Thank you Shanghai

Well, I can hardly believe it myself, but this is probably the last post from Shanghai. One last time, I'm sitting in the little sweet café around the corner, sipping on a Chinese herbal tea. The past few weeks have been as eventful as always...

The week before Christmas, I enjoyed some free time in Shanghai. The internship was over and I had time to stroll around Shanghai, waste time in cafes, and take walks with Bilal through the city. We explored Xintiandi, walked through the French Concession, and got classic jackets made at the Tailor Market.

Then, Christmas was already around the corner. On the 23rd, Bilal, Antonin, and I went Christmas Eve shopping. It felt like we emptied half of Carrefour. I planned to prepare a three-course meal for a total of 16 people on the 24th and of course wanted the evening to be perfect. So, in addition to food and drinks, there was also countless decorations in the shopping cart. After gathering all the groceries, I picked up my dear cousin from the airport the same night. After having a piece of family and a piece of home by my side, the Christmas spirit finally came. On Christmas Day, after sleeping in, we got up full of energy and started cooking, chopping, wrapping, decorating, pureeing, and cleaning... At 8 PM, the guests arrived and the menu was set. We had a wonderful and surprisingly peaceful Christmas Eve. After pumpkin soup, risotto, and chocolate mousse, everyone's bellies were more than full. After opening presents, we went all out and drank plenty of red wine. The evening ended at the KTV (Karaoke) with Celine Dion, Britney Spears, and 15 completely drunk young people hugging each other, barely able to believe that our time in Shanghai was almost over. In the middle of it all was my dear Romy, who, as expected, got along with everyone and sang along in the front row at the KTV.

Accordingly, the next day was rather quiet. We slept in and in the evening, we went to Bilal's apartment for another Christmas dinner with friends. Unfortunately, I already felt that night that I wasn't as fit as I would have liked to be, and as expected, the next day I was in bed with a fever. Luckily, I have a resourceful cousin who ventured out to explore Shanghai on her own while I tried to get back on my feet for the flight to Vietnam the next day. To top it all off, Romy caught the bug from me that night, and so we both embarked on the flight to Ho Chi Minh the next day, more dead than alive. In one feverish dream, we travelled through Guangzhou to Saigon. We finally arrived at our hostel at 3 AM and fell into a 12-hour comatose sleep. With the better air and the warm climate and sunshine, we quickly recovered, thank God. The DABlend Hostel where we stayed turned out to be a friendly hostel-cum-family home, where we felt at home from the first minute. It was located a bit away from the typical backpacker center, and you didn't come across tourists at every corner. Instead, you could have conversations with Vietnamese people in small street kitchens using hands and feet and buy fresh fruit at the local market in the morning. Contrary to all recommendations, we rented a scooter and confidently cruised through the traffic of Saigon, along with 8 million others.

We let ourselves drift in off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, drank fresh coconuts, and enjoyed the sunset by the river. At the hostel, we also met David and Colby. David was a Swiss guy traveling through Asia and had already spent several weeks in Laos and Cambodia. Colby was from the USA and had just moved to Saigon to teach English for the next few years. The two laid-back guys were the perfect companions to play billiards in the evenings or go out for a delicious dinner and have good conversations...

After three days, we were fully integrated at the hostel, had explored the neighborhood on our own, and adapted to the traffic like pros. Additionally, our bodies had recovered from the flu, and we were feeling fit again. On the fourth day, December 31, we headed to the long-awaited beach. After a short flight, we arrived on the island of Phu Quoc in the evening. Our hostel was located in the middle of the party area called Duong Duong, and in the first few minutes, we were shocked by the crowded place full of package vacationers and party travelers. The bars were lined up one after another, techno music blaring from each one, and there were pizzerias and terrible hotels. However, we didn't let our spirits be dampened, and we found a secluded beach area, shared a beer, and jumped naked into the warm sea at midnight. We enjoyed being together, reflecting on the past year, and starting the new year. Unlike the rest of the party masses on the island, we were in bed by 1 AM and were up for breakfast at 8 AM. The previous evening, we quickly decided to leave the place. So, we hopped on a scooter and went in search of a quiet beach where we could unwind for the next few days. After about 30 minutes of driving, we reached the small resort called Chez Carole. After the first experiences on the island, we could hardly believe what we found. It was a very chic, yet personal resort, completely secluded on a white sandy beach. Without much communication, we immediately agreed that we would stay here. Full of enthusiasm, we moved into a luxurious bungalow. That's how the year began... We spent the rest of the day on the beach and got our first sunburns of 2017.

In the afternoon, we hopped on the scooter, which we had rented for four days, once again in search of sunscreen. On our way through the island, driven by hunger, we stopped at the next beach, which could only be reached via a long, bumpy dirt road. Once again, we were surprised by a lovely resort. Bamboo Cottages was located on a small secluded beach. The restaurant was right by the water, and the warm staff and loving decor immediately captivated us. We decided to stay there for dinner and could hardly believe our luck.

