Semester 18 Chapter X: Drip Drip

Okay, here we go again. It’s a cloudy Sunday afternoon and I’m back home after yet another dive. Volume 2 in The Netherlands. This time we took it to Haarlemmermeerse Bosplas which is a lovely spot right by the Schipol Airport. Over the past week, I invested about 120 EUR for maintenance of some of my gear. Needed a new hose for my pressure gauge, new battery for my computer and also new straps for my fins. Money just keeps pouring. But hey… All important and all long-term investments. This Sunday, I shared a ride with one of the instructors from the shop so I did not have to rent a car this time. And it was all enjoyable. Weather in the morning was shit but by the time we got to the site, the rain had stopped and since then, we’ve been experiencing a really lovely day. I ended up diving with the guy who brought me (same as last week) which was cool as he’s familiar with the spot. The dive itself was quite shallow (we didn’t go beyond 11 meters) but the visibility was much better and there was some shit to see. A small ship wreck, a whole submersed car and an area with all these tall metal pillars going from the lake floor all the way up (to support the pier, I assume). Water temperature around 15 degrees, nice and easy. Again, happy diving is making its way back to my life. 

 

I paid a visit to the dive shop 3 times last week. Bringing shit in and out. It’s a pretty lovely 11km ride (one way) which also makes it a mild exercise. I also had a chance to do some outdoor workouts, runs and all the usual. I also checked some of the ongoing ice hokey world championship. Not a lot of it but bits and pieces. My dad watches it so it’s something to talk to him about and more importantly, it always feels really therapeutic following anything else than news. Not a big fan, haven’t really seen a whole game yet but here and there…

Got about half the Sunday left and I’m thinking about grabbing the bike and doing a little ride. Listening to the new Alchemist, 2 Chainz and Larry June now while writing this. Realized I haven’t listened to a new rap project since Central Cee. I kinda like this one. Shout out to all the divers, runners, cyclists and vegans out there. And some extra love to everyone reading this thing. One!

Highlights:

• Diving.
• Cycling.
• Z’aha Deli. Lovely Vegan bistro. Another place in the city unlocked.

Semester 18 Chapter IX: Going Down. Again

Okay, let’s jump right into it. Today, I did my very fist dive in The Netherlands. And also the very fist dive in something different than sea or ocean. And also the very first dive where water temperature at the bottom dropped to 8 degrees. Why have I decided to do such a fucked up thing you may ask? Well, honestly… The Hague is not the most natural habitat for me so I really try to make it my own through hobbies. Which has been working out quite well. Apart from yoga, which is a new thing, I invested some small change into the bike and I obviously run, workout and shit like that. Now, diving is one of my absolute favorite activities. I’m pretty sure I’ve never invested as much money into an activity as I have into diving. All those hours, days, weeks, months, years, training sessions, courses, gear, certifications… After moving out from Tenerife, I knew that the days of regular diving might have been over but I also hoped that at some point in my life, I’d have a chance to do this a bit more often again. A while back, I started researching diving options here and to my surprise, I found a diving center that organizes local dives on weekly basis. First, I thought they do sea. Which seemed pretty fucking difficult because although there’s sea all around, it’s rather shallow and super sandy. Not greatest diving conditions. I was also quite certain that whoever dives here, has to dive in a dry suit. I know people in Tenerife that would not dive without one at temperature around 18 degrees. Well, after calling the center back from Brno, I learned that they do lakes and that pretty much everyone dives in wet suits. So I packed my gear and moved it all here. Now, I was not all the way excited about this whole project. I really wanted to make this work but knowing that surface water temperature is about 14 degrees and down at the bottom it’s way worse… I was preparing myself for a possibility of trembling within 5 minutes and canceling the dive in 10. Anyways, I figured that unless you try, there’s no way of knowing. Yesterday, I rented a car for 24 hours and drove to the dive shop to get my tank and some weights. Driving in the Hague is a bit confusing. Speed limits are all over the place and not really intuitive (sometimes you get 50 in the area where you could swear it should be 20, sometimes you get 30 at a four-lane road, many times people go way faster…). Parking zones are a nightmare to navigate through but I think I managed and I hope I won’t receive any fines in the upcoming days. Okay, back to diving. The people in the shop are super friendly and nice. Got what I needed and this morning, I was on my way to the Oostvoornse lake. The water is a bit salty there as it’s right next to the sea but much less than anything I’d had experience with. My biggest worry was obviously the temperature. I ended up diving with one fellow instructor and an open water diver and very soon it was clear, I’d be fine. I felt deep appreciation towards my gear. Of course it felt cold but it did not really get into uncomfortable cold. The dive itself was a bit “meh”. Shit visibility, not much life… A small wreck, tho. We got about 15 meters deep and we stayed that for approximately 45 minutes. Since the goal was to survive this and to enjoy this enough to want to repeat it, I consider this thing a major success, tho. I had some good talks, met some cool people… And if things go well, next time I might get a ride so I don’t have to rent a fucking car every time I want to do this. I’m really really happy about this.

