18th to 19th November Farewell and Welcome

After another relaxed morning at the "Always" café in Harry Potter style and another themed drink, we set off yesterday around noon to reach Hanoi's tallest skyscraper. Instead of taking a direct route to the building, which could be seen from afar, we walked through many side streets to get a glimpse of Hanoi and Vietnam in general. We took a break at a "reading café," which was basically a bookshop where you could enjoy coffee and browse through the books on display. I also enjoyed my last coconut coffee there, which always makes you feel like you're in heaven.

The Harry Potter Café with Potion

After about five hours, we finally reached our main destination, the Lotte Tower, and explored the large mall on the lower floors. I bought a small Vietnamese cookbook with many dishes that we often enjoyed here. I hope I can motivate myself to cook a little at home so that the book doesn't gather dust in a corner...

When we reached the highest point in Hanoi, the "Top of Hanoi" bar, at an altitude of 555 meters, an breathtaking panorama of the city stretched out before us. The weather was good again, and we could see the many lakes, other skyscrapers, and even the distant ends of the city, watching as it got darker and the city lit up (photos are always better in landscape format).

After a few hours and a sinful expensive cola - the cheapest on the menu - we went to the Harry Potter Café one last and fifth time to have a butterbeer and say goodbye to this amazing place. I probably spent quite a bit of money there, but it brought a smile to my face just to sit there and enjoy the atmosphere.

Today, we went to the airport in the morning, and although we had originally planned to be there three hours before departure, we ended up being there two hours early. But everything went smoothly because, despite being a capital airport, it was quite small, and we had enough but not too much time.
The flight was short, less than two and a half hours, but it offered fantastic views of the mountainous and green Laos, as well as beautiful cloud formations.

After landing in Chiang Mai, we set off for our hostel, this time with backpacks. There, we cooled off a bit in the pool and discussed how we would spend the next few days. However, since it was getting late, we went out to explore evening Chiang Mai and bought some food before strolling through the city's large night market.

It was nice to be out of a big city like Hanoi and have a slightly "calmer" atmosphere in a smaller city like Chiang Mai, where the evening atmosphere is refreshingly cozy and, above all, quieter... Now we have arrived in our last country, and Christmas is only 36 days away, although it doesn't really feel like the pre-Christmas season here.

Tomorrow, we will explore the national park near the city by bike to be back in nature after our somewhat longer time in Hanoi.