The last days of this long journey.

14th-19th March 2020

Laura, a British roommate from the hostel, was so kind and set her alarm clock (my phone was still broken) and woke me up in the morning. The flight back from Krabi to Bangkok was very turbulent. Even I, as an experienced flyer by now, was a little scared, but everything turned out fine in the end. In Bangkok, I met Sartra (the Thai acquaintance) at a certain time in front of the MBK center. It can also work without a phone!

The next day, we went to Siam Park. The weather didn't really invite us, it was cool and stormy. First of all, we had to wait under the roof until the rain stopped. A little later, we could also use some attractions, especially because they opened gradually.

On Monday, I talked to my family. Due to the already existing travel restrictions and the general situation at that time, my sister and I decided to tell our parents that I would fly back on Wednesday, the 18th of March. Everyone was worried, including myself. But they were relieved that I would fly back unexpectedly the day after tomorrow.

The next day, I checked my emails. A message from the airline. Originally, I was supposed to fly from Bangkok to Helsinki and then to Berlin. I had booked this flight back in December when there was no Covid-19 yet. The plan was to visit friends from northern Germany to the south. That had long been canceled. In any case, I was informed that the flight from Helsinki to Berlin was canceled. I contacted the airline via chat. I asked if there was a seat to any German airport in Germany on the same day. No, everything was fully booked. I could have the entire flight on Monday, the 23rd of March, or the first available flight to Germany after the original flight to Helsinki would be exactly one day later, Thursday at 16:05 to Berlin (but it would mean a 25-hour layover in Helsinki).

As the likelihood of not being able to return from Asia to Europe increased, I preferred to at least return to Europe as soon as possible. So I accepted the 25-hour layover. I flew to Helsinki, still without a phone, and landed there. It's not my style to just give up and accept things. So I decided to go to the counter and ask if someone had canceled a seat to Germany, preferably to Munich (the second-best choice, as Stuttgart was no longer served at all). A few minutes later, I was rebooked and could run back through the security checkpoint and to the gate.

The plane was filled to a maximum of 75%. I was seething inside. Why was I told that every single seat was booked? A little later, we realized that a long-haul flight had probably been canceled, so people were not in Helsinki to take the flight. But the anger was inside me. In the end, I landed in Munich. At the counter, they said that my luggage might come with the next plane if it didn't fit into the plane in time. But fortunately, it arrived. But now the next challenge. Luckily, I had friends around Munich, but no phone and no number. Once again, I had to rely on the help of strangers.

So I approached a girl and got her phone. I had to call my friend through Facebook Messenger. Of course, Facebook wanted me to verify my identity, etc. An eternal procedure. Then I was almost in. Battery empty. Great! Luckily, her boyfriend also landed. He still had battery and lent me his phone. Unfortunately, Sarah didn't answer the phone, but I was able to reach her husband Tim. This time I was lucky and they even picked me up from the airport. So I stayed in Munich for one night. The next day, we went for a walk in the small town near Munich, and finally, my sister picked me up and we drove another 3 hours towards home on the highway. Towards the end, there was a lot of adventure again.

So, that was the end of the 1.5-year journey. I want to thank everyone who supported me. Financially as well as in any other way, such as psychological encouragement to endure or borrowing a laptop or phone in case of not having one. Also, thank you very much for your interest and for reading this blog. Unfortunately, it was not the right platform to present everything optimally. I can only write short comments on pictures, otherwise the sentence will stretch until the next picture. I also cannot embed videos, and hardly anyone clicked on the video links. For the next trip, I will definitely choose a better website. I will also have better equipment, like a phone with a good camera, a laptop, and a proper GoPro. Until then, stay healthy and I wish you all the best! See you then!