 

What else. Last week, on one of my evening bike rides, one of the strings in my front wheel popped out. Later, I learned that those string are called spokes. For the record, I still don’t know what the fuck they are called in my mother tongue. Anyways, I do have a basic set of tools at home but unfortunately not the ones I needed to fix this this. So I ended up taking it to the bikes shop. 45 EUR out of the window. I also paid for another year of my professional PADI DAN diving insurance (100+ EUR) and then I got the car and shit… Been treating myself this week.

 

I also started watching the second season of Andor. I am not a hardcore Star Wars fan but I believe I’ve seen a big chunk of the franchise. I don’t really remember most to be honest. And lately, I feel I sometimes wanna watch something lighter than news. Anyways, I think it’s safe to say Andor is by far the most complex and arguably one of the best projects ever produced in that universe. It’s really impressive. I’m halfway through and I’ve been enjoying it a lot.

 

So yeah, there you have it. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon so I’m thinking about getting the bike and going for a bit of a ride. Weather has been hit and miss lately but it is getting nicer. Last Monday, we spent the whole evening at a beach bar. It’s moving. I hope you guys are doing great. Keep it positive, don’t entertain bullshit and don’t let them fuck with your inner light. One!

 

Highlights:

• Diving.
• Driving.
• Andor.

Semester 18 Chapter VIII: Borders

Okay, I think I’m getting a hold of this. Been about a week since I posted the last time so I might be getting to my normal frequency. We’ll see how long that shit lasts. Anyways, had a pretty cool week so let’s get to it.

 

The workdays were pretty usual but still enjoyable. Got some cancellations so I did a bit more yoga and pilates than usual which is always good. I particularly enjoyed Friday morning session. It was one of those where you feel like your balancing on the edge of your current skill set. It flowed really well, I threw some headstands and some hand balancing in the mix, it was all very very smooth. I still love where all these regular yoga sessions take me. Even on a busy day, whenever you get there, leave your phone in the locker and for an hour focus solely on this… It really reboots you. So yeah, happy I found this, happy I still enjoy this and happy I make tiny little steps here and there. I think I’m getting a closer to a bit more coordinated, controlled and longer lasting hand stand. Need slightly more practice but it’s getting there…

 

Outside of that, it’s been quite some work but that’s going well too. I really feel that here and there, I make some difference in people’s lives. It’s obviously all their effort but I do provide a little bit of guidance and push here and there and sometimes I get credit for it. Talk about a rewarding job…

 

On Saturday, we hopped on a train and went to a city called Nijmegen. See, we found this pretty cool fucking place in the middle of nowhere in that area and it seemed like a perfect spot to unwind for a bit. While putting this trip together, I noticed that if you buy train tickets in advance, you can get much better deals in this country. Sometimes the difference is more than 50%, especially if you hit off-peak hours. In countries where public transport can get pricey, these things come useful. I already book tickets well in advance before traveling to Switzerland (it pushes the rates from “are you fucking serious” to “okay, it’s shit but I can live with that”) but it’s worth checking it here too. So if you ever travel here…

 

In Nijmegen, we caught a bus to a village called Breedeweg. Well, initially we managed to catch bus to the opposite direction (didn’t account for a fact the main railway station was not the terminal station) so it was an extra hour traveling back and forth, but ultimately we made it there. Then we walked another 20 minutes or so and that was that. Couple of small houses, lotta greenery, forests, fields, birds chirping… Everything kinda exceeding expectations. Oh, and it was literally 10 minutes walk from German border. We technically did the whole Saturday hike in Germany and we also went for a dinner there as that’s where the only nearby restaurant was located. It was named Merljin and it had a whole vegan menu so shout out to them.

 

Sunday, we explored a bit more of the area, stopped by at this local shop for some breakfast, went back to Nijmegen, wandered around, had lunch and off to The Hague we went. We wrapped up the day on the beach. The temperatures are going tropical and sea is totally swimmable. What a fucking weekend.

