Like a dream...
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Sander
14 April 2014 | Nederland, Driebergen-Rijsenburg
Dear friends and family, this will be the last story I’ll write on this blog, for a while at least. Just as the very first one, I am home now, but this time, my journey has already ended…
After I left Jerome in Christchurch, I flew to Auckland, and spend three days there at my friend Yan's place. I bought presents for everyone at home, and found out that Auckland actually isn't that bad as I thought it was. Mount Eden, for example, was pretty, and I enjoyed staying in a house instead of a hostel.
The next saturday I arrived in Sydney, where I had managed to get a couchsurfing place, almost in the CBD, with some lovely Aussie girls. I spend the days doing the same as in Auckland, and finding out the same thing as in Auckland about Sydney :)
There in Sydney, I started feeling really weird. It must have been that I was realizing I was going home, and as it became stronger, I could explain what it felt like. It felt like I was just slowly waking up, sort of sleepwalking, after a very long beautiful and realistic dream. I had never felt something like that, but Hannah (who hosted me) assured me it was normal, and would even become worse after I'd get home. And yes, she was right. It felt exactly like I was waking up, like most of the days of my journey felt like I was living in a dream :)
The flight itself was allright, luckily. First I arrived in Taiwan, where I spend my 17 hours waiting for the next one doing some awesome things in the city, Taipei. I heard of a free tour to the city, found and booked it, before I realized that I had no money, and couldn't take anything out of the ATM's there... How could I survive 17 hours without any money to buy some food..? But as I sat there, waiting for the tour, a Chinese businessman started a conversation with me, and after he found out in which trouble I was, he gave me his Taiwanese dollars; he wouldn't use them, and he had been a poor young traveller too, he told me. That man saved my day, and he didn't give me just a bit... In the end I had trouble spending it all! The free tour was really cool, with a very friendly Taiwanese guide who told us a lot of stories, and after we got back, I decided to go into town on my own. I had been there on my way to Australia, with Stephanie and Helmie, so I didn't feel uncomfortable. I actually really enjoyed it, being in an enormous Asian city without any 'not-Asians', trying to talk English to people that can't, and eating weird-looking and weird-smelling food for 10 cents. I even found a beautiful park with many birds, squirrels, temples and pools.
That day I didn't feel weird, there was no time for thinking of home, just time for enjoying what I was doing.
But when I went back to the airport, and flew to Bangkok, where the plane had a tank-stop, it started again. Just 12 hours from home, I realized.. Fortunately I had 4 places for myself till Bangkok, and 2 from Bangkok to Amsterdam, so I slept quite well.
And then, the plane landed in Amsterdam.. I was home.
But I felt nothing, or maybe everything, I don't know, but it was still weird. Especially as I saw all my sweet friends and mother standing there to welcome me (big surprise!), I didn't know what to say.
All the emotions came the next day, and again I felt like I just woke up.
But I know it wasn't a dream, it was just as awesome as a dream! The decision to go on this journey was one of the best of my life, and I can only be very thankful for everything that happened, everything I experienced, everyone I met, everything I did, and everything other people did for me! An unbelievable big THANKS to everyone!! And I hope to be able to travel again some time, maybe to Asia... :)
Also, to the people that read this blog, followed and supported me; a very big Thanks, I hope you enjoyed it! I did, no doubt!
See you! Cheers :)
After I left Jerome in Christchurch, I flew to Auckland, and spend three days there at my friend Yan's place. I bought presents for everyone at home, and found out that Auckland actually isn't that bad as I thought it was. Mount Eden, for example, was pretty, and I enjoyed staying in a house instead of a hostel.
The next saturday I arrived in Sydney, where I had managed to get a couchsurfing place, almost in the CBD, with some lovely Aussie girls. I spend the days doing the same as in Auckland, and finding out the same thing as in Auckland about Sydney :)
There in Sydney, I started feeling really weird. It must have been that I was realizing I was going home, and as it became stronger, I could explain what it felt like. It felt like I was just slowly waking up, sort of sleepwalking, after a very long beautiful and realistic dream. I had never felt something like that, but Hannah (who hosted me) assured me it was normal, and would even become worse after I'd get home. And yes, she was right. It felt exactly like I was waking up, like most of the days of my journey felt like I was living in a dream :)
The flight itself was allright, luckily. First I arrived in Taiwan, where I spend my 17 hours waiting for the next one doing some awesome things in the city, Taipei. I heard of a free tour to the city, found and booked it, before I realized that I had no money, and couldn't take anything out of the ATM's there... How could I survive 17 hours without any money to buy some food..? But as I sat there, waiting for the tour, a Chinese businessman started a conversation with me, and after he found out in which trouble I was, he gave me his Taiwanese dollars; he wouldn't use them, and he had been a poor young traveller too, he told me. That man saved my day, and he didn't give me just a bit... In the end I had trouble spending it all! The free tour was really cool, with a very friendly Taiwanese guide who told us a lot of stories, and after we got back, I decided to go into town on my own. I had been there on my way to Australia, with Stephanie and Helmie, so I didn't feel uncomfortable. I actually really enjoyed it, being in an enormous Asian city without any 'not-Asians', trying to talk English to people that can't, and eating weird-looking and weird-smelling food for 10 cents. I even found a beautiful park with many birds, squirrels, temples and pools.
That day I didn't feel weird, there was no time for thinking of home, just time for enjoying what I was doing.
But when I went back to the airport, and flew to Bangkok, where the plane had a tank-stop, it started again. Just 12 hours from home, I realized.. Fortunately I had 4 places for myself till Bangkok, and 2 from Bangkok to Amsterdam, so I slept quite well.
And then, the plane landed in Amsterdam.. I was home.
But I felt nothing, or maybe everything, I don't know, but it was still weird. Especially as I saw all my sweet friends and mother standing there to welcome me (big surprise!), I didn't know what to say.
All the emotions came the next day, and again I felt like I just woke up.
But I know it wasn't a dream, it was just as awesome as a dream! The decision to go on this journey was one of the best of my life, and I can only be very thankful for everything that happened, everything I experienced, everyone I met, everything I did, and everything other people did for me! An unbelievable big THANKS to everyone!! And I hope to be able to travel again some time, maybe to Asia... :)
Also, to the people that read this blog, followed and supported me; a very big Thanks, I hope you enjoyed it! I did, no doubt!
See you! Cheers :)
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
