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Lisa Glaettli
Lisa Glaettli

Lisa Glaettli

gereisd in 13 landen Meer informatie🇨🇭Meisterschwanden
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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger
    2

    Recovering & relaxing in Phuket

    11 juni, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    The journey to Phuket took us the entire day. First, our flight was delayed by 2.5 hours for no apparent reason—classic. Then, once we finally boarded and settled into our seats, the plane suddenly powered down. Lights off, AC off, everything off.
    We waited about 30 minutes before the crew announced that the aircraft needed repairs—or that we’d be changing planes entirely. Back to the terminal we went. I wasn’t feeling 100% to begin with and was already running low on patience. I tried not to show it too much, and tried not to complain (too much). But let’s be honest, mildly grumpy was the baseline.
    Eventually, they announced boarding for a new aircraft, an hour later. We boarded again, trying to be optimistic this time, and finally left Ho Chi Minh City with a 5-hour delay.
    Honestly, it wouldn’t have been that bad if I hadn’t planned to meet up with my thai friend Tam and her daughter Vela that evening. They were leaving for Bangkok the next day, so every hour counted. But luckily, everything worked out in the end.

    We had a lovely dinner with Tam and Vela that night, followed by a beautiful little boat trip with them the next morning. A short reunion, but a very sweet one.

    The next few days we embraced full vacation mode: relaxing by the pool, sipping generous amounts of cocktails, feasting on seafood, heading to the beach, and exploring Old Town Phuket. The colorful shops, the vibrant streets and yes, the very questionable “Tom Yum Kung fish soup ice cream.” Jasper says: not recommended. I say: an experience.
    For once, we made full use of the hotel facilities (for once not staying in a 10-bed hostel dorm): I did a cooking class, got two massages, and even went to a yoga class. Pure luxury after a month of backpacking with questionable mattresses and shared bathrooms.

    For our final adventure, we took a scooter for the 80-minute ride to the airport. Looking back, possibly not the safest choice. But the hot air rushing past, the chaotic symphony of motorbikes, and the endless scenery made me feel totally alive—totally free. Even as we were speeding down the highway at 90 km/h, my backpack threatening to yeet me off the seat, eyes half-shut from exhaustion, I was just... thankful.

    Speaking of thankful, I’m so incredibly grateful I got to share this trip with Jasper. Grateful that I had the chance to travel through Asia at all. It’s a privilege, and I know it. Seeing everything through four eyes instead of two gave everything more perspective.
    We had so many ridiculously funny moments, and Jasper honestly took care of me like a big brother whenever I wasn’t feeling well. Sure, we annoyed each other occasionally and had a few tiny discussions, but nothing that lasted more than five minutes. Our friendship grew stronger than ever, surviving sleepless nights on sleeper buses and fever checks during food poisoning really do bond you for life.
    Now I’m in Doha, sitting on the plane to Zurich. Going home is never my favorite chapter of the story, but it’s part of it. Reality hits, eventually.

    I know I’ll return to Thailand. The culture, the warmth of the people, it all captured me in just three days. There’s still so much more I want to see.
    But for now? Swiss mountains, I’m coming for you.
    Let’s hike it off.

    And with that, my backpacking through east asia has come to an end🫶    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Ho Chi Minh Shitty

    6 juni, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    As the title says our one and a half days in Saigon were not exactly great.

    But let me start from the beginning.
    We took the bus from Can Tho to the city, checked into our very nice hotel – Annie House – where we finally got a clean and large double room (hallelujah). Then we went for lunch at what’s supposedly the best Pho place in HCMC. And I must say it was actually really good.
    Next stop: Annam, a delicacy supermarket – and you know my thing for supermarkets. I was honestly overwhelmed (in a good way) by all the gluten-free stuff. A mini happy moment.
    Later, we went to a beer tasting where jasper quickly turned into a beer sommelier, I documented everything precisely and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the night.
    Matching outfits on, we fought the chaotic traffic to reach a fancy rooftop bar, had a Vietnamese dinner afterwards, and strolled down Bui Vien Street, a bar street, also called crazy street. But… wow. That place was next-level crazy. We looked at each other and decided, Nope. We weren’t that kind of crazy.
    The next day: the misery begins.
    We woke up, had an açaí bowl and coffee, and set off to do the touristy stuff.
    But something was off. After the coffee, we both felt like someone had punched us in the gut. Still, we went to the War Remnants Museum, where my nausea really kicked in – but I chalked it up to the gut-wrenching content. Seriously, the images were horrifying – torture, prisons, corpses. It was heavy.
    We moved on to the Post Office – one of HCMC’s “must-sees,” but honestly, surrounded by skyscrapers, it just looked kinda sad. Like a lost grandma in a techno club.
    BUT: I got to send my 11 postcards. Victory? Almost.
    We had a minor crisis: I had to lick 33 stamps. And I really didn’t want my tongue to touch those things. But here came Jasper, immune system of steel, who took over licking duty while I prepped the stamps. Fifteen minutes, some tears, and possibly PTSD later – we were done.
    Then we ordered lunch from a gluten-free restaurant/bakery, yayy. I finally got my first Banh Mi! We shared everything so I could try more. A moment of pure joy.
    Followed by disaster.
    After lunch, my unwellness reached new heights. We ran to Starbucks because I needed a toilet to throw up – and yes, it was that bad. And yes, it got worse.
    We Grab’d back to the hotel, where I fell into bed, proceeded to throw up multiple times, and tried to relax. Tried and failed.
    Jasper went out to find a pharmacy. Did I mention it was monsoon season? He returned soaked to the bone, but with probiotics and ginger tea in hand.
    After one final full-on vomit performance, I started to feel slightly better. Still, everything hurt, I was freezing and sweating at the same time, and my breathing was all over the place, like a broken accordion.
    Jasper stayed by my side the whole time, comforting me, trying to make me laugh – and actually succeeding now and then. Especially when he decided I was about to die and started singing church hymns and performing last rites like I was a medieval pope. Honestly, I think I laughed-cried through the nausea.
    The horror show went on for about 12 hours.
    At 1 AM, I woke up and felt... not good, but slightly human. I even managed to sleep a little.
    And the wild part? Jasper wasn’t feeling great either – but he still did everything to take care of me…
    This morning, I woke up dehydrated like a raisin and with a giant headache – but the nausea was gone, so I considered that a win.
    Now we’re sitting at the airport, waiting for our 2.5-hour delayed flight to Phuket.
    Onwards, with hope... and probiotics.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    When things got out of Hand

    5 juni, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We arrived in Can Tho two hours too early—at around 4 am with almost no sleep and the brain activity of overcooked noodles. We took a Grab to Ms Ha Homestay, and even though it was insanely early, we knocked on the door just to try our luck. To our surprise, the woman actually opened up. Without skipping a beat, she asked if we wanted to visit the local floating markets.
    We agreed—because we were already awake, and honestly didn’t have a clue what else to do at 5:30 a.m. So off we went, just the two of us and Ms Ha, on a tiny motorboat down on of the Rivers of the Mekong.
    Now, Ms Ha is a very cool old lady. But wow—she’s persistent. She INSISTED on taking dozens of pictures of us in every imaginable pose. I’m pretty sure she usually gets the Instagram influencer crowd who live for this stuff. Jasper and I? Not so much. Half the time we were cringing like crazy, and the other half we were laughing so hard we almost fell overboard.
    We visited the local market and actually helped her with her weekly shopping. And not like, one or two things—she went full-on grocery mode. It was really cool tho walking around with a local, seeing how people shop, what they buy. She kept buying food for us, and by 8 a.m. we were already three meals deep and in a slight food coma.
    Then she brought us to a place where they produce rice noodles. I even got to help out, which was fun! Jasper, however, had to watch from the dry zone because his super slippery sliders were NOT made for wet floors.
    We also saw how soy sprouts are grown and walked past some local families. And then, because apparently this is just a thing you can do, Ms Ha walked into a house, picked up a baby, yes, a real human baby, and handed it to me. Just like that. For the next 20 minutes, I was walking around holding this tiny, squishy, silent bundle, sweating and desperately hoping it wouldn’t cry or spontaneously decide to yeet itself out of my arms. But honestly? It was also kind of cute and wholesome. That said, I was definitely relieved when she took it back.
    Eventually we returned via boat, completely destroyed by the day. We collapsed for a two-hour nap that felt like five minutes. We also realized our average sleep per night is about 5 hours and 30 minutes, and that every third night we basically sleep like garbage, either on a bus, or by waking up stupidly early for something "fun."
    After the nap we forced ourselves to walk around the city, even though we were still so tired we felt like someone had punched us in the stomachs and then played drums on our heads. The city itself? Honestly? Not really giving... anything. Seeing the Mekong was nice, we finally got to see the sunset from a rooftop bar, and we had a solid, gluten-free-safe dinner.
    The actual highlight of the day: at the night market, we got T-shirts printed with photos from our trip. Possibly the most touristy thing we've done so far—and we loved it.
    Then we fell into bed and prayed to every god that we'd sleep forever.
    Well. Guess who’s awake at 6 a.m. again?    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Fast and Furious Da Lat

