byron bay because I hadn’t seen it yet. It’s such a nice, cool, chill and beautiful place. It was really weird to know I left my melbs family but I loved it again to see new places and to explore. Byron Bay is just a really nice not too big place where you can surf, dive etc. The beach was beautiful and so I went surfing for the last time in OZ. It was so cool again and I wished I were a pro and that I had more experience and I wished I did it more often. But still I was on my board on the waves and it was a great feeling again!
A trip to Nimbin had to be done! Nimbin is basically one small colourful street! Where everybody on the street asks you to buy weed, cookies, mushrooms or other stuff! Everybody stoned out of their heads! Off course I had to try a marihuana cookie! I didn’t really feel it, must be the Dutch blood running through my veins haha.
I decide to stay a day longer in Byron because I just loved it and I wanted to dive again. I thought, you never know it might be my last time in OZ so my last chance to dive in OZ. So I went for it. It was my 6th dive ever and I loved it again! It’s so relaxing, cool, amazing, beautiful and breathtaking (not literally off course). I saw Leopard sharks and Bull rays and more amazing animals! I really love it and it’s a shame that The Netherlands don’t have such an amazing view under water!
After Byron Bay a bus drive of 17 hours was ahead of me, wasn’t looking forward to it. I survived and I arrived in Sydney for my last weekend in OZ! Luckily I knew some people who I’ve met in Melbourne before so I met up with them and spend the whole day with them. It was a cool catch up and a good distraction for me. The other days I played a tourist and walked around the city and saying goodbye to my chill relaxed way of life that was soon coming to an end. I was emotional but not as much as I was in Melbourne because I left friends there.
Monday was the day, the day I would leave OZ and I would head home to the cold Netherlands. In total the flight was 21 hours or so. A long long long long boring flight that gave me an amazing jetlag for a couple of days :s. When I waited for the flight from Dubai to Amsterdam I was almost depressed…. Sitting there with Dutch people shouting and trying to be cool and trying to get attention and acting to be important… no I definitely hadn’t missed that the last year. So hoody over my head, music in my ears and try to ignore them.
After 26 hours I finally was in Amsterdam where they said it was 5 degrees, too cold for me. I walked at Schiphol and I was really thinking about turning around and take the first best plane back to OZ, what was I doing here….. But then I knew, I walked in the arrivals gate and I saw my sister, my beautiful pregnant sister and I knew I wanted to be home for when she’s having her daughter, my niece. I cried when I hugged her and I knew I was back. My parents were there, two aunts and my two travel buddys! Was great to see them again and weird to meet them in Holland instead of in a great exotic unknown place. Me being overwhelmed and tired wasn’t expecting anything but I had a surprise party! Which was amazeballs because I could see my friends from home. It was so weird and I didn’t knew who to talk to because it was so much and I wasn’t expecting it at all. Amazing that they did it and I appreciate it that they were all there!
Its weird being home again and coming back in the routine I desperately wanted to leave. Nobody changed, everybody is still here and everybody will stay here. I’m trying to find a job and getting in my rhythm and finding my way around here again.
But I will never be completely home again, because part of my heart will always me elsewhere. That’s the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.
To complete my travel I spend my last week on the east coast. I went to Byron bay because I hadn’t seen it yet. It’s such a nice, cool, chill and beautiful place. It was really weird to know I left my melbs family but I loved it again to see new places and to explore. Byron Bay is just a really nice not too big place where you can surf, dive etc. The beach was beautiful and so I went surfing for the last time in OZ. It was so cool again and I wished I were a pro and that I had more experience and I wished I did it more often. But still I was on my board on the waves and it was a great feeling again!
A trip to Nimbin had to be done! Nimbin is basically one small colourful street! Where everybody on the street asks you to buy weed, cookies, mushrooms or other stuff! Everybody stoned out of their heads! Off course I had to try a marihuana cookie! I didn’t really feel it, must be the Dutch blood running through my veins haha.
I decide to stay a day longer in Byron because I just loved it and I wanted to dive again. I thought, you never know it might be my last time in OZ so my last chance to dive in OZ. So I went for it. It was my 6th dive ever and I loved it again! It’s so relaxing, cool, amazing, beautiful and breathtaking (not literally off course). I saw Leopard sharks and Bull rays and more amazing animals! I really love it and it’s a shame that The Netherlands don’t have such an amazing view under water!
After Byron Bay a bus drive of 17 hours was ahead of me, wasn’t looking forward to it. I survived and I arrived in Sydney for my last weekend in OZ! Luckily I knew some people who I’ve met in Melbourne before so I met up with them and spend the whole day with them. It was a cool catch up and a good distraction for me. The other days I played a tourist and walked around the city and saying goodbye to my chill relaxed way of life that was soon coming to an end. I was emotional but not as much as I was in Melbourne because I left friends there.
Monday was the day, the day I would leave OZ and I would head home to the cold Netherlands. In total the flight was 21 hours or so. A long long long long boring flight that gave me an amazing jetlag for a couple of days :s. When I waited for the flight from Dubai to Amsterdam I was almost depressed…. Sitting there with Dutch people shouting and trying to be cool and trying to get attention and acting to be important… no I definitely hadn’t missed that the last year. So hoody over my head, music in my ears and try to ignore them.
After 26 hours I finally was in Amsterdam where they said it was 5 degrees, too cold for me. I walked at Schiphol and I was really thinking about turning around and take the first best plane back to OZ, what was I doing here….. But then I knew, I walked in the arrivals gate and I saw my sister, my beautiful pregnant sister and I knew I wanted to be home for when she’s having her daughter, my niece. I cried when I hugged her and I knew I was back. My parents were there, two aunts and my two travel buddys! Was great to see them again and weird to meet them in Holland instead of in a great exotic unknown place. Me being overwhelmed and tired wasn’t expecting anything but I had a surprise party! Which was amazeballs because I could see my friends from home. It was so weird and I didn’t knew who to talk to because it was so much and I wasn’t expecting it at all. Amazing that they did it and I appreciate it that they were all there!
Its weird being home again and coming back in the routine I desperately wanted to leave. Nobody changed, everybody is still here and everybody will stay here. I’m trying to find a job and getting in my rhythm and finding my way around here again.
But I will never be completely home again, because part of my heart will always me elsewhere. That’s the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.
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