Roadtrip to goodbye (english)

As promised my last blog in English as well. Or a trial at least. (to practice and improve my english i neither used google translate nor spellingcontrol)

While sitting in the bus back from summery London I'm writing my last blog. The last part op my trip (in which I traveld more miles than in the rest of my time in Australia in total) started at Fraser Island. The biggest sandisland in the world as I have been told. Togheter with Martin and Mehmet I rented a enormous four wheel drive and left for two days to the island of the Dingo. (A mix of an agressive fox and a dog). The meaning of driving totally changed on this sandisland without any roads and as impassable as a jungle. Luckely the car was made for this so that we could fully enjoy the beautiful island. White "beaches" in the middle of the jungle, an abandoned warwreck on the outspreaded eastcoast and we; armed with sticks, walking a trail which was closed due to agressive Dingo's. Luckely we didn't see any agressive dingo. However, this blog wouldn't be complete without another nearly-dead-experience. It was Martin who provided this story when he descided to test his drifting skills while we were driving on the beach with approximately 65miles/hour. He grabed the handbrake and without any warning he went full braking and turned the wheel 90 degrees. With 2 wheels in the air and within an ace of flipping over and crash, the car managed to stop after a few breathtaking seconds. Martin, who was rightly lightly shocked, said sorry whereafter I took over the wheel. 

After Mehmet had provided us of the biggest iligal campfire ever it was time for what would be a verry cold and cosy night.

The next day started with one of the most beautiful sunrises i've ever seen in my time in Australia. It became only better when a dingo descided to enjoy the orange sky with us in just a meter of our car. This wasn't the only luck we had that day because around midday while looking out over the ocean a whale family just jumped out of the water and showed us there massive bodies. Later we also saw some dolfins and a stingray which made our trip to Fraser a great success.

Unfortunately, everything has an end and so the time had come to say goodbye to Martin whom I travelled with for 2 months and to Mehmet whom I travelled with for 1 month. This was directly a goodbye party for all my, in the meantime, good friends from Mooloolaba. It's weird to say goodbye to people who you practically lived togheter with knowing you might never see them again. Nevertheless, after a little tear was I alone on the road for the first time since I bought Merchédéz.

It was as if somebody descided this for me. I don't believe in coincedences anymore since, after barely 24 hours alone on the road, I ran into Ohmer and Yoël (the two singing Isrealis whom I met in Tasmania) Just on a car spot in a small town where I descided to go for a lunch. As well as me they were planning on travelling to the north with their van. In company of some beers that evening, we descided suprisingly quick that it would be way more gezellig (untranslateble word, you just need to know it in dutch; mix of cosy, social, chill, laughs, toghether with friends) to travel togheter. In the meantime a third Israelis guy had joined the two others and so we left with 4 people and two cars. The israelis tought me camping on another level. Cooking on fire, do the dishes using just sand and river water, taking a bath in that same river -to see warning signs when you come out which say; Don't swim deadly crocs and jellyfish- and making use of the second hand shops which we crossed. Since I had to take the A4 from Rockhamton to go to Darwin and the Israelis had planned to go up to Cairns, after three days, we unfortunately had to split up. I have enjoyed it and learned from the Hebrew songs and the Isrealis cookingskills of those three verry special people and continued my travel alone again. 

From that moment on the real roadtrip started. With another 3 weeks to go before l I had to fly back from Melbourne, I was driving to Darwin. No plan is the best plan is a good motto until you háve to be somewhere on a certain date and time. From Rockhamton via Darwin, Uluru and Adelaide to Melbourne was another 4.4 thousand miles shortest way. 

Five days on my own was suprisingly good! Waking up in the morning togheter with the sunrise. After, trying to light up the coles, which were still a bit hot of the day before, to make a coffee and porridge. And around eight o'clock I hitted the road again. The first eavening, an old man invited me to make use of his BBQ after I was already trying to make a fire of drowned wood for over an hour. He was travelling around australia toghether with his brother for four weeks. To run away from their wives if I may believe them. Before I knew it I was enjoying toast with salami and cheese, a way to expansive skotch and a herbal sigarette with the two grandpa brothers around half 2 in the morning. Listening to their lifeadvises and their argy-bargy about who had the most good-looking woman. The next morning after a good cup of coffee, the brothers warned me to not drive after sunset and to make sure I had enough fuel and water and I was on the road again.

