My final week in Indonesia.

And, somehow, my final week of my entire gap year.

I had been travelling for so long that going home still didn’t really feel real. There were a few more beach days, nights out, random reunions, questionable boat rides, some very exciting last-minute decisions and, eventually, a flight back to Belgium.

And then, suddenly, I was home.

Main story

Monday: One Last Day in Canggu

Today we went for breakfast and then headed straight to the beach.

I quickly stopped by the market because the bracelet I had bought there yesterday had already broken. Luckily, they replaced it really easily, so at least that was one problem solved.

Jill and I spent about an hour at the beach before deciding to go to Finns.

Unfortunately, there were no floaties this time because apparently it was the weekend, so instead we just lay on the beach and made use of the swimming pool.

Honestly, I’m not complaining.

Afterwards, we went for another coffee and then I had to start packing.

Ugh.

I hate packing.

We went for dinner together, and Ingrid’s sister joined us too.

Later, three friends of German Laura also joined us for drinks. We were planning to go to Luigi’s, but when we left at quarter to twelve, we checked when it closed.

Midnight.

It literally closed in fifteen minutes.

Smart.

So we ended up going to Old Man’s and Sandbar instead.

The music was actually really good, so it turned into a pretty fun last night in Canggu.

And then, because apparently I had to keep running into people from previous trips, I suddenly bumped into Trevis from my Fraser Island tour.

Small world.

Tuesday: Boats, Nusa Lembongan & Gili T

I woke up at 7 AM today to leave for Sanur.

From there, I got on the boat and had to change boats in Nusa Lembongan.

I had never really been there before, and honestly, it looked really nice.

The whole boat situation was a bit of a mess, with changing boats and figuring out where to go, but eventually I made it.

This time, I was heading to Gili T.

And once I finally arrived, I did absolutely nothing.

I was exhausted.

Like, genuinely dead.

So I slept.

And honestly, after weeks of travelling around Bali, I really needed it.

Wednesday: Gili T, New People & Another Random Reunion

I woke up around 10 AM today.

I definitely stayed up too late last night, mostly because we ended up playing way too much Never Have I Ever and I was also on the phone with my grandma for ages.

But I was feeling so excited because I was planning to surprise my mum.

She had no idea I was coming home.

After breakfast at the hostel, I went to lie on the beach and just relaxed for a while.

At 3 PM, I went to a nail salon.

I somehow picked about 55 different colours before deciding what I wanted, but I actually ended up loving my nails.

After that, I went back to the beach and spent some more time there.

I had been talking to Hasse for quite a while too, but otherwise I hadn’t really done much.

Then Mitchu suddenly messaged me saying that a guy from my West Coast Australia tour was also in Gili T.

He had seen my story.

He asked if I wanted to go for a drink.

So, obviously, I went.

We started with beer pong with him and two of his friends, which was actually really nice, and then we ended up dancing.

Once again, I somehow managed to find people from my Australia travels on the other side of the world.

At this point, I should probably stop being surprised.

Thursday: Everyone Finally Arrives

This morning I had breakfast and chatted with two Dutch guys at the hostel.

After that, I spent some time chilling at the beach.

Then the girls finally arrived from Nusa Penida.

They had spent the previous two days there, while I had already been to Nusa Penida earlier in the trip, so I had spent those two days on my own.

It was actually quite nice to have some alone time, but I was also happy to see everyone again.

We went for food together, and Ciamara, the Dutch girl I’d met that morning, joined us too.

I ordered pasta, which was good, but there was basically nothing on my plate.

So, obviously, I ordered nachos too.

Meanwhile, Mara and the rest of the girls had arrived.

In the evening, everyone went out except Laura because she had Bali Belly.

It was actually a really fun night.

Until suddenly everything closed at midnight.

Apparently, there was some kind of holiday or something.

I honestly don’t know.

So we just went home and went to bed.

Friday: Beach Days & A Very Strange Massage

Once again, I barely slept.

I spent most of the day chilling at the beach and decided to get a head massage.

The massage itself was actually pretty good, but the man doing it was a little strange.

He was laughing at me basically the entire time.

I had absolutely no idea why.

But okay.

Afterwards, we went to Jeti for dinner again.

And wow.

The food was so good.

Even the dessert was incredible.

We spent some time playing cards afterwards, and four guys joined us.

They were honestly pretty weird and didn’t say much, but whatever.

Eventually, Noni and I were the only ones who still wanted to go out.

It was quite difficult after eating so much food, though.

We eventually started talking to some guys, but, as usual, we somehow lost them about five minutes later.

At one point, a girl also came up to me and said she knew me from TikTok.

That was actually so cool.

Someone recognising me from TikTok while I’m travelling on Gili T?

I’ll take it.

We got home around 1:30 AM.

Saturday: Shopping, Presents & A Sunset Boat Trip

Today we booked a boat trip for sunset.

Before that, we went shopping and bought some presents for Mum and Dad.

I wanted to bring something home for them, especially because I was finally going to see them again.

