Farewell and Beginning

The farewell from Mannheim and work was largely routine, like many times before. At work, this means wishing everyone a happy holiday in November. You also realize that the vacation isn't that long, as many people count down the time until Christmas, and then it's almost "back in business" for me. For my last dinner in Mannheim, I went out to eat Korean food with Juan to get my stomach used to it. Rice, baby.

Then, tackling the finale with the knowledge that you can't be prepared for everything. All you really need is a Visa Card and a passport. I ended up with 12kg in my backpack and another 5kg in my carry-on. The next day, I took the Flixbus to Frankfurt, feeling very relieved. First, I watched Jan work from home a bit, and then at the train station, I bought the first things I forgot :-D earplugs and a phone charger.

Everything went smoothly at Frankfurt Airport, no delays and no rush. After the punctual departure of the Airbus A380-800 to Berlin, I was served the vegan meal I had ordered. The advantage of special orders on a flight is that you get it before everyone else, in my case, I was almost finished when the people around me started eating. Very pleasant, and the food was great too. I was able to sleep a lot on the flight, so I was fit after landing. Chirag, Victor, and their family picked me up at 17:20 local time. The welcome was very warm, and we immediately took our conversations to the ice cream parlor. It's soooo humid here. I love it. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a cold water shower.

I will be staying with Chirag for the next few days. I met him in 2009 on my first trip to Thailand in Bangkok. Arriving at his place in the Arab Quarter feels so familiar. It's as if I've already spent months here. This leads to me not feeling like a typical tourist, which is a feeling I really appreciate. I'm looking forward to spending the next few days with people who enrich my life, and even though there are thousands of kilometers between us, it's incredible how similar the challenges life presents to us are.

Saturday night was rather quiet, a highlight was the second consecutive full moon. Friday in Germany and Saturday in Singapore, is that even possible? No idea (please insert your answer in the comments). On Saturday, we sat together with Chirag until the early morning hours and I fell dead tired into bed around half past 4 in the morning. Sunday was Family Day. After a quick stop at the nearby hospital for coffee and wifi, I went to Victor's place. He is currently selling his apartment to move closer to his in-laws, as they help take care of Kira and Axel. We went out to eat with the kids and spent the day by the pool. However, the water was really cold :-D. For dinner, Chirag's girlfriend Steffi returned from her silent meditation course and we opened the bottle of red wine that I had brought. Another gift, Mannheimer Dreck, is very well received in Singapore. Export possibility. My flight to Chiang Mai is booked for Tuesday. So far, it has been a nice start. Let's keep going like this.