    3 juni, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our journey to Da Lat wasn’t just another travel day — it was an action movie, a comedy, and a small miracle all rolled into one.
    It all started in Nha Trang, when the bus organization casually texted us that the transfer bus to Da Lat couldn’t wait for us anymore. We were already running late, and their genius plan? “Get off your bus and take a taxi to catch up with the Da Lat-bound bus on the highway“ Right.
    So basically, Fast & Furious: Vietnam Edition kicked off there. We jumped into a random cab, used Google Translate to explain our ridiculous situation to the driver (because of course, no English), and hoped for the best. Imagine: some foreigners telling you they need to chase a bus down and no, they’re not paying for the ride because some bus company with only a WhatsApp number is supposedly covering it.
    And somehow—somehow—it worked. The taxi driver called the bus company, they yelled at each other over the phone for a bit, and 10 minutes later we were sitting safely in the Da Lat bus like nothing ever happened.
    When we finally arrived in Da Lat, cold and starving, we went for bun bo and I impulse-bought a hoodie at the market because I was freezing. Turns out, that hoodie is now my favorite thing ever. Cozy, cute, and will forever remind me of that wild entrance into Da Lat.
    After food, we went to a coffee farm where they showed us how to make that delicious Vietnamese drip coffee Jasper and I are obsessed with. We're still trying to crack the code to recreate it at home—some combination of patience, technique, and magic, I think.
    Dinner was early-ish, and we went to bed exhausted but excited for the next day.
    And what a next day it was. Before breakfast, we headed to a waterfall adventure park at 7 a.m., did an alpine roller coaster and ziplining—all while being the first visitors of the day, which meant we got the waterfall views all to ourselves. Total VIP vibes.
    After that adrenaline kick, we scooted to town to meet Ladina for breakfast (best smoothie bowl with gluten-free granola ever, no exaggeration - i even vought some to bring with me from now on). Then it was off to the famous Mario Kart racing track. We each raced against each other wearing funny helmets to film the race and yes, I won the second lap against both Ladina and Jasper, thank you very much. After that, we rode our scooters back into town, jasper driving and me doing my best Google Maps voice from the back: “Turn left in... never mind, missed it.”
    That evening, we met up with Ladina for Indian food, then wandered into Maze Bar—a bar that is literally a maze, designed by the daughter of Vietnam’s first president (who also designed the famous Crazy House we visited earlier that day).
    Next day = new adventure: canyoning! Aside from a brief shoe-size crisis (jasper vs vietnamese feet), it was pure fun—waterfalls, rappelling, slides... the whole. Afterward, we visited the Da Lat winery, the biggest in Vietnam. The wines were, let’s say, charming but humble, but the experience was great regardless.
    The scooter ride back from the winery, though? Monsoon level. It rained like mad. My socks were so wet I’m honestly considering throwing them out instead of letting them continue their sad, soggy existence.ä
    And now, here we are. After our second round of that same amazing Indian food (yes, same restaurant, no regrets), we’re hopping on the sleeper bus to Can Tho. Bye-bye mountainy Da Lat, hello hot and humid Mekong Delta!    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger
    1

    Charming Cham Islands

    31 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    If my skin tastes like salt, sweat, and sunscreen, I know I’m in the right place.
    The thing about backpacking is: you have to be spontaneous. You see a chance, you take it. It’s a rollercoaster — the highs are sky-high, but the lows can be pretty low. All you’ve got is what’s in your backpack, your feet to carry you, a good friend by your side, and sometimes a wildly unreliable bus — with either ice-cold aircon set to 15°C, snoring seat neighbors, or roads so bumpy you end up headbutting the ceiling.
    But still, it’s a free way of traveling. You don’t leave anything behind, you don’t really impact your surroundings — except the people you meet. You get to see places, at least to some extent, through the eyes of the locals. And that’s what I love about it.
    Over the last few days, one thought kept repeating in my head:
    "I’m so incredibly free."

    We spent two wonderful days on the Cham Islands.
    We stayed at a cozy homestay with the sweetest host. Only about 30 tourists stayed overnight — the rest were locals. Within the first ten minutes, Jasper managed to break half the balcony (but it was old anyway, so we’re not blaming him... too much).
    We rented a scooter, checked out a few beaches, and made it all the way to the most remote one — only for the scooter to break down. Luckily, a kind guy drove us back to the village. No data, no help otherwise. On another road, the pavement was so wrecked we had to push the scooter — and then turn around and push it uphill, which honestly felt like punishment for being adventurous.
    One of the absolute highlights was diving.
    Two dives, each around 50 minutes (but felt like 10), and we saw puffers, lionfish, moray eels, lobsters, and coral that was still surprisingly colorful.
    We spent loads of time on the beach, surrounded by palm trees, monkeys, and sunshine.
    It looked like paradise.
    And the seafood? Incredible. We went to this small restaurant and decided to come back the next evening after watching a gorgeous sunset.
    Only downside: the waiter couldn’t read or write, and honestly, it felt like he barely spoke Vietnamese. After some classic miscommunication, I ended up getting glutened. But hey, me and my stomach got over it.
    After those two exciting, never-boring, yet still peaceful and beautiful days on the islands (Jasper didn’t even want to go at first — now he admits it was amazing), we had to say goodbye.
    We picked up our clothes from Bich’s place, had dinner, and headed to the bus station — ready for our next adventure: the night bus to Da Lat.
    Plot twist: The bus was overbooked. They just told us, straight-faced, "No space."
    Coolcoolcool.
    So we sat around like sad backpackers do — until Jasper, the legend, started texting and calling every bus company out there. After juggling a few options, he found a route: Hoi An → Quy Nhon → Nha Trang → Da Lat.
    We even considered flying the next morning to avoid the 18-hour chaos... but backpackers are also budget warriors.
    With two hours to kill before the bus, we found a bar with live music. By pure coincidence, I ran into Ladina, a friend from ski school who had the exact same problem. We booked the same bus for her, had drinks, laughed, and enjoyed the music. It turned out to be a perfect night.
    Then came the bus — 35 minutes late, of course. We sat on the sidewalk like total outcasts, but somehow felt so good. So free. So alive.
    Eventually, the bus showed up. Tiny beds — absolutely no room. Ladina and I didn’t sleep at all. Jasper managed to snooze a bit (shockingly). And now we’re on our second bus, the roads are horrific, sleep is a distant dream, but... in 6 hours, we’ll be in Da Lat.
    And we’ll see what happens next. :)    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    From styes to styles

    29 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    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.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger
    1

