Been lurking here long enough so I guess it is time to introduce myself.
My name is Geert, which is a typical Dutch name in the North of the Netherlands were I grew up. A quiet area with woods and meadows, far from the crowded cities and still one of my favourite places on this planet.
Being the son of a ships captain I grew up with the sea and ships and due to all the stories from my father places like Singapore, New York, or Mombassa were just as familiar to me and my sisters as all the Dutch cities closer to our home. The world is a small planet and borders are hardly more then a minor nuisance. We are all one, inhabitants of this world, and it is high time we set aside all these nonsensical notions of race or nationality. The more you travel around this world the more you realize people are in essence the same everywhere you go.
As the son of a seafarer it did not take long before I followed in my fathers footsteps and sailed out into the ocean.
All the places I knew from my fathers stories soon became home to me as well and I made friends all over the world, always eager to hear new stories and discover new cultures and new insights in human nature. In those days it was still normal to remain 2 or sometimes 3 weeks in each port and there was always lots of time for sightseeing. An adventurous time as a youngster!
Even when I was on leave at home, I missed the sea and when other class mates bought themselves a home I bought myself a sailing yacht and just continued exploring the world, swearing I would never settle down. The world became my home.
Although my mother and sisters are still living in Holland the country itself soon became just another place on the globe and I frequently changed my home town. The world is such a wonderful place and there were friends everywhere. I could not imagine anyone could remain in one place for long but everyone gets older and after happy times in Taiwan, New Zealand, and Brazil I finally settled down in Thailand, where I have now been living with my wife, 3 children, and two dogs for the past twelve years. A small village in the north east, very far from all crowded tourist resorts and a place which strongly resembles the little dutch village I grew up in. Maybe in the end we all turn back to our roots.
The sailing yacht has been replaced by the bike but the camera is still there as I make long journeys through the surrounding country side seeing something new every day. And although I have finally settled down I am still traveling all around the globe, as captain on the very big container ships. Even after 41 years, the sea never loses its magic and I still enjoy this job even if it takes me away from my family for many long months each year.
Apart from sailing and photography my hobbies include astronomy and spaceflight as well as writing (amazon carries several novels by me, both in dutch and english). Life is too short and we need to make the most of it!
