It's only been 7 days and a new stage of the book feels to have approached. So much has happened and things seem to be changing already. The amount of people who are sending their congrats, is really amazing. It's something I never acknowledged would happen. When choosing to 'write about the writing', it was to keep track of all that's involved when creating a book (especially as it's only my first one ;)). I did have doubts whether or not to keep others updated, but then I figured that because this is a travelblog - and travelling is what I'll still be doing - then there was no need to stop this line of communication... And I'm ecstatic that I didn't!
On Friday I felt I was closing one door and opening another. In the literal sense; I was closing the door to the office where I'd spent hours upon hours sitting at the desk, gazing through the window and taking every ounce of inspiration I could from the feelings I was having and the world I was able to envision through my mind. It was suddenly closed, as I 'let the world know' about the completion of my first draft. And with that, I was opening the door to the world again. But I was taking something extra with me. I was taking the computer file containing my story and taking the lessons these past 4 months have given me, out into the world. Where was I heading? Once I opened that front door and felt safe to give all that I've got, to those around me - which was something I wasn't always able to do, for fear of stopping the flow - I was heading down the main street, to meet Kelly! In the afternoon, this special backpacking buddy, who I hadn't seen for nearly 3 years, felt to have come falling out of the sky and landed herself in the main street of Arklow: the town I'd aways rejected as being my place of origin yet suddenly the town that had given me the opportunity to make one of my lifetime dreams become a reality!
Her visit. To talk about perfect timing, would be an understatement. And to say it was amazing the way in which we still connected, wouldn't reflect how strongly our had become - even in our distance. Spending 2 days together represented the next and new stage of... the book and of my life... However over the top that may sound, it doesn't bother me. Because the book 'simply' was my life; my past and my present and it will definitely take-up a part of my future too ;)
Showing posts with label Backpack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Backpack. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
ROADTRIPPING !!!
The time has come and it's the day I'm due to leave. I can't quite believe it. It's Wednesday afternoon and I'm packing my backpack, I'm gathering all my bits and pieces, I'm throwing out stuff that is only weighing me down and I'm preparing for the off. I'm not stressed, but slightly groggy from the wine I had last night, as we went for a few drinkies in Brisbane. I'm also excited, I'm just about ready and I'm a tiny bit nervous.
So where am I going and what am I doing..?? I'll start at the beginning..
When I first arrived in Oz, on my second day, I got a phone call from Jason. A dear dear friend of mine from Adelaide, who I worked with in Nyah West on the farm when I was here first time round. We were so close as friends and he has proven to be more special than I initially thought. Why? Because he proved to me over the past year that any friendship can withstand the distance of space and time, especially when one needs as much support as possible, whilst being in a dark place.
When we last said goodbye, it was December 2006 and I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. We both went our separate ways and lost contact until Summer 2008. When I had just got back to Ireland in June last year, I wasn't doing too well. But one day I suddenly found myself thinking of him and I wanted to seek contact. I looked up my old sim-card, found his old mobile number and thought I could at least see if he still has the same number. I sent him a text, and within minutes I got one back.. It was so surreal. He didn't know what my story was at that point in my life, so I decided to write him a letter. I wanted, for some strange reason, him to know what was going on with me. And once he had received the letter, he supported me so much by texting me kind sweet words every week, without fail.
Those texts were always the highlight of my week, they made me smile even it was for just a short while. But it was still reassuring to be aware that I was still able to smile back then. When I was in the midst of everything last Summer, (I don't even remember sending that particular text) I sent him a text saying that once I'm better and back on my feet again, we would definitely meet. I forgot I had sent that text, but left it in my phone, only to read it months and months later after I had made the decision to come back to Oz. And after I was already aware that he was one of the reasons I needed to return. I wanted to come back and he was probably the catalyst or the drive that made me see where it was I needed to be, or maybe I wanted to see him again because of all the support he gave me. Either way, I was shocked when I came across that text, to read that I was already so willing to see him again, even whilst being so muddled.
When he rang me, on my second day in Oz, he was talking about doing a roadtrip in a van. He was planning on going pretty soon. At that moment, I'd had a glass of wine, so I was feeling a bit courageous and I asked him if he wanted some company. He was delighted, and so was I. It was too much of a coincidence that we were both in a position to travel at the same time, to not act on it. From that day, I've been waiting for everything to fall into place. He was finishing up the work on the farm, waiting for his last payday and waiting to buy the van in which we would be traveling. Then he was going back to Adelaide (which is where he lives) to sort out some stuff. Because he was doing so much else, I was wary about getting my hopes up too much. So I kept it pretty much to myself. But once he got everything sorted, he texted me, which was last week Monday, saying that I had to be in Adelaide by next Thursday (which is tomorrow) so we can go traveling! And that's exactly what's happening..