    Quick Stop in Hue

    28 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Our night bus to Hue stopped in Tam Coc, so we grabbed dinner (roasted duck!) and a couple of drinks to mentally prepare ourselves for the long ride. We left at 7 PM and decided to watch Anyone But You, squeezing together into the same bunkbed — worked surprisingly well.
    Sleeping however did not work: the night wasn’t as restful as I’d hoped. I probably slept about six hours total, but it was pretty disturbed sleep — the kind where you wake up not knowing if it’s 2 AM or Tuesday.
    Next morning, my eye was swollen again — super glamorous. So our first stop, at 6 AM, was the pharmacy. We ended up checking out three different places in total, and all of them agreed: some kind of bacterial infection. I got some eye drops that should help… let’s see.
    We left our backpacks at a hostel we’d booked for the night — only 2 euros! — and went off in search of breakfast. That turned into a mini comedy show:
    “Gluten-free, please. No gluten. Zero gluten. Gluten I cannot. No granola, yes flaxseeds. No sugar in the coffee. No condensed milk. Yes toast — but no gluten. Gluten in bread. Gluten BAD.”
    Honestly, it was a fight. But we won. Avocado toast, smoothie bowl, and Vietnamese coffee — victory.
    Reinforced and finally caffeinated, we headed to the Citadel, where Jasper — like his dad — slipped right into tour guide mode. He explained everything about the gates, the buildings, the history… he’s great. I pay him in my company. ;)
    After all that cultural input, we visited the biggest market in Hue, then went for another coffee. Jasper had a banh mi, and we walked back to the hostel to grab our bags.
    We didn’t stay the night after all — instead, we booked the next bus to Hoi An, where we’re currently sitting. A short but nice visit to Hue, and honestly, I’m really glad we shifted our plans a bit to see the old capital.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Two rice grains in Pu Luong

    27 mei, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    The next stop on our journey: Pu Luong.
    Right in the middle of endless rice fields. No tourists. No bars. Barely any restaurants. No highways. Just rice. After the chaos of Ninh Binh, it felt like paradise.
    On the day we arrived, we just wandered around aimlessly, tried (and failed) to open an unripe durian, threw some sticks, and generally fooled around while exploring. We stopped at a café for another absolutely delicious Vietnamese coffee, and Jasper called his parents while I wandered a bit more. I ended up playing with a small boy and chatting with two other kids—while their parents filmed us (which was kind of weird). I considered telling them to stop… but hey, if I randomly show up on Vietnamese TV, let me know. Maybe that’s how I become famous.
    We tried harvesting rice ourselves—grabbed a stalk, cracked it open, and voilà: our first self-harvested grains! Then we hit a little existential crisis where we didn’t know what to do next. Relaxing is not our strong suit. So naturally, we rented a motorbike.
    Since all the helmets were too small, Jasper was given a firefighter helmet, which was honestly iconic. Twice we drove straight into dead ends and got laughed at by locals (fair enough), but eventually we found a gorgeous road with panoramic views over the rice terraces.
    Back at our hotel for dinner, I have to mention: this place was amazing. Infinity pool overlooking the fields, giant windows in our room with a stunning view, and—slightly awkward design choice—a toilet and shower separated from the rest of the room by only a glass wall. So yeah, you can literally lie in bed and watch the other person poop. But at this point, Jasper and I have transcended embarrassment. We truly do not care anymore.
    Dinner was two kinds of fish, veggies, and rice. Huge portions. Big shoutout to Jasper, the human compost bin, for never letting food go to waste. We didn’t play Kniffel that night—instead, we watched Les Intouchables. What a movie.
    Oh, and I forgot to mention: I had and still have some kind of eye infection, which explains why I look especially gorgeous in all the pictures. You’re welcome.
    The next day, I finally got my birthday present: Jasper had secretly organized a trek through the rice terraces and a hike into a giant cave, guided by Tom, the hotel owner. The whole tour was breathtaking. We learned so much about the region, the people, the rice farming traditions, and the local culture—all while soaking up some of the best views of our entire trip.
    Fun fact: In Pu Luong, elderly married women often have completely black teeth, which they get by chewing on certain plant leaves and charcoal. It’s a traditional sign of marriage and stains their teeth permanently. Also, people in the area live almost entirely self-sustained. They rarely use money—just occasionally to buy clothes—and they live together in tight-knit communities.
    Pu Luong was closed off to tourists for a long time, so it remains beautifully untouched and quiet. We even saw the oldest village in the region and visited a local school. The cave we hiked into was absolutely massive, and we descended all the way down. The hike in total took about three hours. It rained, but honestly, who cares?
    Back at the hotel, we had lunch, one last strong coffee (naturally), and then left Pu Luong by bus—on the bumpiest road known to mankind. Somehow, I still managed to sleep.
    And now? We’re on our way to Hue. Back to civilization.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    From dreamy to dead cats

    25 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    So far, we had only seen the pretty parts of Ninh Binh—and there was still more to come. But by the end of that day, I saw things I wish I hadn’t, and that will leave me genuinely traumatized for the next few days.
    We woke up at 5:30 AM and rode our bikes for about 20 minutes to be the first ones on top of Mua Cave. And yes—it was totally worth it. We felt a bit like a couple in their 50s: going to bed super early to beat the tourist crowds in the morning, then spending the rest of the day reading, eating, and chilling at the hotel. Early retirement vibes. After breakfast, we headed to Dong Van Wetland Nature Reserve. While Trang An had been super busy and touristy, Dong Van was the complete opposite—run entirely by locals, barely any people around, pure quietness, and just idyllic nature. We could observe so many birds and floated peacefully through the wetlands in a little wooden boat with Louane, a local woman who rowed us around. I even spoke a little Vietnamese with her and told her the place was xinh đẹp, meaning beautiful. She smiled—either touched or just politely amused.
    Then, somewhere in that calm and peaceful moment, my brain decided it was time to panic about the dog bites on my leg. I asked Jasper what he thought I should do, and that’s when the drama began. He started googling and asking ChatGPT everything about rabies—which, obviously, only made me more terrified. We read that dogs with rabies often have paralyzed back legs and—guess what—the neighbor’s dog? His back legs don’t work. I freaked out. I got really quiet and scared. When we got back, I lay by the pool, headphones in, listening to podcasts and trying to ignore the doom in my head, while Jasper went for a run.
    At lunch, I finally asked the woman at the hotel what I should do. She just shrugged and said the puppy is too young to be vaccinated but that he always bites playfully and that nothing would happen. That was a huge relief. Like, instant pressure-off-my-chest kind of relief.
    The afternoon plan was to head into Ninh Binh city to check out the walking street and get dinner. The walking street? Pretty touristy, kind of okay, but honestly, not something I’d go back for. Then I had the genius idea to visit a real local supermarket, and we found one on Google Maps. But on the way there, we passed a market near the stadium and decided to walk through it. It was wild. Super busy, super crowded, and honestly overwhelming. People were mostly on motorbikes, zig-zagging through the market like it was a drive-through. At first it was kind of fascinating—but it got denser and denser, and we could barely squeeze through the crowd. I started feeling a little dizzy and off.
    And then I saw something that completely shook me: a table with the skinned head of a dead dog, its body laid out next to it, and—on top of it—two dead cats, eyes wide open and empty. I instantly put my hand over my mouth and speed-walked in the direction of what I hoped was the exit. As soon as we got out, the tears came. I just couldn’t help it.
    To recover, we went to a normal supermarket, and I bought some VEGETARIAN yogurt for the next morning—because honestly, I had been craving yogurt with fruit like crazy. Also, emotional support yogurt. We grabbed two bottles of soju (rice wine) and, even though I wasn’t really hungry anymore, walked toward a restaurant we found on TripAdvisor (one of only three open). We sat down, quickly realized it wasn’t going to be good or safely gluten-free, and thankfully decided to call a Grab and head back to the hotel—for a very good last dinner and a few comforting rounds of Kniffel.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger
    1

