End of March 2020

732 days ago we let go of a lot of things. Our home, house, jobs, stuff. Basically our life at that moment in time. We said goodbye to family and friends until we meet again. We started a new chapter in life. A travel life. One with an open end. Who would have thought that this all would end within 12 hours.  Once more, we let go of Kempie – our home on wheels – stuff, our travel life… Unprepared this time!

Tuesday 17th March 2020

Today we visited the Twelve Apostels, an amazing must-see in OZ and ended the day hurting our brain. What is happening to the world? Exploring your best option in a fluid crazy situation which is heading to the unknown is pretty challenging, I can say. Not understanding completely what is going on in Europe and the US with all those lock-downs, let alone understanding what Covid-19 is all about. Whatever it is about, we decided to stay in Australia and travel up North – back to Queensland, back to the sun. Wait until travel restrictions would be lifted, hopefully in a few weeks, maybe months. We could then fly to the States afterall and continue our trip for a couple of more months and return to The Netherlands as planned in August. Couldn’t we? This can’t last for a very long time, right? No, the world won’t lock down completely. Impossible. That’s the plan. Steffi flies home on Friday and we drive up North. We call it a day and Australia treats us as only Australia can do that with a beautiful sunset and a kangaroo. Thank you Australia. ❤️

Wednesday 18th March 2020

We wake up. It’s 07:00 in the morning. First things first. Which is reading corona news that happened overnight in Europe. Coffee has to settle for a second priority nowadays. Today, the news wakes us up even better than coffee! The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls all Dutchies abroad to leave for home asap! If last night was a brain rollercoaster, this news is a punch in our face. And now what? Deep inside we know what to do. Go back to The Netherlands. It’s that simple. To accept this thought takes a little longer. Talking, thinking, coffee, calling home, coffee, discussing, more coffee, but around 09:00 we call it out loud. We need to go home asap. It should still be possible. 🤞 Soon no longer.

Our Australian visa runs out in less than two months, we’re not allowed to work in OZ and we’re better off close to our safety net of our own government and social life. Who knows how long this bizar situation will last. Besides, the idea that something bad can happen to the ones close to our hearts and not being able to go home at all is a no go. So… This is it. The End. We go home. Today.

We pack our stuff and at 10:00 we leave for the airport, a 3 hours drive away. On our way Steffi searches for a hotel where she can wait and do her utmost not to go crazy with all the corona buzz send to her and keep faith Thailand airport stays open, so she can jump on her flight home in two days time. I’m in a rollercoaster looking for flights and connecting with Travellers Autobarn to sell-back Kempie. Which order?!? We don’t want to lose Kempie, our home, before it’s confirmed we actually can fly home. On the other hand we don’t want to buy expensive tickets and not being able to sell Kempie. You can’t just leave a camper at the side of the road… Although, we did saw it in the outback. But this is Kempie, worth a little more, and it’s not the outback. Oh djee. Wouter meanwhile aims to be focused on keeping Kempie straight and within speed limits. Big Stress! Mama Mia. And to make it worse Mr. Huntsman 🕷  thought it to be a good moment to show himself, once more on the windscreen. WHAAAAAAA!

Anyhow, we survived. We managed to get a buy-back for Kempie in the afternoon. Thanks Travellers Autobarn for being so flexible! And we managed to book tickets for that evening. Two stop-overs. Ticket prices were exceeding all imaginable amounts. The world tried to get home. It was almost like booking tickets for a popular concert. “….and too late” “Sold-out!” At some point one-way flights were over AU$15.000 each!!! We’ve been really lucky that we got hold of two tickets for a reasonable price considering the circumstances. Pfew. Breath in, breath out. Now all that’s left is joining Steffi by keeping fingers, toes, legs and arms crossed that our transfer airports won’t go into lock-down.

Our flight home was weird. Leaving Steffi behind in OZ. How did that happened?!? Leaving Kempie and quite some stuff behind. Worse, leaving our unfinished trip behind!! Is it really over? A thousands thoughts in our minds.

At the airport silence around us. Everyone in their own thoughts. Everyone is flying last minute to a place they want to be. Everyone has got a story to tell. Confused faces. Worried faces. Silent faces. Sigh, what is happening to the world…

Strangly enough, there are no corona checks. A few masks, some gloves, but that’s it. No social distancing. People coughing and sniffling. What to think about it? Everyone simply wants to go home. Checking the flight status for hundredth time… Still on time.

Take off. Bye Australia, bye travel life. 😢

Thursday 19th March 2020

We land in Doha. Our connecting flight to London still scheduled. Yes 💪 , we won’t be stuck at Doha airport, like the guy in “The Terminal” 🎥. Qatar is in lock-down and we can’t enter the country. While waiting we receive newsflashes about an upcoming lockdown in London. Oh no… Will we get through on time to catch our flight to Amsterdam? 🤞🤞🤞. Sigh, it feels like acting in an unreal movie.

In London we get through cause we arrived from Australia. People arriving from elsewhere in Europe are not so lucky and pointed into a direction which for sure is not their transport home. In an almost empty plane we arrive at Schiphol Airport. There is hardly anyone at the arrivals. Empty corona beer bottles testify we were not the first ones who made it home…

It’s impossible to describe our feelings. All happened so fast. We’re sooo completely unprepared to end our trip mentally, to come home, to start a new chapter in life, to … whatever… But, we’re grateful. We’re healthy, safe and close to our family and friends in this bizar situation. ❤️