“There is only one way to learn. Its through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.” Paulo Coehlo
Three months ago, I decided that I thought it was time to head back to Australia.
I was in Germany at the time, and had concerning thoughts of what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go and how I wanted to live.
The answers all boiled down to a basic concept, the same basic concept in fact, that I had based my travels on when leaving Australia last August; To travel and enjoy life, with minimum money, and a healthy, wholesome lifestyle.
In Germany, I had really come to realize how lucky I am to be Australian, to be able to live the life I lead. Earning great income, whilst still reaping the benefits of taking holidays and being able to pick up and leave for months at a time whenever I felt the need. Only to come back to Australia and find any kind of job in which ever field I chose, quite easily.
I made the executive decision to fly home to Australia, and start a new adventure, somewhere outside of Sydney. I booked flights then and there.
I knew I wanted to spend time in Spain so I searched for the cheapest avenues for me to get back to Australia from there. I found two cheap flights, one that would lead me to Bangkok, Thailand, and another, 10 days later that would lead me back to Sydney.
I booked my tickets, and decided that I would not tell a soul about my plans of returning to Sydney, so that I could surprise all my loved ones.
And thus started a web of lies being spun to those I would skype with, those I wanted to surprise the most, who would, over the next 3 months, constantly ask what my plans were.
I went day by day, avoiding skype calls, deferring Facebook messages away from, So what are you going to do after London?, If you like Spain so much, why dont you stay?. Needless to say I almost caved and told my best friends, my sister, my mum, that I would soon be back in Australia. But I kept my cool, I flew to Thailand from Barcelona, and via social media let everyone know I was there.
I got quite a few messages stating that I was getting closer and closer to the country therefore I must be coming home soon, but i deferred these again with the illusion that, as I headed to the North of Thailand, I was leading myself to Laos.
I spent 10 days in Thailands mountain towns, Chiang Mai and Pai. I met some incredible people, and returning to Asia made me feel another kind of lust for travel, one different to that of Europe or even the USA. I found myself questioning again if I was making the right decision going back to Australia
But today, as I surprised my best friend in Sydney, as I jumped out of the boot of the car surprising another friend, and as I spent the night, outside of a friends back yard with a picnic rug, I knew I had made the right decision.
As soon as I stepped out of the Airport and into the Australian air, I could taste the sea salt from miles away, I could feel my skin grow sticky from the mild humidity. I was home, and it felt good.
Now that is not to say I am going back to my old life, no way. In fact, after 2 weeks in Sydney, I will be driving up the coast of Australia with Shea, the friend I most recently traveled with up until today, looking for a place to nest for the coming months.
And as for those amazing places I fell deep for, I will be back for you, all in good time.
This video is a small part of my journey, something to remember how special my time with these people and those places were.
Though nothing, no words, no photos or film, will capture how infinite I felt, sharing these experiences, I am forever in debt to all the people who have entered my life the past coming months They touched me in a way I cant explain, and have changed my very soul.
A wonderful boy I met in Spain wrote me a message in my journal that read; Such a beautiful day, clouds are not that grey, such a beautiful day and I couldnt agree with him more.
“If I am really part of your dream, you’ll come back one day.” Paulo Coelho