    Rain, Temples and Goats

    24 mei, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    We were both super excited to arrive in Ninh Binh because – for once – we had booked a really nice hotel: Fairy Mountain Retreat, with a huge pool and a big garden. We’d be sleeping in our own little bungalow with a private bathroom – pure luxury compared to our usual stays.
    But first we had to survive the journey: a four-hour bus ride in a very small (even for me!) van, completely packed and full of mosquitoes. By the time we arrived, I was bitten at least 4 times. Jasper managed to kill one, but it had sucked so much blood it looked like a massacre.
    So walking into this peaceful little oasis felt like entering heaven. And then – the highlight – we were welcomed by the cutest dog ever (see pic). I was already thinking about how to snuggle him home… until, while playing, he suddenly decided that “let’s bite Lisa” was the game of the day. He bit me four times in the leg and left me bleeding. I‘m 90 percent sure he doesnt have rabies.
    It was raining a lot when we arrived, so we were a bit unmotivated at first. But then we thought, “We’re not made of sugar,” grabbed two bikes from the hotel, and rode the 6 km to Tam Coc. On the way, we stopped for a delicious sugar-free coconut coffee (yum!) for me and a smoothie for Jasper. The streets were more like rivers at times, but that just made it more fun.
    We saw a lot of goats along the way – I couldn’t get over how cute the baby goats were just casually hanging out on the street (see video).
    Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the pool and made the most of the 3-for-2 cocktail happy hour (hihi). For dinner, I got to roll my own grilled fish spring rolls – probably my favorite dish so far!
    Next morning: early wake-up to go to the Trang An boat tour at 7 AM – again by bike. We got the front seats on the boat and had amazing views, with almost no other tourists around. Later, we saw where the crowds had gathered and were really glad we started early.
    It rained on and off the whole time, but our captain came prepared with umbrellas. The caves and karst mountains were breathtaking, but honestly, the entertainment highlight was the other two tourists on our boat, who spent the entire trip taking selfies and watching TikToks. We couldn’t look away.
    Right when we got back to the dock, it started raining like crazy. Jasper said, “Well, if we have to bike back in this, it’s gonna be a vibe.” And a vibe it was – we were absolutely drenched by the time we got back.
    After warm showers and a delicious breakfast, we took it easy for a bit. Since it was still raining, we both got hot stone aroma massages at the hotel (Jasper fell asleep). Then we just relaxed, read on our veranda, and later decided to visit Bai Dinh, the biggest pagoda in Vietnam.
    We expected tons of tourists, but because of the weather, we were almost alone. It was super impressive – the size of the statues, Buddhas, and towers was just insane. After reaching our 10,000 steps, we headed back for dinner, where we tried local goat meat (who would’ve thought). I really tried not to think about the baby goats from the day before.
    Now, after a long day and two rounds of Kniffel (I lost…), we’re more than ready to go to sleep :)    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    La Han was Fun, u get the pun?

    22 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Today: Boat trip to Lan Ha Bay.
    We weren’t entirely sure if we wanted to visit the area because we’d heard it was overly touristy, crowded, and that the water was quite dirty. But some Dutch travelers we met on the Ha Giang Loop had recommended a specific tour—so we thought, why not give it a try? If you never try, you’ll never know.
    And honestly, I learned that you should always see things for yourself instead of blindly trusting what you hear or read—because oh my god, the trip was amazing from start to finish.
    Our group was small—just 11 people—and everyone was super friendly, relaxed, outgoing, and interesting to talk to. Our two guides, Tyler and Hannah, along with the bartender Toni, were absolutely lovely.
    We started by cruising through Lan Ha Bay, and it felt like a scene straight out of The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio (watch it if you haven’t!). No other tourist boats in sight—just us on a beautiful little wooden yacht.
    Toni soon offered to make cocktails. While most of the group saw that as the perfect excuse to start day drinking, I opted for a fresh mango-passionfruit smoothie, made right on the spot—and it was delicious.
    Our first stop was kayaking through a cave that led to a peaceful lagoon. They gave us one-size-fits-all life jackets, which for me meant way too big. I looked like I needed a life jacket just to survive in that life jacket.
    The kayaking was pretty relaxing on my end—Jasper had some energy to burn and paddled like a champion, so I basically just lifted my feet and enjoyed the view.
    Back on the boat, we were served lunch and later stopped for a swim in another quiet lagoon. Once again, we were the only boat there, and it just felt incredible.
    In the afternoon, we visited what they called a sanctuary for groupers—an endemic fish species. But we’re pretty sure it was actually just a fish farm set up for tourists—sanctuary just sounds better than farm, I guess. Still, we got to see some massive fish and even pet them. We got a liiiitttleeeee tiny sunburn, but lisa (clearly the mom for this trip) of course had aloe vera back at the hostel:)
    In the evening, I was once again grateful to be traveling with Jasper. I couldn’t decide what to eat—fried rice, pad Thai, or salad—so I ordered all three, took a mini portion from each, and passed the rest to Jasper, who devoured it all without hesitation.
    Later, we went for drinks in Cat Ba Town with the people we’d met on the boat, chatted to them, hot recommendations for our next stops and then caught a moto-taxi back to the hostel. Another truly amazing day.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    CatBa!! CatBa!!

    21 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    The sleeping bus was a surprisingly comfy way to travel through the country. Sometimes I got woken up by honks or a bump in the road, but overall, it was better than expected—and definitely an experience. I had the deepest and best sleep around 4:30 AM, but guess what happened at 4:31? The driver suddenly started shouting, “CAT BA! CAT BA!” and quite literally threw us off the bus.
    That’s when things started to get kind of funny. A small bus picked us up and brought us to the ferry terminal in Haiphong. There, the driver took a picture of us and sent us off on the ferry, where we were definitely the only Europeans—surrounded by cages full of hens, barrels of fish, trucks loaded with vegetables and tons of rice, and a bunch of Vietnamese people on scooters.
    On the other side, a taxi driver recognized us (probably from the photo) and drove us all the way to our hostel—and we didn’t even have to pay. We definitely didn’t expect that! We arrived at the hostel around 6:30 AM, but check-in wasn’t until 2 PM. After the Ha Giang Loop, all we wanted was a shower. Luckily, the hostel had a pool—thank god!
    So there we were at 6:45 AM, swimming in the pool, followed by breakfast at 7. Then we rented motorbikes and, after a little “getting used to it again,” we rode around the island to explore some beaches. Unfortunately, most of them were pretty dirty and full of plastic. On one beach, we saw women opening mussels right on the shore—were they for food? We weren’t sure.
    Later, we hiked in the national park, where we met Leopold, a German guy, and a few others we ended up spending the next two days with. During the hike, it got so hot I started sweating in places I didn’t know existed. My light green shirt had turned dark by the end—so it was definitely time to cool off in the pool again and grab a late lunch. We finally got to check into our room—and jackpot! Even though it had been quite cheap, we ended up with a whole room to ourselves, complete with not one, but two beds and a rainforest shower. After all the traveling and sweating, it felt like pure luxury. We spent a few well-deserved hours in our air-conditioned oasis just resting and recharging.
    In the evening, we joined Leopold at his hostel for quiz night. Unfortunately, we came in third place (did you know Vietnam is the second-largest coffee exporter in the world? Or that Saigon was once called the Pearl of the East? We didn’t—but now we do).    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Bumpy roads take me home…

    19 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Another day on the Ha Giang Loop kicked off the way it should: with a strong Vietnamese coffee and a steaming bowl of phở. Fueled and ready, we set off toward a viewpoint that required a short hike. It was hilarious watching the crowd attempt the slippery trail in flip-flops and totally inappropriate shoes—mud and wet stones are not forgiving. Jasper and I, in our gear (proudly Swiss-prepared), passed them with ease and scrambled up some rocks for the ultimate panoramic view. Absolutely worth it.
    For lunch, we stopped at a homestay, which meant the usual struggle to find safe, gluten-free food. I hate those sneaky soy sauces. But Jasper has been a true hero—so invested, always explaining the gluten issue to every cook, every host, probably about 10,000 times.
    Also, fun fact: Jasper ended up with one of the smallest Easy Rider drivers. Pó, his rider, is basically half his size. You have to see the picture—it’s priceless.
    Our second homestay that night was a dream: tucked between rice fields and right next to a waterfall. We jumped into the water to cool off after the long day.
    I was the first one jumping head-first - call me stupid, I call it heroic hihi:)
    At dinner, one thing was inevitable: happy water. It’s basically corn liquor and, as the name suggests, it’s supposed to make you happy. Mission accomplished—we ended up singing karaoke, skinny dipping in the nearby stream, and laughing all night. The hangover the next morning? Heavy. But totally worth it.
    Fun fact: Before each shot, everyone yells, “Một, hai, ba, dô! Hai, ba, dô! Dô, dô, dô!” – i still hear it echoing in my head.

