The past weeks went by so quickly, we hardly had time to breathe. We were both in full speed working on the van, emptying and cleaning the house, Yuri was busy finishing his projects and I tried to get everything online ready for our adventure. We will sleep when we’re on the road, we will relax at our first stop, we will unstress the moment we leave. For now, too many things to do, too many stuff to arrange and too much going on. Travelling is working. It’s not like you pack your bags and unpack at the beach. At least our way of travelling is not. But the more we have to arrange now the better the reward will be when we’re on the road.
And oh my, am I ready for the road. I can’t wait for the adventure to start. The last couple of days also meant saying goodbye to some people. Besides the standard questions about travelling with Covid-19 restrictions, people now also start to ask me whether I’m afraid of something, what my biggest fear is or what to do when we get stranded and a Nomadic tribe is coming our way. And to be honest there is nothing I’m afraid of, I don’t have any fears haunting me at night, and when a Nomadic tribe comes our way I hope I have enough ‘stroopwafels’ to share with them and make friends. Of course there are things that can go wrong, but more things can go right. Funny that no one asks about that, no one asks about what I’m looking forward the most, or what I’m most confident about.
So, let’s answer these questions.
What are we looking forward to the most
I asked Yuri and he replied ‘the nice sceneries’. I totally agree, but what I’m looking forward even more I think is the freedom. I’ve travelled a lot in my life, even dedicated a study to it. I have lived in several countries and the feeling of freedom and the ability to explore the unknown has always made me feel so alive. I guess that’s what I’m looking forward to the most; driving and living in a van and the freedom that brings. And of course we look forward to the explorations into cultures we do not yet know, the incredible nature we will witness, the most delicious food we will taste.
Ah, there is so much we are looking forward to. From seeing our friends to meeting strangers, from eating food we know to food that is new to us and from driving in the mountains to driving in deserts. We are looking forward to strange money, languages and road signs. To waking up to the sound of birds to going to sleep in the quietest of places. Watching amazing sunrises and glorious sunsets, tasting all kinds of beers, wines and honey. Hiking great mountains and jumping in the most clear water. Visiting historical sights, religious places and crowded cities. Wearing flip-flops and sunglasses or hiking boots and outdoor clothing. Capturing memories by photo and film. Exploring the world together, sharing one of the most thrilling adventures of our lives together, travelling together.
What to miss and not to miss?
Yuri is going to miss running water, especially running water from The Hague – it’s delicious. I won’t miss a thing, but I will miss my family & friends. But it’s always a good kind of missing and the internet makes the world so small nowadays.
What will we not miss? I won’t miss the noise in the street when I’m trying to sleep (sorry people but I love the curfew). Well, and of course the waiting in line while grocery shopping, the diversion of Netflix, my mobile phone, internet and I won’t miss the hasty lifestyle of the Dutch.
Yuri will not miss the annoying and very busy traffic in The Netherlands. That’ll be fun when we drive through Istanbul, Teheran or Xi’an.
What are we most confident about
We are very confident that this is going to be one of the most amazing trips we will ever take and we will be taking so many beautiful photos, making wonderful memories and meeting the kindest of people. We are confident that when something happens we will be able to make the best of it, we are sure that we can turn bad things into good things and good things into even better ones, we are certain that luck is on our side.
We feel as confident about this trip as we are sure the sun will rise tomorrow. When people think about the bad things that can happen on a trip like this we think about the good things that will happen. Don’t forget that there is only bad because there is good, that there is dark because there is light and that safety doesn’t exist if there is no danger. No yin without yang.
When you feel confident, when you are positive, when you trust in luck, good things will happen.
Are we really not afraid that anything bad happens?
That corona doesn’t throw a spanner in the works?
Of course we know travelling during a pandemic has it’s challenges. Yes, we understand that driving an oldtimer is daring. But Covid-19 is a challenge at home as well, driving an oldtimer is always daring but has it’s charme, the world is always full of bad things that can happen. If you focus on the negativity it will happen to you. But if you focus on the good, the good will happen.
Four more days
So, now you know our mindset it’s time to focus on whats left to be done. And even though we have only four days left we have lots of work to do. We still need to finish the roof, sew the curtains, fix the couch/bed, get the solar panels to work, get new sunshades, install the door panels, fix some electricity issues. We need to install fog lights, get an oil sump and buy spare parts.
Besides that we need to move, so empty the house, clean the house, pack our stuff and leave the house. We’ve got four days and after that; freedom!
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