The Beast and me

I could write a book about the adventures the Beast and I have been through. This car has been perfuming me with the scent of freedom. And sweat, as there is no airconditioning to be found. When no one else had faith in her, I did. I looked further than the obvious issues like rust and old tires, a broken light. And the hidden issues: holes in the gas tank, oil leaks, a loosely hanging exhaust. "So what", I said,"no one is perfect!" We made it work all fine and dandy, maybe a bit louder and more rough than the average car, but rusty old trucks are nothing new in Canada and the USA.

Being a woman without night vision, travelling alone in a bric-a-brac car, I've been taking it really easy. The Beast started making new sounds, some things definitely felt like falling off and when even the cassette player spit out what I had fed her, I got worried. I parked, gave the car a motivational speech: we can do this! Let's show the USA what we've got in store! Imagine all the adventures we're going to be living! Road trips 4 life! I stepped back in, started The Beast and drove through the giant Sequoia trees. Until after ten minutes, the exhaust fell off. 

I ran across the street to pick up the hot piece of rust and panicked. It was dark. I had no idea how bad this was. "Is my car going to blow up?" I asked a passing driver seriously. The lady smiled and told me to spend the night at the Chevron gas station, where the mechanic would be able to have a look at it in the morning. Relief rushed through me. Thank goodness for people who know, or pretend to know what they are talking about!

At the gas station, they told me it was okay to sleep in my car on their parking lot, "but on your own risk. Things get dangerous out here at night." Stereotypes of crazy Americans with guns ran through my mind. "Okay, bye!" I yelled and drove a couple of meters further, where I saw a bed and breakfast. I stepped through the doors of Rio Sierra Riverhouse and told my story to the lovely lady who owns the beautiful place. Happy to help out a damsel in distress, Mars showed me my very own hotel room. 

I was about to cry tears of joy. After months on the road, it felt so incredibly nice to treat myself to the peace of mind and comfort of a room of my own. I filled up the bathtub and washed all car worries away. The Beast will be fine and the road trips unforgettable! As I dozed off in a soft puddle of pillows and blankets, I thought: travelling can be exhausting.

Don't get me wrong, I love it all. The long drives, sticky situations, crazy adventures, waking up and not knowing what will happen and where I am going to sleep that night. I love that my cocoon of comfort is so far out of sight, it's just a dot in the distance. While I also have my cosy little home on wheels with me wherever I go. 

That night, I dreamt the past year and a half away. Like it was the first time I reflected on everything that had happened while living in Canada and the USA. I slept a thousand sleeps and woke up feeling fresh. The mechanic couldn't help me, but told me I could drive without the exhaust. "It doesn't harm the car, it will just be loud." And loud she was, that crazy Beast. A five minute drive left me with a ringing in my ears. I smiled, because I saw myself in her. 

Seeing the Rio Sierra Riverhouse in the daylight was a wonderful surprise. The beauty of the river and breathtaking scenery! Arriving somewhere in the dark always carries the comforting weight of surprise. It felt like Christmas morning! While enjoying french toast breakfast covered in syrup, I talked with the ladies who work at the b&b and felt at home. First of all: desert for breakfast! And the conversations left me so inspired I wondered if all these travels, winding roads and long drives were needed to lead me here. To Rio Sierra Riverhouse in Three Rivers. Where brunch is sweet and the talks even sweeter. It felt like I found the destination of the journey. It was hard to leave, but I had to get The Beast home before she would completely fall apart. It was a long, sweaty, noisy drive home, but we made it to Santa Cruz just in time for sunset. Pure romance, that Beast.

California dreaming

My American dream is becoming reality. Late afternoons bathing in Indian summer colours, winding mountain roads, starry skies. The road is home. My old beat up truck The Beast makes me live at a slower pace. Going only twelve miles per hour uphill, I have been able to enjoy the scenery nice and easily, smelling the dusty desert air, getting yelled at by drivers lined up behind me. Ah, America. The ultimate road trip country.

Days are spent driving thousands of miles, stopping in diners with plastic seats and bottomless cups of coffee. The waitresses are platinum blonde, melted cheese covers every dish. The hours are midnight to midnight. It doesn't matter if I go in at 2 am on a Tuesday or on a grey Sunday afternoon, the place is packed. People are hungry for diner food, crave to live the diner life. Bring their dates, babies, books, work, comfy pants, their own special bottle of ketchup. Americans! I love their ways. I love the jukeboxes, the cheesy songs they play. The chain smoking servers doubling as therapists to customers. Refilling their cups with lukewarm black coffee all through the day and night. Like a blanket for the soul. It tastes bad but yes I'll have another one. I'm not sure if it's the coffee, but diners make me feel alive, even though time seems to stand still once you enter the joint. 

No better break from long slow road trips than a pancake stack with butter squares melting all over the place. Aunt Jemima's syrup and I'm in America. This country likes to make sure you know you are in the USA, at all times. Flags, stereotypes, halloween decorations for months, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Mc Donalds, drive-thrus, drive-ins, dive bars, colourful beach towns, wide open roads, the feeling you are living in a movie set.