    The Ha Giang Loop has been absolutely wild—some of the most breathtaking and diverse scenery I’ve ever seen. But it also stirred something deeper in me. Along the road, we passed many children carrying wood or plants. It hit me hard. School is free in Vietnam, but when work needs to be done and the school is a 1.5-hour walk away, it’s no surprise many don’t go. I can’t stop thinking about them. What are their hopes? Their dreams? Will they ever get the chance to leave, or is this life all they’ll ever know?

    Back in Ha Giang City, we had some time to kill before our night bus to Cát Bà Island. We lugged our backpacks to a hostel with a rooftop café, reorganized our stuff, grabbed some food, and brushed our teeth like civilized backpackers. The bus was so late we almost thought it wouldn’t show up—but it finally did. Now we’re stretched out in our bunks, dusty, a bit smelly, completely exhausted, but so, so happy.
    Jasper (who's basically a giant) even said the bus is surprisingly comfy—so fingers crossed for a good night’s sleep.
    Next stop: Cát Bà Island.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Broken motorbike in the cloudy Ha Giang

    18 mei, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    We took a bus from Hanoi to the city of Ha Giang, where we stayed in a shared room at a rather rural—to put it nicely—hostel. The next morning, we got up for breakfast, and I had to dig into my gluten-free muesli stash—huge shoutout to Mary, who had bought it during the time in Hong Kong for me. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been eating much gluten otherwise, though I’m definitely not 100% sure. I’ve been feeling pretty good, aside from a bit of pain that’s been there every 3 to 4 days. It’s not normal, but it’s also not unbearable so far.
    We were greeted by Slowly—yes, that’s his actual name—one of our guides, who explained the plan for the next three days. Then we met our drivers. I was happy to be driving with Minh Song, who I accidentally started calling Miso (like the soup). He’s a great driver and fun to talk to, or at least try tp talk to in some vietnamese-english mix.
    We set off and covered around 85 km through stunning mountain landscapes, where the mist brushed the peaks, across sunny valleys, through pouring rain, over high passes, and down steep paths—until Jasper’s bike suddenly broke down. The issue was that his driver didn’t have any money to get it fixed on the spot, nor a phone to contact us. In the end, we had to wait about 1.5 hours on the side of the road until my driver reached Jasper, gave the other driver some money, and Jasper’s driver, Bo, returned to us.
    Despite this little hiccup, we still fully enjoyed the loop. The sun got out more than expected, thats why i even got a sunburn. We finally arrived at a hotel and were able to take a real shower—OMG! We were absolutely covered in dirt, so it was very, very appreciated. After that, we had a delicious Vietnamese dinner, followed by some beers and ciders, and then a karaoke session—where we discovered that our drivers are also incredibly talented singers (see video; I’m not including the one where Jasper and I are singing—too strong contrast, haha). If they had grown up in Europe or elsewhere, who knows, maybe they could have made a career out of it.
    Slowly told us that the only place he’s ever been outside of Ha Giang is Hanoi—and only once. It really hits me once again how lucky we are to travel the world like this. It’s not something to take for granted, and we should be more conscious of that.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger
    2

    Good morning Vietnam

    16 mei, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Colorful, loud, and vivid – Hanoi.
    When I asked Jasper to describe the city in three words, he added in a fourth: chaotic.
    On our flight, Jasper had an upgrade to business-class pillow: my shoulder, and slept from takeoff straight through to our happy landing in Hanoi. We grabbed our first Grab (taxi like uber) into the city, checked in at the hostel, and wandered around the Old Quarter. Jasper had his first banh mi (solid 4/10), and I had a coconut — priorities.
    Then off we went to a one-star Michelin pho place before heading back to the hostel, both pretty tired and not very talkative anymore.
    Our dorm situation? Let’s say... interesting. We shared the room with two slightly weird German guys and were welcomed by a lone pair of violet underwear. I immediately thought: Great. Me and three guys in a room without windows, 33 degrees in Hanoi...
    But plot twist: the room turned out to be super well-ventilated, and the AC was set to the perfect temp. I actually had a restful 9-hour sleep, only interrupted once — when one of the guys stumbled in at 4 a.m.

    Next morning: early wake-up, a bit of exploring, and a taste of the famous egg coffee. So sweet it should come with a diabetes warning. Jasper went for a noodle soup salad with beef, and then we joined a market tour plus cooking class.
    We met some fun people from the hostel and made plans for dinner and drinks later that evening.
    But first: massage time at Anna Spa (highly recommended), a quick stop at Train Street (where the train literally brushes past cafés), and a visit to the Temple of Literature. At Anna Spa, the two masseurs were living their best lives, making fun of Jasper for his body and foot size.
    We took a Grab back — or tried to. My driver was completely lost. At some point, we ended up in the middle of the street, surrounded by honking cars and motorbikes rushing past us from every direction. Total chaos.
    Mom, i‘m glad you did not see ths. At least I was wearing a helmet! (Already a level-up from the Dom Rep.)
    Back at the hostel, the driver just grinned, charged me half the price, and said: "Welcome to Vietnam."
    Later on, we did a Vietnamese liquor tasting — quite the experience. Dinner was bun cha (7/10), followed by rooftop drinks with the hostel people.
    We played a game of guessing people’s nationalities, which lead to funny acquaintances. The night then got a bit out of hand — in the best way.

    This morning I actually woke up early enough to stroll through the city on my own for a bit (Jasper had come home later and was in full recovery mode).
    We then grabbed a Grab to a pagoda. And can we just say: it’s not just Jasper’s feet or body — his head is clearly also too big for Vietnam (see photo).
    Lunch was bun bo nam bo — And wow, I need to learn how to make this at home. It was that good.
    To wrap up our Hanoi chapter, we went back to Anna Spa, where she greeted us like old friends. Now we’re sitting on the bus to Ha Giang in the pouring rain (only six hours to go!) and can’t wait to explore the stunning north of this breathtaking country.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Hay day didn’t disappoint

    14 mei, Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Hong Kong in Two Seconds (Okay, Two Days)

    The two days in Hong Kong felt like two seconds. On Tuesday, Jasper’s dad, Stefan, took a day off and took us to mainland China. Destination: Shenzhen.
    After immigration, we were welcomed in the most flattering way—about 300 surveillance cameras pointing right at us. So that’s what being a superstar feels like. Fabulous.
    We took the metro, which had different temperature zones. We wisely chose “temperate” to avoid freezing or melting. First stop: a peaceful, green park where we hiked up a hill to get a stunning view of Shenzhen, the avant-garde city of skyscrapers and speed. Stefan, our tour guide, absolutely nailed the timing of his stories—like a human audio guide that knew exactly when we’d pass a sight. Tripadvisor: 5/5 stars, would book again.
    He even brought us to the 5th tallest tower in the world (599 metres—tragically one metre short of 600). Later, we walked through a massive tech market with 10 floors of pure madness: headphones, fake AirPods, drones, robot pets, lightbulbs, stamps.
    Shenzhen was overwhelming, fascinating, and intense. I have to admit, when we crossed the border back into Hong Kong, I felt relief. Everything seemed calmer. People weren’t rushing around like caffeinated bees, and it felt less like the world was about to swallow me. (Dramatic? Maybe. Accurate? Also yes.)
    In the evening, we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I borrowed Mattea’s clothes and was partner-looking with Stefanie, Jasper’s mom. I kinda felt like part of the family, and it warmed my heart more than the miso soup.
    The food? So so so good, you can’t even imagine. But of course, the night didn’t end there.
    We headed to a super fancy cocktail bar with expert recommendations. Thanks to my irresistible charm, we even got a little gin tasting (don’t take that too seriously).

