By the time the train arrived there were so many people that we had to shove our way on or risk getting left behind. Never mid sitting room, there was hardly any standing room. The second half of the trip we found a few seats to sit down. We sat chatting to a nice Belgiun man from the area. We talked about our love of cherry beer and he agreed that Lindermans was the best by far.
Awaiting us at our destination was a mass of bags and tents and colour and noise. People everywhere. Kids walking en mass with 24 packs of Jupiler beer under their arms. Some had set up small camps along the way, waiting for the rest of their parties to arrive.
We looked anxiously at the sky. We had packed wellies, rain jackets and other assorted bits in preparation for torrenting storms for the duration of the festival. The forecast for Hasselt confirmed our fears. Cold weather and rain all through the weekend were to be expected. There were rain clouds above us as we walked towards the festival grounds.
We had to get our festival armbands first. It took at least an hour. A grassy area the size of a field was so fullof people and bags we couldn't see ground between them. Like a mosh pit of a queue, but the band everyone wanted to see was a few ticket windows. It seemed to never end.
When it finally did we had anothertask ahead of us. We joined a queue almost as wide and lond to get into the campsite. The clouds above were dark and brooding. We all new what was coming but everyone hoped it would hold off just that little bit longer, until the tents were pitched. It was 4pm when we reached the camp gates. As we did we felt the first few drops.
We hurried through the searches with our bags and briskly paced to the point where the new tents were going. The organisers helda lineof rope along the edge of the tents. They would keep moving back a meter or so at a time, to that tents were somewhat organised. We managed to get our tents pitched quickly.
Almost the second we were done then sky opened up. We jumped inside and zipped up. I felt the wind roll the tent agaianst our pegs. I heard the battering rain and the screams of girls who got caught whileputting their tents up.
We walked through the light rain to a shop a while down the road. We picked up lunch and then Jeager, kriek and some food supplies.
On the way back we got hit by storms. We were soaked despite our boots and coats. As we got back to the safety o the tents the skies cleared. We sat in the newly emerged sun drinking cherry beer. and drying off. It was lovely.
Michael,our Perth friend who who was meeting us had finally gotten through all the queues so we met him at the gates and took him to our tent area. We had saved a spot for him right next to our two tents. He set up and then we all drank some more.
We met up with the Aussies from the hostels and we fetched more food for dinner. Dinner was hamburgers and beer. and Jeagher. This was basically thre pattern of the night. We didn't stay up too late, exhausted from the evenings activities. All around us kids partied. It was like leavers/schoolies for the Belgian kids. They didn't get to sleep until at least 4am. So neither did we.
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