After enjoying Vietnamese delicacies and local beer, we continued with the scooter, as we still hadn't managed to buy sunscreen. On more or less developed roads, we fought our way across the island with the scooter. Again and again, we came across massive construction sites that indicated the arrival of large, tacky resorts on the island in the future. In a few years, the island will have turned into a completely all-inclusive tourist hotspot... We finally found our sunscreen in one of these hotel bunkers, surrounded by kitschy fountains, tennis courts, and amusement parks. After that experience, we were more than happy to return to our little paradise. As the vacation was all about detox for both of us, we went to bed early once again that night.

We started the next day with a jump into the sea before having breakfast at 9 AM. There was a huge buffet right on the beach, and once again, we could hardly believe how good we had it! The rest of the day, we spent reading, sleeping, and occasionally swimming at our beach.... In line with the vacation motto, in the afternoon, we had a massage by the sea and applied face masks for a refreshed look :)

For dinner, we hopped on the scooter once again and drove to the interior of the island to a small pepper farm. Pepper was grown on this family-owned property, and local beer was brewed here. We were welcomed by a lovely Vietnamese family and 10 little puppy dogs. We enjoyed fresh fish and self-brewed beer once again. At the end of the evening, we also got to know two German guys, Patrick and Michi. We sat at the pepper farm, talked, and (unusually for that evening) drank two or three beers. To round off the evening, the four of us spontaneously drove with our scooters to our beach and jumped into the water together, of course, naked :) It's always an experience when you meet people while traveling. A close connection quickly forms, and you exchange stories about your past, your ideas. You feel free because you're on the other side of the world. You share some intense moments together, and then each person goes their own way, with a high chance of never meeting again... Exciting and enriching!!

The next day was about saying goodbye to Chez Carole and checking into Bamboo Cottages. Luckily, the small resort still had a bungalow available for us, and we gladly accepted this twist of fate. For our last night, we had another great bungalow, this time with two huge beds and a sea view. In the evening, we rode the scooter to the north of the island, where we enjoyed a Vietnamese fish hot pot and calamari at a small fishing beach. We had dessert on our beach with a fine cocktail to end the night. It was a wonderful week with lots of sun, warm water, exquisite food, another new culture, and many beautiful moments and conversations with my dear cousin. Our last day started with yoga on the beach, a healthy breakfast, and a few final hours in the sun. In the evening, we headed to the airport, and after a long journey, we landed back in cold and rainy Shanghai. Unfortunately, Romy had only a short moment to rest, as we had to say goodbye again that same night. We got manicures and pedicures, had street food from the lovely couple outside my door, watched '50 Shades of Grey,' and then at 2 AM, we headed to the airport. The warm week with family, relaxed evenings, healthy Vietnamese food was exactly what I needed and did us both a lot of good...

After Romy left again, I had the final weekend in Shanghai ahead of me. Packing, booking accommodation for Kuala Lumpur and Perth, applying for a visa, cleaning the room - everything felt totally unreal.

On Friday evening, I went to eat Xiaolongbao with my two lovely roommates. These dumplings filled with meat and broth are a Shanghai specialty. With our Chinese roommate JC, ordering was super easy again, and we were overwhelmed with Chinese delicacies. After filling ourselves up, we went for one, two, three drinks with Bilal and Camille at a house party.

On Saturday, we slept in, had breakfast, packed some more, and did a bit of exercise. In the afternoon, we visited the Fake Market one last time. With Bilal, Camille, Pauline, Daniel (Bilal's friend from Munich), and Arnold, we navigated through countless stalls, haggling and buying souvenirs and everything we didn't need. Afterward, we all went to Laoximen to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants. We had oily vegetables, chicken gong bao, rice, and spicy beef salad for the last time. Then, we went to JC's favorite whiskey bar. With a fantastic selection of whiskies and a super fancy atmosphere, we reviewed our memories and experiences of the past few months together and promised to meet again in Europe next year. The evening ended one last time at the KTV. We finally went home at 5 AM. Unfortunately, the night wasn't over for me yet. Sadly, I had gotten food poisoning from my last Chinese dinner. After four months of street food and partying, the last evening was chosen to keep me trapped in the bathroom for hours. Completely exhausted and empty, I spent the following day in bed and only mustered up the energy in the evening for one last hug at Camille's and Bilal's apartment.

A wonderful time, with wonderful encounters, new friendships, intense moments, challenges, culture shocks, and experiences, is coming to an end. I am so grateful for this amazing time and can hardly believe that I am leaving my new old home and embarking on a new adventure. Tomorrow, I will be heading to Perth via Kuala Lumpur...

I'll check in again from the new continent and send you all my love!