    Wan Chai Wednesday
    The next morning kicked off with a stroll through the botanical garden. We hopped on the “ding ding” tram (which looks exactly like the Night Bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and rolled into Wan Chai—a chaotic, colorful, and super lively part of Hong Kong.
    In the afternoon, Stefanie took us to the M+ museum to see the Uli Sigg collection of contemporary Chinese art. A true oasis of calm in the middle of the city. 10/10, would recommend if your brain needs a quiet reset.
    Next: Mong Kok. We checked out the flower market, bought a coconut on the way (as one does), and then proceeded to nearly demolish the entire mall trying to open it. But we did crack it in the end. hehe:)
    Dinner that night was at home with the family. Then Jasper and I headed to the horse races. Yep, I’d never imagined this event could be that huge. We read betting predictions, ignored them, and instead picked horses with fancy names like “Hayday.” Very scientific.

    And then? The legendary Wan Chai Wednesday began.
    I’ll skip a few details but let’s just say: at one point, I found myself alone in a cab—with both mine AND Jasper’s phones, but no Jasper. Instead, there were two other people and... I ended up dancing on a bar. Yes, ON a bar. Don’t worry, Jasper and I eventually found each other again.
    It was great. It was long. It was wild.
    It was Wan Chai Wednesday    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    Peninsula Tea & Lions Rock

    12 mei, Hong Kong ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    On the flight to Hong Kong, I slept like a baby. Not sure if it’s my size or the exhaustion, but the seat felt like a royal armchair. The flight attendant even had to wake me up to ask if I wanted breakfast.
    After the usual „did my backpack arrive“ - panic, Jasper picked me up and we headed to Hong Kong Island, where I met his lovely family. We went out for dinner—my first Hainanese chicken (delicious)—and then hit a rooftop bar. Great drinks, lots of gossip, and somehow we paid only half the bill. 10/10.

    We started the next day by running up to The Peak. Yes, a literal mountain. I didn’t know Hong Kong was this hilly, but my 198 bpm heart rate and my burning calves made sure I will never forget. Anyway the views were great and i admired them through the pain while telling myself that it was character-building.
    After breakfast, we explored the city. We strolled through dried fish markets (yes, there were dried sea cucumbers… and no, I still haven’t convinced jasper to eat one yet—bets are open). To balance out the earlier workout, we went full decadence mode with afternoon tea at The Peninsula. Super fancy, but honestly, 100% worth it. We had a full gluten-free étagère and fully embraced the “you only live once” mentality.
    We ended the day with a hike up Lion’s Rock for more amazing views - and because more hills, why not?, then dinner at home, and a very stressful Zoom interview for a potential job that required a large glass of wine to recover.

    Good night, Hong Kong—you’ve already made quite an impression.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliBackpacking through East AsiaReiziger

    A long way to Hongkong

    11 mei, Zwitserland ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    I began thinking about doing this trip in October 2024, when I realized that I wanted to start my Master’s degree right after finishing my Bachelor’s. I told my parents I wanted to go backpacking in Southeast Asia—preferably alone. Guess what? My mom wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea.
    It was kind of a coincidence that, as I was pitching the plan to them, Jasper happened to be at our place. So I just spontaneously asked if he wanted to come with me—and he didn’t say no :)
    So here I am now, on my way to the first stop: Hong Kong, where I’ll spend a few days at Jasper’s parents’ place before heading to Hanoi, Vietnam.
    I’m currently sitting in front of Gate 8 at Doha Airport in Qatar, waiting for boarding to start. I landed here about 1.5 hours ago, but it feels like only five minutes have passed. I’ve been to Amsterdam and Miami, but this is by far the biggest and most overwhelming airport I’ve ever seen—it took me about 20 minutes just to reach my transfer gate.
    The change in climate hit me the moment I stepped off the plane. The humidity must have been at least 99%. Even though I’m tired, I feel incredibly happy. I can already feel the stress and tension of the past weeks melting away, as if my worries are just fading into the warm, heavy air.
    I’m hoping to get a few good hours of sleep on the plane and I’m so excited for the next few weeks ahead!    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger
    1

    Ultima serata, bagno freddo e fuoco

    13 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    After our dance session we came down from the top balcony and bumped into Gabriele who provided us with breakfast for tomorrow. He gave us yogurt, fruit, muesli, bisquits and more. We then headed down to the lobby, did the check out and went out for dinner to l‘Osteria where Kai commited blasphemy against one of the central pillars of italian cuisine by putting parmigiano (which was meant for the pasta) on the focaccia with olive oil and salt. Lisa was not amused and one of the waitors even rolled his eyes.
    Dinner was „spettacolare“. Kai composed a list of things one should know when travelling with lisa upon her request. The list got very long - you‘re seeing a short excerpt.
    Back at the hotel we bade a long and sincere goodbye to Gabriele and told him about lisas marriage plans (you‘ll probably get to see that one day) - the hotel‘s booked already. Then we went to our room and unwrapped our lampion which we had bought in Florence. We snuck out of the hotel because we had already said bye to Gabriele and thought it was weird to say bye again and went to the beach. We tried to light the little thingy in the bottom of the paper lamp but set the whole thing on fire. It drifted vertically for three metres before falling into the sea. Kai could barely fish it out again and when he did it looked like an abused elephant condom. (Oh god we‘re having so much fun writing this). Then we had the best idea of the entire week and decided to go swimming. Kai surprisingly was already wearing his bathing suit, Lisa had her underclothes. The water wasnt as cold as expected but the wind was. We dodged the street lights as we walked the 100 metres back to the hotel, said goodnight one last time to Gabriele, made sure not to get too much sand in the hotel but Kai still spilled some „beach“ all over our bathroom floor. After we had both showered, we warmed ourselved up with the hairdrier and wrapped ourselved in our blankets.
    What an evening - and we still have to pack.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger
    1

    Grande Finale

    13 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    As for the grande Finale Kai and I will write the following post together: brace yourselves
    Even though we went to bed early yesterday, we slept in again. After breakfast we noticed a huge, somewhat obscene and grotesque misspelling in the former blog-post which has been duly removed after a short mental breakdown and a trmendous amount of embarassement on Lisas part. Great start of the day!
    We took the train to Corniglia and walked up to the village from the train station, where we debated as to which path would lead us to Volastra.
    Lisa set the pace to our hike by racing up the rather steep slope. We stopped counting the „fellow civilians“ after 40+ (after 15 minutes) and covered 350 vertical meters within a half hour. Drenched in sweat, we collapsed at the top and fortified our position our position with a selfie. A flat stretch through forests and vineyards followed, accompanied by discussions on the lack of magic in today‘s world, evil gnomes and bears ( Lisa is still traumatized by Mordu [see ‚Brave‘] ) and the ether of the universe. Upon arriving in Volastra, our brave heroes turned in at the local focacceria to still their stomachs. A steep descent down to Manarola ensued, where Lisa‘s right knee almost disociated from the Lisa Leg complex.