I booked my flight on Sunday, I'm flying from Brisbane to Adelaide this evening, he will be picking me up from the airport and we'll be starting the roadtrip from there. Straight away apparently. I can't quite believe that it's all fallen into place, the way it has done. It seems so surreal. I haven't seen him for 2 1/2 years. And tonight I'll be seeing him again. Who would have thought that it would happen so soon.. I never did. When I booked the flight over to Oz, it wasn't my plan to meet him this way, I didn't really have a plan. I told myself to keep an open mind about everything, even when it came to meeting Jason. It didn't matter when we were to be meeting or under which circumstances. I wanted it to happen but wasn't going to expect it to. And certainly not like this, not so soon and not so easily..
We'll be traveling in a van that he has renovated on the inside. It was empty when he first bought it, so he's now equipped it will all "mod-cons". He'll be doing all the driving, as I don't have a licence. We're starting from tonight, heading up to Cairns, driving cross-country. The usual route to Cairns would be via the coastline, which would give you the chance to see all the touristy spots and do the partying with all the backpackers. But, nope, that's not our plan. Driving cross-country means that we'll be driving through hundreds of miles of dessert.. for days and days. Once we get to Cairns (which some people reckon will take up to 3 weeks.. but I'm an optimist and I'm convinced it won't take us that long), we'll be heading over to Darwin. This is another route that would usually only be driven by the insane..or those who like to get off the beaten track. It will be hundreds of miles of more nothingness and dessert. But beautiful nothingness.. From there we'll be heading straight down the middle of the country, stopping in Uluru. That's the most famous spot of Oz. It's the big red rock, that is on the front of nearly every travelguide of Australia. That will be amazing.. From there, we head back down to Adelaide.
All this, in 4 weeks.. It's nearly 10.000km.. Is it doable? I reckon so. Or more to the point, Jason reckons so. I guess I'll have to take his word for it. All of these places that we'll be visiting, except for Darwin, are new to me. I haven't been to Adelaide, Cairns, north Queensland, Uluru.. So that just makes it all the more exciting. What an amazing trip!!
So new adventures are ahead. The first part of my trip is coming to an end. I'm leaving, after being here in Caboolture for 4 weeks. I've had an amazing time. It's been chilled-out as well as fun. It's been a great place to get my bearings and to settle into Ozzie life, which happened so easily that I sometimes can't even imagine I was never here to begin with. I've met some great great people and spent time with close family. That made it into such a great environment. The one thing that did strike me, was how I feel like I've been here so long, and how I've settled so easily and how this can make it more difficult to get up and just simply go.. But it's happening and the timing couldn't have been better.
After meeting such great people here, I can't say that I won't want to come back here to visit. Because I do. Oz might be a big country but it's relatively small and it's so easy to make an effort to revisit a place that has become so friendly and familiar. Or come to think of it, it isn't even an effort because doing something you want to do, is usually effortless..
So bring on the new times, I'm ready for whatever this trip might bring. And I'll continue to say that I can't quite believe this is happening..
So where am I going and what am I doing..?? I'll start at the beginning..
When I first arrived in Oz, on my second day, I got a phone call from Jason. A dear dear friend of mine from Adelaide, who I worked with in Nyah West on the farm when I was here first time round. We were so close as friends and he has proven to be more special than I initially thought. Why? Because he proved to me over the past year that any friendship can withstand the distance of space and time, especially when one needs as much support as possible, whilst being in a dark place.
When we last said goodbye, it was December 2006 and I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. We both went our separate ways and lost contact until Summer 2008. When I had just got back to Ireland in June last year, I wasn't doing too well. But one day I suddenly found myself thinking of him and I wanted to seek contact. I looked up my old sim-card, found his old mobile number and thought I could at least see if he still has the same number. I sent him a text, and within minutes I got one back.. It was so surreal. He didn't know what my story was at that point in my life, so I decided to write him a letter. I wanted, for some strange reason, him to know what was going on with me. And once he had received the letter, he supported me so much by texting me kind sweet words every week, without fail.
Those texts were always the highlight of my week, they made me smile even it was for just a short while. But it was still reassuring to be aware that I was still able to smile back then. When I was in the midst of everything last Summer, (I don't even remember sending that particular text) I sent him a text saying that once I'm better and back on my feet again, we would definitely meet. I forgot I had sent that text, but left it in my phone, only to read it months and months later after I had made the decision to come back to Oz. And after I was already aware that he was one of the reasons I needed to return. I wanted to come back and he was probably the catalyst or the drive that made me see where it was I needed to be, or maybe I wanted to see him again because of all the support he gave me. Either way, I was shocked when I came across that text, to read that I was already so willing to see him again, even whilst being so muddled.
When he rang me, on my second day in Oz, he was talking about doing a roadtrip in a van. He was planning on going pretty soon. At that moment, I'd had a glass of wine, so I was feeling a bit courageous and I asked him if he wanted some company. He was delighted, and so was I. It was too much of a coincidence that we were both in a position to travel at the same time, to not act on it. From that day, I've been waiting for everything to fall into place. He was finishing up the work on the farm, waiting for his last payday and waiting to buy the van in which we would be traveling. Then he was going back to Adelaide (which is where he lives) to sort out some stuff. Because he was doing so much else, I was wary about getting my hopes up too much. So I kept it pretty much to myself. But once he got everything sorted, he texted me, which was last week Monday, saying that I had to be in Adelaide by next Thursday (which is tomorrow) so we can go traveling! And that's exactly what's happening..
