On the Road Again

It is 5 AM. Dawn. I look past the beach towards the horizon, but the sun is not yet visible as I make my way from the hostel to the bus station. The beach is empty, the ocean is still, and the streets are quiet. The people in Avalon, a beachside suburb of Sydney, Australia, are still asleep.

I had been staying at the hostel in Avalon for three months already. I felt at home. But the time had come for me to move on, I could feel it.
The night before I spontaneously decided to join some friends at the Rainbow Serpent festival close to Melbourne, so I booked myself a train ticket from Sydney to Melbourne, and spent the rest of the night packing my new backpack.

I had arrived to Australia naïve and unprepared for life as a backpacker, with a suitcase. Yes, I know, in retrospect it’s rather embarrassing. Luckily the suitcase broke, or rather, had to be broken upon my arrival, due to a jammed lock. Sometimes, bad luck is more like good luck in disguise. So instead I bought a used backpack from an Israeli guy at the hostel. It was not the best, but served its purpose, and would carry all my belongings for the next few months.

I had been working in the reception in exchange for free accommodation, so early this morning, when I was done packing and the hostel was still asleep, I checked myself out. I locked up and slipped the key under the door, along with a note for the owners explaining my departure. Then I left to catch the early morning bus to Sydney.

As I am walking down the street, alone, without any further ‘good byes’, without needing to tell anyone where I am going or if I will be back, without needing to show up anywhere unless I want to, without responsibilities, and with everything I own and need inside my backpack, I am suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of ultimate freedom. For the first time it really hits me that I can go wherever I want, and that I have nobody but myself to take care of or depend on.

I knew that from that moment on, it would be difficult to settle for less. I experienced a sense of the world, filled with opportunities and adventures, unfolding in front of me. I was where I wanted to be; on the road.

I see the bus approaching. It stops right in front of me. The sound of the breaks penetrates the silence. I step onto the empty bus and greet the tired driver with a huge smile, and a level of excitement somewhat inappropriate for the early hour.

“Good morning! To Sydney, please”