Shoppingday in Hoi An + Hallo Bangkok

February 15, 2024

Yesterday we wanted to enjoy our last day in Hoi An together. Even though Nina still finds it difficult to eat, she was fit enough yesterday that we were able to wander around the city together. Ronja had already mentioned so many good things, so it could only be a nice day. We started the morning in peace and quiet with the grave and went for a stroll. Colorful lanterns hang everywhere in the streets and shops, there is a lot of greenery and the air is relatively clean. We had experienced much worse in the last two weeks. We weren't the only ones who had the idea of going shopping. No wonder - there is a wide range of dresses, trousers and blouses made of linen, suits for men, lanterns and of course all other knick-knacks. We always had the credit card to hand and actually used it in full. We were impressed by the goods on offer.

We took a break in a vegan restaurant and drank cola. After Ronja fortified herself with a baguette, we walked a little further and came to a river. Dozens of men stood ready for tours with their boats. But we weren't interested, so we continued walking through the city. After we had exhausted our strength, we got familiar gold coins filled with cheese and iced tea, sat down on a sidewalk and were silent. When our mitochondria had converted the food into new energy, we bought a pair of pants that Ronja couldn't get out of her head. We enjoyed another drink in a café by the river. Ronja tried the Egg Coffee, which is famous for Vietnam. A coffee with egg. Tasty but not easy on the stomach. We pushed aside the thought of whether the egg it contained was raw and whether there was a possible salmonella infection lurking as best we could.

“Are you there, Mouriaty?”

It got dark and cooler. We were ready to head to the accommodation, even though Ronja would have loved to take the boat tour with Nina so as not to deprive her of this beautiful experience. But it was enough for the day. You don't have to take on everything again just when things are getting a little easier. At the accommodation we shared a pizza and admired our purchases. We are very happy with it! And we actually got everything stowed in our backpacks.

The night was short again, like the night before and the night before that and the night before that and... We want to sleep, but not in these accommodations anymore. We wish we had clean beds because we had company again. Bed bugs. Baah! In addition, mosquitoes were once again buzzing around our ears and cheekily flying right into our faces. The alarm went off at 5:50 am. We got ready quickly and, as almost always, were out on time (at the last minute). But our ordered taxi arrived 13 minutes later. He drove us to the airport in Da Nang. We held each other in the car several times during the journey. Anyone who doesn't believe in miracles has never experienced Vietnamese traffic. But the locals are totally relaxed about it: we even saw a father on a scooter with his toddler sleeping in front of him. Wow!

Everything was relaxed at the airport. Ronja happily ate the banana pancakes that our accommodation had given us. Afterwards we went to the gate and got rid of our last cash down to the dong. The flight to Bangkok went by quickly and by the time we finally checked into the hotel it was 3 p.m. Hunger was noticeable on several levels, so we decided to have a pizza in the hotel restaurant. Yes, maybe we would be better off in Italy. Being back in Thailand is an adjustment at first, even the 35 degree warm and oppressive air. But it's pretty cool. We went strolling again in the evening and unexpectedly ended up on Khaosan Road, where we were partying two weeks ago. It was a busy day and we're still trying to reach room service so we can get water. But unfortunately no one picks up.

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

Since Nina is still not feeling well and we will be greeting Felix at the airport tomorrow, things will probably be a little quieter on the blog for the next few days.

Sleep well

Ronja & Nina