last days of the trip and flight back home

On Wednesday, 18.03.2020, I woke up in the morning and had a not very pleasant message on my phone, which ultimately led me to cancel my trip and book a flight back home as soon as possible. I was constantly in contact with my parents to stay updated on the current situation of the Corona virus, and I also kept an eye on the situation on the internet. The topic was already relevant in the previous cities or countries I visited, but I consciously kept it out of my blog, which doesn't mean that it wasn't a constant topic of conversation. On the contrary, at the beginning of the trip, every small talk started with 'Where are you from?', 'How long have you been traveling?', or 'Where have you been?'. But now conversations started with 'Oh, the situation in your country is very bad right now, will you cancel or continue your journey?'

On that day, Germany issued a worldwide travel warning, which would eventually lead to the cancellation of various flights and only a few return flights. I had just received my visa and I was financially well prepared, so I had no problem being stuck in Asia for several weeks. However, the situation was such that I would not be able to re-enter Germany until July at the earliest. I wasn't afraid of getting the virus, and neither did any of the other travelers I met. But if I were to get it, I would be in an Asian country with a much worse healthcare system than Germany, and I wouldn't be able to see my family, and they wouldn't be able to see me either.

To make sure I was making the right decision, I contacted the German embassy in Thailand. I was strongly advised to get back home as quickly as possible, no matter how much the flight would cost. I asked if I should be concerned about being tested and then being stuck without being able to continue the journey during a layover. However, these doubts were dispelled because Thailand (at that time) was not considered a risk area.

The search for a flight was not easy, as expected. Flights were shown for 500€, but by the time I reached the payment process, the price had risen to 2,000€. I decided against flying with 'China Airlines' and I did not want to have a layover in China either. I avoided being on the road for more than 30 hours and didn't want to have more than 2 layovers. In the end, I found a flight for Friday, two days later, and paid 1,000€ including baggage - which was still within my budget.

After I booked the flight, I was anything but in the mood to celebrate, so we cooled off in the pool. We got talking to many other travelers and decided to make the best of the last two days, so we started leisurely sipping cocktails in the afternoon.

The situation in the hostel and in the city of Bangkok had changed drastically within two days: various cosmetic stores had to close their doors, clubs and bars closed, and in restaurants, you could only sit at every other table to keep a maximum distance from strangers. Bangkok is known for its famous Khao San Road. It is a pedestrian street in the evening hours until early morning, and it is THE Thai party mile. Under normal circumstances, it is overcrowded and it's difficult to get into bars or clubs, not to mention the crowd on the street itself. In the hostel, tables were moved apart, and a maximum of 4 people were allowed to sit at one table. No music was played, as it would encourage people to dance, which would lead to close contact. The police were constantly patrolling to check if all the guidelines were being followed. The only consolation was that the coming time in Asia would not have been as beautiful due to the lack of tourists and many places would have been closed.

On the morning of Friday, March 20, I said a heartfelt goodbye to everyone I had met in the past few days and who had supported me during this difficult time. I took a mini-van shuttle to the international airport in Bangkok, which was about 1 hour away from the hostel. The check-in process went as usual, I had to take off my shoes and jewelry, my temperature was measured, and there was hand sanitizer available everywhere. Until the last second, I expected my flight to be canceled, which was not unlikely considering that about 90% of the flights were labeled 'canceled' on the display board. It wasn't until I was on the plane that I was sure it would take me home.

There was certainly no safety distance here. The plane, one of the larger models of course, was fully occupied and so I tried to disinfect my hands as often as possible and not breathe in what my neighbor had 'coughed out'. The food was decent, as expected, but not gourmet cuisine. However, the view from my window seat was breathtaking.

As planned, 12 hours later, at 18:00 German time, which was midnight according to my Thai internal clock, we landed in Amsterdam, and had a beautiful sunset. I had a layover of 3 hours here.

When I got off the plane, I went straight to the toilet to wash my hands and face. There was no soap or hand sanitizer available, which is incomprehensible considering the current health situation. In Asia, they are definitely better prepared. After a security check, I walked to my gate, even though I was obviously too early. There were no signs of wanting to contain the virus here, mind you, at an airport. My temperature wasn't even measured, again proving that Asia is better prepared.

With shock, I realized that I no longer had my phone with me. There was only one possibility where it could be: in the toilet. Of course, I couldn't go back there so easily. At the same time, I heard an announcement. It was in German - which was unusual in Amsterdam, because otherwise everything is in Dutch - and then in English, and my name was called, asking me to come to the lost and found office. Full of hope that my phone was meant, I panicked and searched everything else, but then fortunately realized that I still had my wallet with my passport and flight ticket, so it could only be about my phone. When I arrived at the lost and found office, we realized that I was at the wrong counter. But I couldn't go to the other one, as it would mean leaving the security area and having to check in again. One of the employees decided to take matters into his own hands and so, 30 minutes later, I actually had my phone back in my hand. Luckily, I had such a long layover, so I arrived at the gate on time and the boarding could begin. When I was on the plane - this was obviously a much smaller aircraft - not all seats were occupied, but apparently every passenger was on board.

Already looking forward to taking off, unfortunately, the announcement came that the aircraft had a technical defect and it would take a little longer before we could take off. They initially didn't know where the problem was, and when they found it, they couldn't fix it at first. I had already imagined all possible scenarios and thought I would have to spend the night in Amsterdam and we could only fly tomorrow - after all, it was already 10:00 PM. After another 20 minutes of waiting, the relieving announcement finally came and we were able to take off. The pilot had promised to fly 'extra fast' and he actually kept his promise: after only 40 minutes, we were already in the approach for landing in Frankfurt.

In Frankfurt, the airport was deserted, we hardly saw anyone. The problem was that our luggage was supposedly supposed to be unloaded in hall E, but access to it was blocked by a large rolling gate. We had a hard time finding an employee who could help us, but after another 30 minutes of waiting, I finally got my backpack and could finally fall into the arms of my parents. We rushed home to my long-awaited bed.