The Uk was a strange place upon returning.
The last flight out of Australia to land at Heathrow into the Uk lockdown. Leaving the trip of a lifetime to come back to a life that I’d sought to leave in the distance for a while.
July 2019 - leaving London with my bike and what I could carry on it
March 2020 - having visited 24 countries I was forced home
I’ll delve into stories from the trip going forward, a detailed blog can be found at www.mybelatedgapyear.com
To catch up to 1st April 2021, I went back to my parents house, looked for a job in Cardiff. Found a job in Cardiff. Moved back to my flat. Got stuck in the same old routine but with the added bonus of lockdown
That’s pretty much how it’s remained till now and I’m not mad. It’s been good fun at times.
The year has flown by both positively and negatively.
A whole year has disappeared. The amount of experiences I’ve had in this year add up to 1 month out of the 9 that I was away.
It’s probably good to have a reset but I’m looking for something new.
Not sure what it is yet.
I want to go back and race the IndiPac from Perth to Sydney, possibly 2022.
Moving to Australia also appeals to me. The lifestyle out there is enviable and the weather helps aswell.
A couple of things have happened in the last few days.
One of my best mates just bought a flat in London. It’s so nice and I’m really happy for him. However, I feel it’s going to tie him down there, not in a bad way, but he’s almost signing himself up to a ‘standard Uk life. Nothing wrong with that, it’s very desirable for billions of people around the world. People die trying to get here for that life.
I just feel like part of me wants to can it all in go off again and he’s not done anything like that, so he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on. When I reflect on those 9 months away, nothing will ever compare to it. It’s sad. Knowing your life has peaked.
No one knows what it was like out there, no one will know what you went through, the highs and the lows. No one will know the sunrises and sunsets that you witnessed, the people you met. I can close my eyes and be transported somewhere and it’s a truly unique experience.
Not to sound high and mighty, but going on holiday/travelling for a month doesn’t quite cut the mustard for comparison and will never scratch the itch for me.
As society we’re too quick to go for the norm. A stable job. A flat. A wife. Kids. Retirement. Death alone in a hospital bed. If you’re lucky, your kids next to you. Likely to be just a nurse who has stayed past their shift to see you pass into nothingness as they know it’s the end for you.One of my friends bikes got stolen. I really hate to see it and it pains me deep inside.
The violation of someone being so insensitive to actively steal something that’s locked up without remorse or sympathy for how the other person will feel is disgusting and it tears me up inside.
On the flip side, do we place too much value on our possessions?
I’m certainly guilty of it. When all I had was packed up on my bike I’d have been gutted if anything got stolen. However, the less you have, the less you have to worry about.
Think about it, if you have 5 houses, you’re going to be worrying about the state of each of them, and all your possessions inside
I don’t know.
There’s a lot I don’t know.
What I do know is, I’m going to get back into blogging/writing.
I blogged my entire trip and fell of the wagon when I got back. I’ve got my blog on my website but that’s more for my trips. I think day to day life I’ll do on here.
Day 1 done, here we go.