Written by: Steven
Date: 20-04-2008

Sunny days in rainy Holland

In the taxi to the airport we're chatting with the Cambodian driver. He thinks it's great that we've visited his country by bicycle. He himself will never return to the country he has fled during the Khmer Rouge regime.

We're on the road again after 6 months of working and living in Sydney. This time not by bike because we're on our way to the Netherlands for a quick visit. We've had the tickets for a while and after almost 3 years of travelling its good to go back. It will be great to see our family and friends after all our travels and kilometers away from home.

The trip will take us 30 hours and after a short stop in Taipei and Bangkok we are flying above Germany. Together with Marlous we are looking through the same small window to gain a glimpse of the world below. It doesn't take a long time before we see the polders and the windmills. The landing is wild and as soon as we are safe on the ground we see why: wind, a lot of wind. The doors open and we walk around with Dutch signs for a change. A ‘goedemorgen' (good morning) and a smile at the customs and after that waiting for our luggage. We don't have anything to declare so we are ready to meet our families. Mum and Dad jump into the crowd as soon as they see us, brothers, sister and partners; everybody is there and ready for a big hug.

It feels good to be back in The Netherlands and it's absolutely normal to drive from Schiphol airport to the North of The Netherlands. In Norg we have time for a quiet lunch before our guests will arrive. We invited friends for a drink and a chat. Before we can feel any signs of a jetlag we are talking with everyone. It's funny how normal it is to see everyone again after almost three years. We all have different experiences but thanks to the internet we kept in contact. When our last guest leave we feel exhausted and it doesn't take long before the light goes out.

We have six weeks in The Netherlands before we will return to Sydney. In these weeks we are planning to visit family and friends. We also need some new materials to continue our travels. We could use a new tent, a camera and new parts for our bicycles.

We aren't very lucky with the weather, because it's all the time wet and cold. Our luck is with the good times we have with family and friends. It's great to see and catch up with everyone.

It's nice to sit behind the stirring Wheel of a car for a change. My last time was in Turkey where we rented a car together with my parents. It's an easy way to travel around in our small country. The first time we make a round to pay some visits, we are amazed by how fast we travel trough our country. For the rest there isn't much changed since we have left and before we realise we are back in our old routines. It's normal to make appointments to see people in stead of just dropping by because everybody is always busy. Cyclist are everywhere, on the streets, the pavements and they manage to get way by other drivers all the time. For us that's something unique.

After all the Dutch treatments of: hutspot, zuurkool and unox sausages, babi pangang, fries with mayonnaise and a croquet, cookies with the coffee and desserts it's time to leave Holland for a while. We have had an amazing time with everyone and after all the attention we can go on with the two of us for a while.