At some point, an English guy also came up to me and said he’d seen me in the club.

He asked for my Instagram.

He seemed pretty funny, so I thought maybe I would message him later and ask if he wanted to get a drink.

But eventually, I didn’t.

Sometimes you just don’t have the energy to start another random Bali storyline.

Sunday: Gili Air

Today we left for Gili Air.

We rented bicycles and cycled around the island.

It was honestly really funny.

Just cycling around, exploring little roads and seeing the island at our own pace.

In the evening, we went to watch the sunset at My Happy Place.

And it was such a nice way to spend one of my final evenings in Indonesia.

Monday: The Last Day of My Gap Year

Today was my last day of my entire gap year.

That sentence felt so weird to write.

We went to a small, more secluded beach and took some photos there.

It was absolutely beautiful.

Afterwards, Noni and I took the boat back to Bali because she also had a flight home that day.

Then came the most insane taxi ride to the airport.

This man was literally driving on the pavement.

I have no idea how we survived that taxi ride, but somehow we made it to the airport.

Once I got there, I asked whether there was any chance I could get onto an earlier flight at my stopover in Singapore.

Sometimes airlines do it if there is space, so I thought it was worth asking.

And then they told me something I absolutely wasn’t expecting.

The flight was basically full, but if I changed my flight, I could get €300.

Or…

I could wait one extra day, stay in a hotel paid for by the airline and get €600.

Excuse me?

I obviously had to think about it for approximately two seconds.

And then I said yes.

So instead of flying home that day, I went to the hotel, slept there for the night and flew the next day.

There were quite a few transfers involved, but honestly?

€600.

Worth it.

Tuesday: I’m Home

And then, finally, I arrived in Leuven.

And guess who was waiting for me?

Not just my dad.

Three of my friends were there too.

It was honestly so nice to see them.

And then it was time to surprise my mum.

Except…

She wasn’t exactly as happy about the surprise as I had imagined.

And honestly, I felt really bad about it.

In my head, I had imagined something completely different. I thought she would be excited and surprised, but instead, she was actually quite upset.

And I eventually understood why.

She had been looking forward to picking me up herself and surprising me with flowers and everything.

So somehow, we had both planned our own little surprise for each other and ended up disappointing each other instead.

Which is actually quite sad.

She had even taken a week off work for the dates when she thought I would normally come home, because I had told everyone I was coming back a month later than I actually was.

So, if you are ever planning to surprise someone after being away for a really long time…

Maybe think twice about it.

With friends, it might be completely different, but apparently my mum really wanted to know when I was coming home.

Lesson learned.

But apart from that, it actually felt really good to be home.

To see everyone again.

To sleep in my own bed.

To be back in Leuven.

And to finally realise that my gap year was actually over.

Romance & People

This final part of Indonesia didn’t really have one big romance storyline like the previous weeks.

Instead, it was mostly about all the random people I kept meeting along the way.

A guy from my West Coast Australia tour happened to be on Gili T at exactly the same time as me. I kept running into people from previous trips, including Trevis from my Fraser Island tour, and even a random girl recognised me from TikTok.

That’s probably one of my favourite things about travelling.

You leave one place thinking you’ll never see certain people again, and then suddenly you bump into them thousands of kilometres away.

And then there were all the people I met in Indonesia itself.

Some stayed for a day.

Some for a night.

Some for a few weeks.

Some were completely random.

But all of them somehow became part of this little chapter.

Tips & Tricks

• Boat transfers can be chaotic. Leave yourself plenty of time when travelling between the islands because things don’t always run exactly as planned.
• If you’re travelling to Gili T, don’t be afraid to spend some time alone. I had two days by myself while the girls were in Nusa Penida, and it was actually really nice.
• Renting a bicycle on Gili Air is a fun way to explore the island.
• Always ask the airline about your options. I nearly just accepted my original flight, but asking about an earlier flight ended up giving me the option to choose between €300 or €600 and a free hotel night.
• And maybe don’t surprise your mum with your return home. At least not without knowing whether she actually likes surprises.

The End of Indonesia

And just like that, my Indonesia trip was over.

But more importantly, my entire gap year was over.

When I left Belgium, I had no idea what the next months would look like.

I spent nine months travelling, working and living in Australia. I made friends I never expected to make, lived in places that eventually felt like home, had jobs I never thought I’d have, travelled through Indonesia and somehow ended up with enough stories to fill an entire website.

And now I was back in Leuven.

Home.

It felt strange.

It felt good.

It also felt a little scary.

Because after spending so long travelling, you don’t just come home as the same person who left.

Things change.

You change.

And the weirdest part is that you don’t really know what that means until you’re back.

I don’t know exactly what comes next.

But I do know that this isn’t the end of the story.

It’s just the end of this chapter.

Thank you for reading along with me through Australia, Indonesia, all the chaos, the people, the friendships, the questionable decisions and everything in between.

And until the next adventure…

Wherever I am next, I’m learning that even chaos can feel like a beginning.

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