First Stop - Bangkok

The past few weeks have been very turbulent for me. I looked forward to the end of my permanent employment like the fans of the first FC Nuremberg look forward to their team's next victory. At the same time, I was also terribly afraid.

I was afraid of my future, which was as uncertain as it had never been before. I was afraid of making a huge mistake. But my gut feeling kept telling me over and over again: You have to take this step, Nina! Otherwise, you will eventually regret not even trying. And that's a nightmare for me.

So I jumped into the ice-cold water. And shortly afterwards, I boarded the plane.

I always wanted to go to Thailand. After 14 hours of flying with a layover in Doha, screaming babies, and sweaty people, I was just happy to have arrived at my first accommodation. (I can highly recommend the Sitara Hotel near the Phra Ram9 MRT station!)

After I had somewhat overcome my jet lag, I set out. And what does a CrossFit fan do first when in a new environment? You look for a box where you can train and switch off your mind for an hour. However, I greatly underestimated the heat - throwing balls against the wall and jumping on boxes at 35 degrees Celsius outside temperature is quite different from doing it in good old Erlangen at a pleasant 10 degrees Celsius.

I am a fan of exploring a new environment on foot. That's why I often just wandered aimlessly through the streets, which can be quite tedious in a metropolis like Bangkok compared to villages like Berlin or Paris. Pedestrian crossings and traffic lights are also more for decoration than for regulating traffic. So it's better to look three times before crossing a street.

Those who know me also know that I'm a bit of a klutz. Or as my father would say: Ninchen, as it lives and breathes. After a 12 km exploration tour, I just didn't feel like walking anymore. So I thought to myself: Why not try the Skytrain, Nina! But I just didn't have enough cash with me (paying by card is not yet as established here as it is with us). So I went to the nearest ATM, withdrew some money, went back to the ticket machine and...shit! My credit card is gone!! So I run through the entire Skytrain station, weaving through the crowds, my breath getting faster and my hands getting sweatier the closer I get to the ATM where I was just a few minutes ago...And there it was, just lying there, my credit card. On the keypad. How nice are the people here?

As a typical tourist, a comfortable hop-on-hop-off bus tour through the city is also a must. Honestly, this time I didn't really hop off. I found it quite nice to be chauffeured around and see all the sights from an air-conditioned bus.

I then took a closer look at some of the sights the next day. Among them Wat Po, Bangkok's most famous temple with the huge reclining Buddha statue. Unfortunately, very little is described in English here. And my language skills in Thai are not sufficient.

Of course, a trip to Thailand wouldn't be complete without the famous Bangkok Belly! On the third or fourth day, I caught food poisoning. My trusted Pad Thai lady was not there that day. So I got chicken with rice from the stand next to it. And the next day, during my trip to Ayutthaya, it started. In the end, I learned more about Thailand's public toilets than about the former capital of the Kingdom of Siam.

After just under a week, I was done with Bangkok. In the truest sense of the word. Of course, it was impressive to have been here. But I think there are many other places here that suit me better and where I feel more comfortable.