Mastbos: Short escape from the worldly rushes

I was quite stressed out from writing the thesis proposal and overwhelming assignments, so this weekend I decided to make a trip back to the nature. Afterall, I have been longing to blend with the bird chrips and smell the fresh moist earth again. Netherlands have no mountain at all, so the best option is either the national park or reservoir. Fair enough. I fell into three options: the Hoge Veluwe National Park (Appeldorn), De Biesbosch National Park (Drimmelen) or Mastbos (Breda). After checking the accesibility and the panorama from the instagram hashtag (one of the only trusted references for travelling!), I decided to visit the latter one since it was relatively closer, the scene was promising and there even was a lake to refresh the eyes from greens and yellows.

I departed from my house (Leiden) early in the morning at 9 and arrived there around noon. It was quite a long trip. From Leiden, I transited at Rotterdam and caught another train to Breda. From Breda station, I need to change the bus twice. First, the usual Breda bus (line ?), then at a bus stop somewhere (can't remember now, will update later) I took a smaller van with capacity of 5 or 6 to the Mastbos stop. Pay notice to the van, as it was normally vacant the driver tend to lower their guard to the bus stop and skip it (I missed one bus and need to wait for half an hour or such). When arrived at the closest bus stop to the destination, we need to walk for 10 minutes to the Mastbos entrance.

It was quite a gloomy weather when I arrived. The colour was so earthy, blending perfectly with the wet floor after an intense rain the night before. The leaves were yellow and dark green and they began to fall as it was approaching winter. There were only some people bringing their family and jogging with their dogs. I bet that the somber sky and mushy ground just made the situation uninteresting for a walk that day.

My first impression was not as pleasant as in the beginning, actually. Perhaps it was because I came at the wrong timing. Instead of refreshing the brain from the stress with cheerful and light weather, it just added another level of gloominess in my head. So, I took out my camera and experimented a little bit, training myself with the landscape and nature photography that I typically not so familiar with.

I had an impression that the bos (forest) was planted according to some well-established managements. You could encounter some quadrants that were planted with different trees and plants. After ten minutes exploring a quadrant, you would step into a new situation offering different plant species. Unfortunately I was not familiar with floras, so I didn't pay too much attention to the plant types, except for the shape and colour of the leaves and smell they had.

I decided to stop on top of a hill with the view of a green pasture. There I had lunch and relax a bit. I then closed my eyes and meditated for couple minutes. As the visitors were not too many, I could focus my mind to the nature, capturing every noises the animals made and just be there, conjoined with the ecosystem. It had been a long time since I immersed myself in this feeling of familiarity. I used to do this in Bandung at the foot of the sacred waterfall next to the Thai stone monuments in Dago. The other time was in Semedo, Central Java, where I spent a three months fieldwork in a remote area with very limited access of electricity. That time, I could bridge myself into the mystery of the world, feeling the sacredness of the site until I began hearing peculiar noises that I could never forget.

As some old couples with walking sticks and carrier on their back (I assumed they were drilling for a serious hike), I walked southward until I reached the southern lake. It was almost dry. Branches were laying all over the place. The only things that could make the scene perfect was some deer skulls and antlers to blend the somber atmosphere. From afar, at the other side of the lake, slow moving fog was blowing towards me. That was a completely new situation that was, surprisingly, relaxing.

At the southernmost were some typical countryside houses made of woods and bricks. It was dark inside. I took a few minutes to explore the place a little bit while imagining living around the forest and having a peaceful life far from the mundane stresses. It was dark inside the house. In my mind, I situated myself sitting in the kitchen with a cup of warm cinnamon herb drink or hot chocolate, biscuits and slow country songs playing in the background. A perfect place to life after retirement indeed!

Not long from there, I encountered a place of heath and fen with a pathway on the top. It was very pretty even in this such a weather! I could imagine how colourful and blissful it would be in the spring and summer. There I sit on the bench for a good 10 minutes and had chit-chat with a sweet old couple. For me, this part was the highlight of the whole trip. From there, I walked to the exit and waited for the bus that would bring me home. Another 3 hours to go, but it was worth it the whole time.