 

It’s Monday, I’ve finished most of my work and I feel fucking great. Hope everybody’s doing well too. Stay safe, stay positive and don’t let anybody fuck with your inner light. Shout out to all my people. One!

 

Highlight:

• Weekend trip.
• Sea.
• Yoga.

Semester 18 Chapter VII: Diving Negotiations

Okay, here we go. Late again. I am going to keep this thing running tho. It’s a chilled Sunday morning, I’m sipping on some black ass coffee, all is well. I hope y’all enjoying your weekend, too.

 

It’s been about two weeks since my last entry. My whole Czech trip ended up being fucking awesome as usual. Some small travels, my dad’s b-day enhanced by some karaoke performances, hangouts with some of my favorite people, spending some time with sis and nephew… Really happy I get to be there quite frequently these days. Got another visit planned by the end of June and it all seems pretty healthy.

 

Last Saturday morning, I took it to Prague to meet up with my former Tokyo travel partner and also with one of my day 1s. It’s super cool that we’re in the time of the year when it’s not just about the people you meet but also about the fact you get to do it outside. It’s warm, it’s sunny, Prague is beautiful. Views from Stalin were awesome, downtown was good as well… Cool day.

 

Saturday night, I was back on the bus to The Hague and I got back here the following day around lunchtime. Since then it’s been back to normal. Work, yoga but also much more cycling. We got a lot of daylight now (easily till 9pm) so any chance I get, I grab the bike and go outside the city. It is fucking therapeutic. Some things out of ordinary took place too tho.

 

On Tuesday, I paid a visit to this diving shop on the outskirts of the Hague to talk about possibilities of joining those guys for some dives here and there. It’s a pretty big establishment, it’s well equipped and it has a nice vibe to it. I spoke to one of the owner who also seemed really nice. I learned that they do not dive the sea here as there is virtually nothing to see there. They instead meet up at one of the many lakes in the region every Sunday and dive there. Which could be interesting. I’ve never dived fresh water. I’ve been also told that all of them (staff, students, fun divers) use wet suits. Which is kinda cool as I don’t have dry suit training but it also sounds a bit tough as these days, we’re looking at the surface temperature of 17 degrees and as you go down, it can drop to somewhere around 7. I do have a solid semi-dry and I consider myself reasonably resilient but this really sounds fucking uncomfortable. On the other hand, visibility is reportedly not too bad. Apparently, around 7 meters which is pretty good for lakes. Anyways, I do intend to give it a shot sometime soon. Brought all of my gear with me this time around. It would be super cool keeping myself wet a bit more regularly. They are very friendly with pricing. For fun dives, you pretty much only pay for the tank and the weights. You are responsible for getting yourself to the dive site but that can be arranged either by asking other divers for a ride or by renting a car for a day (which is still kinda okay as the actual dive is close to free). I almost went this weekend but we are experiencing a bit of a temperature drop and I really didn’t feel like jumping from 8 degrees morning air temperature to 7 degrees water temperature, I decided to put it off by two weeks. It is happening tho!

There’s also been quite a lot of headache with searching for a new apartment. The housing market is completely fucked here. Demand crushes supply, there’s not enough apartments, the competition among home-seekers is fierce… It’s all out of fucking control. Luckily enough tho, we did stumble upon something cool which we also had a chance to check on Monday and yeah… It seems settled. The move is happening mid-June and the place is gorgeous. Happy that thing is over.

 

Which brings us to this weekend. Yesterday, it was another beautiful day and we ended up doing a pretty awesome trip. Took a train to Leiden with the bikes and then cycled to Noordwijk to check some tulip fields. Unfortunately, we missed the peak season so we mostly saw only bloom-less green areas. We did find a pretty nice yellow one but more importantly, it was a really picturesque ride. Again, I got to give it to this country. The friendliness towards cyclists is heartwarming. It’s such a treat moving around within and between cities. We cycled by the coast all the way back to the Hague around dunes, lakes and cows just roaming around. Could not be better.

 

So there you have it. Happy I got the whole Sunday ahead. Not too many plans not but something’s gonna pop up for sure. Hope y’all well, hope y’all safe and sound and that your spirits are up. In the midst of all the madness taking place. Keep it rolling and don’t let anyone fuck with your inner light. One!

 

Highlights:

• Czech Republic.
• Cycling.
• Loft Café. Been there before, they have some veggie options but more importantly, the joint is situated in a former church. Outside you get seating by a canal with ducks swimming around, inside you get an actual church. What a place.