It was suprising how easy I could drive for 8/9 hours in a row without getting bored of tired. Quickly the advise of the brothers became clear to me when my car indicated to have an empty tank. The next village was another 45miles away back then. With 50miles/h on the highway and the sweat streaming of my back I finally arrived at the servo with another 0.3ltr in the tank. This joke repeated itself another 3 times before I finally got used to the, sometimes,100 miles between two servo's. The stories about the farmers that have to take their little airplanes to fly from one to the other side of their farm and the childern that attend school via radio became reality, I was in the outback. On the biggest highway in this area I was able to drive for 32.7miles (you have to do something if your driving 8 hours a day) until a car finally crossed me. Also the second advice of the brothers became clear to me when I saw two hitchhikers next to the road. Since I just had money for max. another 1.5 tank was this the perfect timing. 

The two english dudes told me that they had drivin their brandnew van into a kangeroo when they were driving at night. Apparently this happens all the time. So after five days I had some company in my car again which posponed my money problem (and which made my mum happy). Since the two friends were planning to rent a van in Darwin to do their own trip, it was my task to find another travelmate to go from Darwin all the way to Melbourne with me. At the point we arrived in Darwin the two guys went off to book a hostel and rent the van which gave me the time to wash the 7days dust of my body in a real shower. That eavening we had a great dinner on the beach with, while standing in the 30degrees hot ocean water, the best sunset where Darwin is so famous for. The two invited me for a goodbye drink since they were going to leave the next day. Within 20 minutes in the hostel I found already three prospective travelmates who wanted to travel with me to Melbourne. The next they two of the three cancelled which made my choice way easier. Not even an hour later I was on the road again with, next to me, an Italian Chef named Marc. Quite a quiet boy but verry helpful and handy to travel with. The comming two days he became less carefull and quiet which was the beginning of a good friendship! Two days later, when we met 7 French travellers, the 9 headed roadtripfamily was born and on their way to Uluru. The most famous stone in the world. How easy and quick it is to make friends is amazing, how easy and quick it is to become good friends is just unbelievable. Uluru and the kings canyon are phenomanal! Climbing to the top of the Ayers Rock was the most overwhelming climb of my life.

Unfortunately the family was slinking when 4 of the 7 French had to leave because of a different planning and timescedule. Togheter with three French and a German Italian I continued my way to Melbourne. On our way to the hostel where I started my travels. The biggest problem was my Merchédéz. I had to sell it before flying back to The Netherlands. As a wise man once told me; "If you have a problem, just don't think about it for a day or two. Half of the problems will solve themselves automatically" -Phillip- This was exactly what happend when Justine (the French girl in the roadtripfamily) said to have some interest in buying my car. Unfortunately she didn't have enough money. Gijs Kuijpers Bankers was born and I lent her the money. Maybe because I started to fell in love with this girl or maybe because I'm just a bit naive but I have a good feeling about the money being on my Dutch bankaccount in a couple months. Nevertheless, 10900miles driving, 685miles hitchhiking, about 250 miles of hiking and a lot of amazing people later I'm sitting here in the same hostel on the same place where I started my travel 150 nights ago. The hostel didn't change a thing. I came here without a backpack since it was left behind in London. Next to my backpack I've got a rucksack filled with lots of experiences, stories, lifelessons and friends. I laught, cried, worked and partied. The hostel didn't change but I can fairly say I did change. 

In the meantime I'm sitting here in the bus back home with Alice Cooper through my speakers. I'm happy to go home to see my friends and family again although I'm sure this wasn't my last journey. To my friends in The Netherlands; I see you all the comming days! To my friends somewhere else in the world; You're always welcome in the Netherlands, I wish you all the best with your travels and hope to see you on the other side!