From styes to styles

Sorry this is a long one but its super cool so read until the end:)

We arrived in Hoi An in the late afternoon, went to the hostel where we were greeted very warmly by Ernest, the owner, and took a little stroll around the old town before meeting Xaver and Jana for dinner at Silent Garden. Such a funny coincidence that one of our days in Vietnam overlaps—especially because they're traveling from south to north!
The next morning, I woke up at the hostel after a long and very good sleep… but with an eyelid the size of a balloon. I immediately texted Jasper that I had to go to the doctor and that this shady antibiotic thingy—which honestly looked like a knockoff perfume—had not worked at all. Quite the opposite, actually.
Jasper had already gone for a walk, but he came back prepared: he had Googled and found a good hospital. We walked there and I immediately felt very well taken care of.
The doctor was British, spoke perfect English, and led us to the Vietnamese eye doctor. We had to wait a little and fill in some forms. I told Jasper he could leave and that I'd text him when I was done—but he didn’t leave. And honestly, I was so thankful for that, even though I didn’t admit it at the time.
When we entered the eye doctor’s room, he asked (in very Vietnamese-English, mostly Vietnamese) what hurt, and I told him that even touching my eyelid was super painful. Well, this man did not CARE. At all. He squeezed and pressed and twisted my eyelid—tears started flowing immediately (partly from the pain, partly because the whole situation was a bit overwhelming). I was really suffering.
After five minutes, the nightmare was over. He smiled and just said “Okay,” then led me out. I was completely confused but figured he knew what he was doing. A nurse explained I had a stye, and if I took the medication, it should go away in a few days. I was handed two different antibiotics and an antihistamine. My bag felt like I'd just finished a day of shopping.
Obviously, I deserved a treat—so we bought a super nice shirt for Jasper (my suggestion, hehe—slightly jealous because it looks amazing), a top for me, and then went to Ellie’s Café for a delicious smoothie bowl.
We wandered a bit more through the city, and honestly, Hoi An is the most beautiful and authentic city I’ve seen in Vietnam so far. Since most tourists were just there on day trips, it was pretty empty and peaceful.
After the obligatory postcard hunting session, we went to Bông Taylor, where Bich is the shop owner—we’d heard great things about the place. She was super welcoming, and when we told her we were Lara’s friends (the one who had recommended the shop), she was thrilled and even gave us a good price! She took our measurements, which was actually quite funny for Jasper and me, and then we discussed what we wanted to get made (stay tuned for the big reveal).
We tried white rose dumplings for lunch (a local specialty), checked out of SnapStay Hostel, and moved to Wanderlust Hostel at the beach. Finally, we got to enjoy the sun, tan by the pool, and chill with another cute little doggo named Boogie (who didn't bite me this time, yay).
In the evening, we grabbed a ride back to the city center, had a cocktail, and then dinner at Morning Glory—super nice restaurant with great food and a lovely view. Ordering was, once again, a challenge. The waitress had to tell me five times that the dish I wanted wasn’t possible gluten-free.
Since it was Thursday, and Thursday is party night, we tried one of those wild “buy two, get four free” deals… but we still ended up just having two cocktails for the price of one. Totally fine. We went home a little tipsy and happy.
Jasper was super tired, but I wasn’t, so I started doing my nails (seriously overdue) and sat by the pool, just thinking and daydreaming. When Jasper came out, I told him to sit and enjoy the silence with me. It was such a peaceful and magical moment that I spontaneously suggested going to the beach.
We walked down, and although we weren’t the only ones with that idea, it was still so calm. We hardly spoke—we just watched the sea. Wave after wave, never stopping, never tired. It was probably the most recharging moment I’ve had in months.
I want to be like the ocean. No matter what happens in the world, it’s so tireless, always in its rhythm.
We went to bed around 12:30, after I did a little happy dance (yes, there's a picture). And yet, I still woke up at 5:15—with no alarm. So I thought, let’s see the sunrise and enjoy the calm, empty beach.
HAHA. Little did I know. The beach was packed with Vietnamese people doing tai chi, playing volleyball, digging holes in the sand, and just lying around. A group of Vietnamese people asked me if I wanted to play volleyball with them, so I joined for 30 minutes—and I absolutely loved the experience. We couldn’t really communicate because of my poor Vietnamese, but we understood each other well enough. It was such a heartwarming moment.
Now, Jasper and I are drinking coffee at a beach café and getting ready to try on our clothes at Bich’s tailor store.Leia mais