The National Parks! Of course I had to play tourist and be a part of the traffic jammed Yosemite and Sequoia parks. I am here! So how can I not? I hugged the massive trees, took about two gazillion pictures of the autumn colours, went skinny dipping in the freezing river. National park rangers don't like that. They do. But they don't. So I kept my clothes on for the rest of the trip. I got tired of the long hot drive, and so did The Beast. Her exhaust fell off just as we left the Sequoia National Park. I saw this as a sign: time to go back to our Californian home. We hit the road, rattling, growling, louder than ever. With the exhaust in the back seat and a smile on my face, we drove until the air tasted salty and life was sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Home sweet Santa Cruz.

 

Oregon eclipse: mind blown

The insides of my nose, ears and nails are still black, even after many a shower and scrub. Remains of two weeks in the Oregon dust. A head full of inspiration and a heart filled with love is what I take home with me (to my car). I am almost lost for words after an eclipse and festival so magical! But if you know me, you know how much I love talking. So with a husky voice and a twinkle in my eye, I'll tell you all.

It started with hugs and words of love, saying goodbye to Canada after 14 months of living and travelling in that massively beautiful country. Let the US adventure begin! First stop: border control. Hours of questions and officers turning my car inside out was the wonderful, fluffy, sparkly start of a roadtrip of a lifetime. Not. I needed to meet some nice Americans asap after that. Which of course, I did! Americans are ridiculously sweet and helpful. Except for border control people. 

Driving for days through mountains and desert landscapes, I made it to the prairies of Oregon. The festival was taking shape and volunteer hands were needed: perfect. Locking hearts with my Australian wifey Gemma, celebrating our fourth year wedding anniversary, I knew this festival was going to be a special one. And I'm not even talking about the crazy thing that happened in the sky. 

After a couple of days, the gates opened and colourful people started rolling in. Dust masks on, eyes still fresh with desire and curiosity of what might happen. Every single stage was a piece of art, with performances and dj's and everything you could wish for and more. The art installations were out of this world, creating a true wonderland, making me feel like a kid again. Full of energy to play! I rolled around in the mud bath, enjoyed the lake swims and the tree houses, the beautiful land and the magic happening behind every corner. 

Long lost friends were found and reconnections lead to loud laughter. Because come on: we are in the USA! All of us! The festival family is a real community, travelling around the world and gathering in the most remote places on earth to celebrate life. And in this case: the eclipse!

Many thousands of people walked the path to the other side of the lake on Monday morning, preparing ourselves for the eclipse in all different ways. Eclipse glasses and friends in hand, champagne showers, costumes and mannequin parts, all kinds of things were brought to the solar temple to enjoy this special moment. My Vancouver family and I gathered in a cuddle puddle as the moon was slowly moving in front of the sun. As the light faded and the moon covered the sun, we all took off our eclipse glasses to soak up this amazing ring of fire and light.

I didn't know what to do with myself, I was so full of joy! So I jumped up and laughed and danced, while others screamed and some cried. It was incredible. By the time the diamond in the sky appeared, as the moon made her way further, my mind was totally blown. The adrenaline I felt rushing through my body left me with an urge to dive in the lake. Water is always my healing power. Whenever I'm overwhelmed by emotions, I pretend to be a mermaid and all is good. 

The rest of the days felt different, I was calmer and more in tune. Experiencing the jomo (joy of missing out) instead of my ever feeling of fomo (fear of missing out). Grateful for where I am in life, open to any opportunities coming my way. And you know what happens when you're open to anything: abundance! Like bumping into that special person you never expected to see again, a dj playing your ultimate jam, and a ticket to Burning Man.

With the wind blowing dust in my face, Black Keys on full power and endlessly beautiful landscapes passing by, I'm on the road to Black Rock City. 

Life, you rock my socks!

Lost in the woods

One fine Tuesday morning I decided it was time for a road trip. I loaded the car with coffee, cookies, my friend Ryan and a gangsta rap playlist. Ready to hit the road, Drake was shouting from the speaker: 0 to 100 baby real quick. I hit the gas and my poor old car could hardly make it to 80 before she started shaking and rattling like she was going to fall apart on the spot. That's okay, we've got time! Holidays! I don't care about other cars passing me. Constantly. And honking. I just get into grandma mode and wear my snail speed with pride. 

So slowly but surely we rattled along until the air tasted salty and Tofino welcomed us with open arms. Hugs from worldwide friends and ocean views got me all excited. Adventure time! Four of us took off on a well prepared hike through the woods, to find an old plane wreck. Coffee, speakers, joints, shoes off and pants rolled up. Two minutes later we were knee deep in mud, swinging from one rope to another, following bright orange ribbons some nice hiker placed in the trees. 

We found the plane wreck and did the tourist thing: taking pictures while climbing the plane. Overlooking the tree tops and our deliciously muddy feet, I smiled with delight. So happy to be back in Tofino! We stayed there for a while and slowly got back down, deep into the mud. We made our way through the dirt slush and were laughing and tagging along until one crazy fast Canadian couple passed us. With no mud on their feet, legs or face! They smiled at us and walked like they knew something we didn't... A short cut! Without mud! Let's follow these guys! And so we did. They were almost racing through that forest so it was hard to keep up, but we found them deep in the woods. 