    We stopped for a drink and were greatly overcharged in a colorful indian bistro with italian staff and a goof balcony with a nice view. We fled from the tourists crowding the town‘s main street by taking any flight of stairs which led in the right direction. Back on the path to Riomaggiore we started playing „nationality guess“, it wasnt that difficult though because most of them were either american or french. The climb was easy for us because we‘re „schwizer Berggeisse“ but the others were struggeling like hell. We wanted to go back with the boat but the waves were too big so we had to take the train one more time. Back in Monterosso, Kai had the most exotic ice cream of the week - 3 scoops of extra dark chocolate, whereas Lisa opted for boring old Pistacchio, Chocolate and Maracuja. At the hotel we started writing the blog in the afternoon sunshine, but ended up dancing to 2000s Pop songs. A Nonna opened her window to applaud us from across the street. After the sun disappeared, our night began…

    Stay tuned for our late night post!    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger

    Highspeed hike and french invasion

    12 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Turns out backpacking got us quite exhausted, so today we slept in until 8, which is already pretty late for both of us.
    We had breakfast at our Beautiful hostel and it was wonderful. Gabriele had prepared homemade cakes, spinach tartes and had put fresh strabwerries, kiwis and bananas, nature yogurt and a cheese selection on the buffet for us. There were even Glutenfree Crackers, Müesli, Bread and Cookies. Once again, Bingo! After brekkie we got dressed, left the hotel and went to the beach. It was raining a bit but the atmosphere and the scenery were so breathtaking that the weather didnt bother us at all. We walked from Monterosso to Vernazza, stopped there for a bit, I bought earrings (Mami li vedi nella foto sul balcone;)) and walked on to Corniglia. It took us about 2 hours and 10 minutes for both tracks. We didn’t run but we walked quite fast, at least compared to the people aound us. Kai counted about 167 people, we passed. Again on our hike we had great conversations. I love how I can just simply say everything that comes to my mind without having to overthink even a word, knowing that Kai would accept it or if not, we would have an interesting discussion about it. Another funny thing was that most people we passed or crossed were french, so Kai and I pretended to be french from time to time. Oui, certainement, baguette.
    In Corniglia, after enjoying an ice cream with basil, honey and pistacchio flavour, we jumped on a train, which brought us back to Monterosso, where we took extended showers and sat down on our small balcony. Eventually the sun came out, WOW, so we took our wine glasses from our room and…. filled them with fanta and toasted to us, our amazing holidays and our hike.
    (Little update on Kai‘s italian: I always let him ask for everything, tell him how to spell certain words and teach him how to, you know, „act“ italian;) and even though sometimes he gets people a bit confused because he mixes up the order of words in a sentence or the letters, he‘s making great progress!!)
    Gabriele had recommended us to go to Ristorante da Eraldo and the food was really good. Kai had Pappardelle alla Carbonara and I had Calamarata con verdura grigliata.
    The day had gotten us really tired, when we were home at around 8pm we went straight to bed and after reading a bit we fell asleep.
    (Yes we sound like an old married couple in their 80ies, but we were tired so please dont judge:)    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger

    Waiting for David and finding the sea

    11 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Today was mainly walking around, eating and waiting for our time slot at the Academia to finally get to see the real David. After we woke up Kai went downstairs to attack the breakfast buffet while I showered and packed my backpack. By the time I got down he was at the pancakes with nutella AND butter. (I dared to tell him that nutella was already made of butter but he didnt really want to hear it)
    We still had our 3 day pass Tickets for the Dome so before the checkout we went to the Piazza to see if we could get in. The dome only opened at 10 so we went to a shop to buy some postcards and headed back to the hotel for the check-out. At 10 we entered the Dome and were almost the first ones in. We were very impressed by the size and height of the Cathedral. The Cupola with its paintings was breathtaking. Before leaving for the archaeological area, Kai and I both lighted candles for our loved ones.
    When we went outside we went to a juicebar where Kai had his second breakfast and I had a smoothie with a banana bread. From there on we didnt really have a plan, we walked around for a long time and eventually found a nice café where we ordered coffee and wrote our postcards. We wanted to see the national library which unfortunately wasnt open for tourists, so we went to the Via dei Neri where I got Focaccia and Kai pizza. Then it was finally 15:15 and we went to the Academia. We were a bit worried when we saw the humongous line in front of the building. Soon we figured out that since we had bought the tickets in advance we could just jump the line and go directly to the entrance, which we did, and it worked perfectly. A few moments later we were standing in front of the huge statue of David. We both have to admit this guy was absolutely good looking, and crazy hot. We admired this piece of art for a couple of minutes but then left quite fast, since we had to catch out train half an hour later. The train to Pisa was very crowded, therefore I had to squeeze myself between the window and our backpacks. In Pisa we noticed that we could take another train than we had planned and we would be way faster. We ran to the biglietteria, made the seat reservations like Speedy Gonzales, got on the platform and jumped on the train.
    The journey to cinque terre was very nice, we passed pretty landscapes and sceneries until we arrived at the sea. We were both so hyped when we saw the waves crashing on the cliffs, the cute pictoresque village with houses of different colours and the green hills surrounding it all. Our hotel la Stella della Marina did not only meet our expectations, it exceeded them by far. The owner Gabriel, was really friendly and showed us a map of Monterosso, the village, gave us recommendations on restaurants and showed us all the nice hiking trails of the area. The room he gave us had a private bathroom and a even small balcony. I was so incredibly happy. After we had unpacked our stuff and settled down for a moment we went to the village and looked for a restaurant. We walked around for a bit but most of the restaurants that looked nice were already full so we decided to get Pizza. It was a good decision, the Pizza was really good. Poor me had to pay Kai‘s dinner too because I had lost a stupid bet earlier. Kai even wanted to get a Nutella-Chocolate-Calzone for two people as dessert and I am so so thankful he didnt. We went back to the hotel and went to sleep:)
    Excited for the hike tomorrow!    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger

    Fotto on Giotto

    10 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Today was the day Apollo and Aphrodite took a Fotto on Giotto. We woke up and had breakfast at our amazing hotel. Kai ate for a family of at least 10 people so it took us a while but when we finished, we were ready to burn all those calories on our way up the Giotto tower, where, as the title of today‘s blog already says, we took a (hundred) photo(s). What we saw from up there was astonishing, we could see the Dome from a perfect perspective and the view over the old city houses was beautiful. We agreed that Florence was way prettier than Milan and that if it werent for the annoying tourist crowds, we would stay here.
    By the way while we were standing in line for the tower, we started writing our own CV‘s vice versa and had a really good time just standing there in the sun, laughing and waiting for us to get closer to the entrance.
    After climbing the 87.4 metres high Campanile di Giotto and admiring the view, we went to the Cathedral Museum. For lunch we had Glutenfree Focaccia. Mine was really good, but unfortunately they gave Kai the wrong one. He got proschutto, which he doesnt like, instead of salami & arugula. So in the end he only had the focaccia bread and wasnt too happy about it. In the afternoon we visited the Uffizi art museum. We managed to see all the 7 „must see“ paintings we had read about. After learning so many new things about art our poor brains needed some calories, so we „diffused“ to the famous Gelateria Santa Trinita where Kai probably had the biggest ice cream in the world. We ate it by the river and stayed there for hours and hours having the best conversations. We figured out that if my man wasnt going to surprise me with a weekend in florence I wouldnt want him, talked a lot about people walking past us, our spirit animals and decided to set a one year goal for both of us. Our original plan was to walk back to the hotel but then we spontanously bought to-go gin tonics, yes non-alcoholic, and toasted to our wonderful afternoon.
    We diffused to the restaurant „Sgrano“, again 100% gf and had wayy to much pasta there. Since they had Cantucci on the menu we ordered some but instead of getting them with wine as recommended by the restaurant I ordered them with an espresso and got laughed at by the entire staff. (At this point I have to admit, life without alcohol is hard) We had arrived at the restaurant as two people but left as a trio. Our foodbaby Leonardo accompanied us home. On our way back we meandered thorugh the streets and eventually got to our hotel still laughing pretty hard, where the receptionist eyed us suspiciously.
    Funny ending of a hilarious day.    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger

