As an alternative plan to Lesbos, I decided to go backpacking in Asia for the next 2.5 months. But just a week in, the situation at home and the rest of the world changed completely.
When it was just staring at home, everyone (including me) was convinced I would be better off in Thailand, to sit it out in an exotic paradise instead of home. But when the situation in the Netherlands got worse and word got out that air traffic would be reduced to the absolute minimum with the possibility of not being able to get home for the next weeks/months, the situation changed. Where the backpackers community was enthusiastic and adventurous as first, this quickly went to stress and worry. Worried about changing tickets and being able to catch a plane home. The streets went quiet, shops and restaurants got more empty by the day and everyone’s main concern was getting home.
In the morning, everything had been good, by lunch we had all bought our tickets home. And just like that, 2,5 months were turned into 2 weeks. At the moment of purchase, we were in Pai, a little hippie town in the North of Thailand. That same afternoon we took the bus back to Chaing Mai and flew from Chaing Mai to Bangkok. Just a few days later I was on the plane back home, and I was so lucky to be on that plane.
Just after booking, a few days prior, my flight was canceled. Thanks to some super helpful friends, working at KLM, I was immediately put on a different flight, the one on the 24th.
Tickets were hard to find, many were crazy expensive, there were limited seats and much insecurity if planes would even depart. I have met many who weren’t lucky enough to find a flight or had their flights cancelled multiple times. Luckly, everything went well for me. On board of the plane, the flight attendant started off by saying: ‘We are very happy that we are able to bring you home today. But the Netherlands you left is not the Netherlands you will return to.’
And so it shows.. The streets are quiet and the people are indoors. But it would have just been a matter of time for it to happen in Thailand as well. So, happy to be close to family, friends and good hospitals but sad to have cut my trip short and having to adjust my plans again.
New plans? Hopefully I will be able to go to Lesbos when the world has recovered from the virus. Until then I will hopefully start working “at” school again, volunteer for the ‘kindertelefoon’ and try to keep myself entertained at home.
Stay safe, stay home!
(I will soon post about all the awesome things I did during the two weeks there, cause as short as it was, it was also amazing. I have seen and done wonderful things and met so many lovely people along the way!)
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