The girl asked us if we knew where we were going. We laughed. "Of course not, we were following you!" Anyway, we would just follow this mossy path and find our way out. Until the path hit a dead end of many many branches and bushes and I don't know why but we just kept going. Was this perhaps an animal path more than a human path? The wolf tracks told us yes. We lightly panicked. Okay, we freaked out. 

We tried to walk back but wherever we looked was dense forest. We were really trapped. In a gigantic forest filled to the brim with wolves, bears and cougars. Fun fun fun! The first thing on my mind was: "we'll have to spend the night in this forest!" And then: "We're never going to make it out alive!" I screamed to keep the wildlife away, but mostly just to scream. We marched through that forest like we knew where we were going, but clearly, we had no clue. 

Ryan's phone was the hero of the day, with a gps showing us the way to the road. We had to walk through bushes and climb ditches and more than once did we hear cars passing like a mirage. Reality was: we were still in the middle of that wild forest. We yelled and howled and ran and accidentally hit each other with brances in the face. And then: the relieving sound of the highway! 

Never have I been so happy to hear cars flying past us. We made it! We survived! Hugs all around! Followed by ocean swims to wash that mad adrenaline off our bodies. To celebrate life, we feasted on seafood and wine. That night, we watched the sunset from a couch in the sky. Someone placed a couch on a platform in the forest (just a 5 minute walk this time), overlooking the ocean. A magical end of a wild day. 

Road trip to Italy part 1: the way there

Oh man I love road trips! I'm not sure if it's the different sceneries flashing by or the fact that I don't drive so I have both hands free to play dj. This time though, more creativity was required of me. The car was screaming for CD's and well, I don't have any in Brussels. But god must have heard our prayers because the day before leaving, I found a free HITBOX album at the flea market. The music is so damn good, even the guys on the flea market don't bother to ask money for it. Possibly the only album that can start with Macarena and end with George Michael. The wonderful thing about not knowing how to drive and not having to shuffle an iPod around looking for fine tunes, is that I had both arms and full upper body free to DANCE! 

So you can imagine the road trip went swell. Even better if you know that next to me was sitting, driving and dancing my dear friend Freddy, a multilingual white African man. We had nine hours to kill, so we learnt the lyrics of Macarena by heart. We also closely studied the dancemoves of this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WCevP9DJtIY and realised that bitch stole my moves! If you have ever seen me on a dancefloor, festival or any square meter after midnight, you can agree these moves are an exact copy of mine. If you never had the pleasure to watch me break out in nineties classics on the street, just look at the video and you get the point. 

The down side of playing songs like these on the way to your travel destination, is that they won't leave your head for a second during your entire trip. Trust me. Even if you have no clue what they are actually singing, you will sing along. Night and day. We took them with us to a dreamlike squad in Geneve, through the tiny streets of Aosta and on the Milano design week. And back. 

Road trippin' like Britney

Sometimes a girl has got to do what other people say is best for her. So when I was ready to rock, roll and hitch my way from Cairns to Darwin, I decided to listen to my friends and the crazy lady who works in the backpackers hostel where I was using internet. I call that woman crazy because she is hilarious, sweet, dead serious and loud at the same time. I didn't know whether I needed to use my (non existing) serious face, kindly smile or laugh so hard I snort. She is the person who receives chocolates from backpackers, thanks them for their lovely gesture and screams DOES THIS BODY LOOK LIKE IT NEEDS MORE CHOCOLATE??? Then passes the sweets around to travelers who are only spending time in her hostel for the free wifi. I was one of the lucky ones who got a piece of Lindt goodness. But as soon as she saw what I was doing on the computer she started yelling again. DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE GOING TO HITCH-HIKE TO DARWIN! YOU WILL DIE! She closed the hitch-hikers forum and I stared at her, with a face in between giggle, understanding frown and polite smile. And another attempt to pull off my serious look. It didn't work. I had to promise her I wouldn't hitch, she promised me she would find a van filled with handsome bearded men for me to join in on a road trip. Two months later I'm still waiting for a car with beards hanging outside of the windows, happily flapping in the wind. But I did what I promised and instead of standing on the side of the Savannah Way I shared a ride with three new friends. 

It turned out to be a road trip of a life time. It was strange leaving the East Coast behind, my home for the last six months. We drove until the air tasted of red dust, camped out in the bush, watched the sky turn into a big black blanket filled with stars and woke up before sunrise. Books, music and body paint were passed around during the many hours spent in Henk (the car). Most of the time we just enjoyed the changing scenery while staring out of the window. Our minds exploding with cuteness overload every time a wallaby jumped across the road.

We were three girls and one guy in a car, driving for more then 3000 km over twelve days. You can imagine this trip was not for the faint hearted. For the ones who instantly have visions of 'Crossroads', the one and only Britney Spears road trip movie: YES! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS! The girls singing along to Stevie Wonder while the boy rolled his eyes. 'Signed sealed delivered, I'm yours' blasting around the outback. Our own all-female band on the road. Britney would have been proud.