Día de compras en Hoi An + Hola Bangkok

15.02.2024

Yesterday we wanted to enjoy our last day in Hoi An together. Even though Nina still has difficulty eating, she was fit enough yesterday that we could wander through the city together. Ronja had mentioned so many great things that it could only be a wonderful day. We started peacefully in the morning with a visit to the tomb and then went for a stroll. Colorful lanterns hang everywhere in the streets and shops, the greenery is abundant, and the air is relatively clean. We had experienced much worse in the past two weeks. We weren’t the only ones who had the idea to go shopping. No wonder—there's a varied selection of dresses, pants, and linen blouses, suits for men, lanterns, and of course all sorts of other trinkets. We always had our credit card ready and ended up spending quite a bit. We were thrilled with the goods on offer.

We took a break at a vegan restaurant and drank cola. After Ronja refueled with a baguette, we walked a little further and arrived at a river. Dozens of men were waiting with their boats for tours. But we weren’t interested, so we continued through the city. Once our energy was depleted, we bought some famous golden coins filled with cheese and an iced tea, sat down on a sidewalk, and fell silent. When our mitochondria transformed the food we consumed into new energy, we bought a pair of pants that Ronja couldn't get out of her mind. We enjoyed a drink at a café by the river. Ronja tried the egg coffee famous in Vietnam—a coffee with egg. Delicious but not very easy on the stomach. We pushed aside the thought of whether the egg was raw and the possibility of a salmonella infection as best we could.

“Are you there, Mouriaty?”

It got dark and cooler. We were ready to head back to our accommodation, even though Ronja would have loved to go on the boat tour with Nina to not deny her this beautiful experience. But that was enough for the day. One doesn’t need to overwhelm oneself right away, just because it’s a little easier now. At our accommodation, we shared a pizza and marveled at our purchases. We were very satisfied with it! And we actually managed to fit everything into our backpacks.

The night was short again, just like the night before and the night before and the night before and… We want to sleep, but no more in these accommodations. We wish for clean beds, as we had company again. Bedbugs. Yuck! Moreover, the mosquitoes buzzed around our ears again and cheekily flew right into our faces. The alarm went off at 5:50 AM. We quickly got ready and were, as almost always, on time (at the last minute) outside. But our ordered taxi came 13 minutes later. He drove us to the airport in Da Nang. During the ride, we held onto the car a few times. If you don’t believe in miracles, you’ve never experienced Vietnamese traffic. But the locals are totally relaxed about it: we even saw a father on a scooter with his toddler in front of him, sleeping. Wow!

At the airport, everything was relaxed. Ronja enjoyed the banana pancakes our accommodation had given us. Afterwards, we went to the gate and spent our last cash to the exact Dong. The flight to Bangkok went by quickly, and by the time we checked into the hotel, it was 3 PM. Hunger made itself felt on several levels, so we opted for pizza at the hotel restaurant. Yes, maybe we would have been better off in Italy. Being back in Thailand is an adjustment, especially the 35-degree warm and oppressive air. But it’s pretty cool. In the evening, we went for another stroll, unexpectedly landed on Khaosan Road, where we had partied two weeks ago. It was a tiring day, and we tried to reach room service to get some water, but unfortunately, no one answered.

“How does the wind actually move the watermelon?” - “Dude Nina, that’s a beach ball.”

As Nina is still not feeling well and we will greet Felix at the airport tomorrow, it will probably be a bit quieter on the blog in the coming days.

Sleep well

Ronja & Nina