    Fake David and sunbathing

    9 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We woke up in the Ostello bello early and tried not to wake up the other 3 people in our room. Considering that they were snoring I think we managed to let them sleep. We had breakfast at the ostello and left for the train station. We hadnt been able to reserve our seats so we had already imagined possible scenarios of a conducteur asking for our tickets and us acting like confused swiss passengers. However at the Milano Centrale Station we went to the biglietteria and asked for seat reservations and it was way easier than expected. A couple of minutes later we were sitting on the train to Florence.
    When we arrived we headed to the Hotel Ginori al Duomo. We couldnt find it at first but we passed a very fancy looking hotel, where we both agreed that if we were going to come back 20 years later with more money, we would definitely stay at that place. The strange thing was that we weren‘t able to find the hotel we had booked and it took us some time to realize that what we had booked was actually the super fancy one we had passed by right before. We went in a bit confused and went to the lobby to ask for our room. The receptionist told us our rooms were ready by 3 pm and took our baggage. Before we left the hotel, we changed our clothes, made sure we looked a bit less like swiss backpackers and more like real „fiorentini“.
    We walked right to the Cathedral and passed all the important monuments of the city until we got to the river and passed the Ponte Vecchio. There were so many tourists on the bridge and Kai and I (mostly I) started to get really annoyed because of the amount of people and everybody pushing around and us getting squeezed. At some point we just wanted to get out of there, so we grabbed an ice cream and walked away from the crowd. We ended up in some cute little streets above the actual city center and walked up there. It was very peaceful and I could have „strolled“ along those streets forever. We went to the Giardino Boboli and mainly sunbathed on the grass with a beautiful view of the city. (Kai just said these were the best 20 mins lf the trip so far - hope that was a bit exhagerated)
    In the evening we went to our hotel room which was right in the attic. Whereas the narrow hotel hallways had carpeted floor, ours was wooden. We had a big modern private bathroom and a skylight. The bed was huge and super comfy. We drank the last bit of Gin Tonic and celebrated Pascua in our room. BIG SURPRISE: Kai‘s parents had bought glutenfree chocolate easter bunnies for us and Kai made me look for mine all over the room:) Finally I found it on the rooftop!!
    We had dinner at Quinoa, a 100% glutenfree restaurant in the city center, where I had delicious Ravioli.
    We walked back home & went to bed.
    Goodnight:)    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger
    1

    Victoria Secret Angel & Versace Adonis

    8 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    (Short information for everybody reading this blog. This is a summary of all my thoughts and experiences, which I usually write down (quite tired) at the end of each day, without paying attention to any grammatical rules nor spelling, so please dont be surprised if suddenly the tense changes or letters are missing:))

    Turns out Italy did not disappoint us. When we woke up at 7:30 the sun was shining and it was warm enough to walk around without an anorak, gloves and scarf. We went to the Officina Zero, which is a 100% glutenfree bakery, to start of our day with some Croissants, coffee and a freshly squeezed orange juice. We headed to the metro station close by and took a train to the Duomo. Finally we realized what the tickets we had bought really were for. They brought us to the terraces on the rooftop of the building. It was absolutely insane, we didnt even realize it was possible to get up there. We were really happy and decided to stay there for a while and enjoy the sun. Later on we visited the inside and the archaeological area of the cathedral. Our visit made us hungry, therefore we walked over to Amorino (still the very best gelato ever) and grabbed an ice cream. First Kai only wanted to get chocolate but then I convinced him to try different flavours since he was at such a good gelateria, and even though he didnt admit it, I‘m quite sure he thanked me later. Although, what he didn’t appreciate for sure was the „short“ stop at Victoria Secret… well I just had to. What is a trip to Milan without some „serious“ shopping? I returned Kai the favour and spent at least an hour in shoe stores with him, because he couldnt decide whether to buy red, yes red, special edition vans or not. He bought them in the end and was happy, so it was worth the wait:).
    We strolled along the street, went to a supermarket, bought some drinks and snacks and sat down in a park next to the Basilica San Lorenzo. However, the park wasnt as nice as we thought, there were some really weird emo- teenies, walking around, smoking and drinking, which lead Kai and I to have an extended conversation about education which almost lasted throughout the rest of the day. Anyways, we walked on and found a very pretty bar outside, so we sat down and ordered two analcoholic cocktails. Felt quite fancy;))
    We stayed there for a while and enjoyed the sunrays tickeling on our faces.
    On our way to the restaurant „Bistró“, I had found on a „glutenfree guide“ website earlier, we walked past a canal with bars, cute little shops and art galleries. We hadnt seen such a charming part of the city before and I was glad we had come cross it.
    After a couple of minutes we found ourselves walking through a less touristic part of the city and saw an old man carrying boxes of wine out of his car. Kai stepped over to him and offered to help. The man was very surprised at first but accepted Kai‘s offer. They went inside the house while I looked after his cute dog. For a moment I was a bit worried because they took a while to get back. But then they came back and the man thanked us a thousant times. We talked for a bit and he offered to invite us to his house for a glass of wine, but when he looked for his keys to open up the gate he realised he had left them inside, so we waited for about 20 minues until he had called all his contacts and had finally found somebody who could open up the gate for him. Before we left he invited us again but we declined, saying we had a reservation, so he gave us one of his wine bottles and wished us all the best.
    Although I must admit the day was over all incredibly aweosme, my highlight was dinner. The Ristorante Bistró is a 100% glutenfree place where they offer all types of Lasagne, fresh homemade pasta, delicious burgers with soft buns and honestly everything somebody could wish for. I felt like I was in heaven. I can’t remember the last time I had such good bread it was just exquisite. I was more than full but I just couldnt say no to dessert, so we ordered a Tiramisú scomposto. Kai doesnt even like coffee, but he knew that for me this Tiramisu was just a „to die for“ so he shared it with me!
    We gave the girl a good tip and „rolled“ (at least I did) to the next metro station and drove home, packed all our stuff and went to bed where I am now currently reflecting on our awesome day and writing this blog!
    Good night to switzerland:)    Meer informatie

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  • Lisa GlaettliInterrail ItalienReiziger

    Day 1 & Arrival in freezing Milano

    7 april 2023, Italië ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Friday morning, 05:00, the alarm rang, I woke up and for once I was actually excited to get out of bed. Our journey to Italy was about to start and I couldnt wait. Im still surprised by how we got onto the train at Zurich main station, closed our eyes and opened them up to see the city of Milano in front of us. I hadn‘t had coffee that morning so by the time we stepped out of the Milano Centrale Central station I was starving. We went to the ostello bello to leave our baggage and walked to the city center. On our way I finally got my coffee at the official illy store - you can tell I was happy:) On our walk Kai held his first siesta and we grabbed a glutenfree Gipfeli (my first in almost a year!!!) We visited the Duomo and bought tickets for the following day. We weren‘t sure what we bought exactly but we figured it out eventually;). We went to the „quartiere di Brera“ and walked around until we found a shop where Kai spotted a Gould painting and ran right in. We ended up talking to the shopowner, a very nice old italian lady who showed Kai her whole Gould collection. Im sure she would have adopted him if she could. We went for lunch where Kai had pizza Diavola and I had polipo su un insalatina di patate tiepida - yummm.
    After lunch we went to the Castello Sforzesco. I dont know if thats just me but I always thought Italy was always warm and sunny. Well I was wrong. It started getting quite cold and we were happy to go into the museum of the castel. After we walkted through the endless corridors and got out we realized we had missed Leonardo Da Vinci‘s famous fresco. So i told Kai to ask somebody about it in italian.. Unfortunately Kai didnt remember how the hall where the fresco was located was called, and he asked for the wood-hall, whoch was definitely wrong. The poor man was super confused but in the end we found the place and even bumped into Michelangelo‘s Pietá;) What a coincidence! We walked back all the way to the hostel and „froze our asses off“ (excuse my english;))
    Before we went for dinner to an italian restaurant close to the hostel we drank (alcoholfree) gin tonics on our rooftop, which unfortunately weren‘t close as good as real ones.. but hey at least we tried.
    After having walked 27’000 steps we went to sleep quite early in order to be in shape for the following day!
    Good night:)    Meer informatie

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