I booked my flight on Sunday, I'm flying from Brisbane to Adelaide this evening, he will be picking me up from the airport and we'll be starting the roadtrip from there. Straight away apparently. I can't quite believe that it's all fallen into place, the way it has done. It seems so surreal. I haven't seen him for 2 1/2 years. And tonight I'll be seeing him again. Who would have thought that it would happen so soon.. I never did. When I booked the flight over to Oz, it wasn't my plan to meet him this way, I didn't really have a plan. I told myself to keep an open mind about everything, even when it came to meeting Jason. It didn't matter when we were to be meeting or under which circumstances. I wanted it to happen but wasn't going to expect it to. And certainly not like this, not so soon and not so easily..
We'll be traveling in a van that he has renovated on the inside. It was empty when he first bought it, so he's now equipped it will all "mod-cons". He'll be doing all the driving, as I don't have a licence. We're starting from tonight, heading up to Cairns, driving cross-country. The usual route to Cairns would be via the coastline, which would give you the chance to see all the touristy spots and do the partying with all the backpackers. But, nope, that's not our plan. Driving cross-country means that we'll be driving through hundreds of miles of dessert.. for days and days. Once we get to Cairns (which some people reckon will take up to 3 weeks.. but I'm an optimist and I'm convinced it won't take us that long), we'll be heading over to Darwin. This is another route that would usually only be driven by the insane..or those who like to get off the beaten track. It will be hundreds of miles of more nothingness and dessert. But beautiful nothingness.. From there we'll be heading straight down the middle of the country, stopping in Uluru. That's the most famous spot of Oz. It's the big red rock, that is on the front of nearly every travelguide of Australia. That will be amazing.. From there, we head back down to Adelaide.
All this, in 4 weeks.. It's nearly 10.000km.. Is it doable? I reckon so. Or more to the point, Jason reckons so. I guess I'll have to take his word for it. All of these places that we'll be visiting, except for Darwin, are new to me. I haven't been to Adelaide, Cairns, north Queensland, Uluru.. So that just makes it all the more exciting. What an amazing trip!!
So new adventures are ahead. The first part of my trip is coming to an end. I'm leaving, after being here in Caboolture for 4 weeks. I've had an amazing time. It's been chilled-out as well as fun. It's been a great place to get my bearings and to settle into Ozzie life, which happened so easily that I sometimes can't even imagine I was never here to begin with. I've met some great great people and spent time with close family. That made it into such a great environment. The one thing that did strike me, was how I feel like I've been here so long, and how I've settled so easily and how this can make it more difficult to get up and just simply go.. But it's happening and the timing couldn't have been better.
After meeting such great people here, I can't say that I won't want to come back here to visit. Because I do. Oz might be a big country but it's relatively small and it's so easy to make an effort to revisit a place that has become so friendly and familiar. Or come to think of it, it isn't even an effort because doing something you want to do, is usually effortless..
So bring on the new times, I'm ready for whatever this trip might bring. And I'll continue to say that I can't quite believe this is happening..
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
leaving on a jetplane
As I left Ireland on the 23rd of April, this was my "goodbye" to Arklow and my "hello" to Oz and to whatever lies beyond..
Well, my friends, this is it. The day has finally come. The day I thought I'd never get to see. I'm heading off to Oz, later on this afternoon.
This is just a short post, to let you all know that I've set up this new travel blog. It will be a lot different to my recent blog. This one will be full of happiness, laughter, adventure and TRAVEL!! Something I've dreamed of for so many months.
I just want to say a big big big "thank you" to everyone, once again, who has supported me over the past year. Everyone of you has been so amazingly supportive. Everyone believed in me, when I needed it most. I've come out the other end, and now the "sky is the limit".. I'll never ever forget everything you all did for me. It means the world and so much more.
So, as I set off to Australia, I'm feeling good, I'm feeling pretty calm. The best feeling of all I have is one of excitement. My backpack is so heavy, but my heart is light and full of life. I'll carry you all with me and I might be far in body, but I'm close in spirit.
Stay safe and keep on smilingxxxxxx Niamh
And so it begins..
Well, my friends, this is it. The day has finally come. The day I thought I'd never get to see. I'm heading off to Oz, later on this afternoon.
This is just a short post, to let you all know that I've set up this new travel blog. It will be a lot different to my recent blog. This one will be full of happiness, laughter, adventure and TRAVEL!! Something I've dreamed of for so many months.
I just want to say a big big big "thank you" to everyone, once again, who has supported me over the past year. Everyone of you has been so amazingly supportive. Everyone believed in me, when I needed it most. I've come out the other end, and now the "sky is the limit".. I'll never ever forget everything you all did for me. It means the world and so much more.
So, as I set off to Australia, I'm feeling good, I'm feeling pretty calm. The best feeling of all I have is one of excitement. My backpack is so heavy, but my heart is light and full of life. I'll carry you all with me and I might be far in body, but I'm close in spirit.
Stay safe and keep on smilingxxxxxx Niamh
And so it begins..
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