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Lisa Glaettli

Lisa Glaettli

13 ülke gezdi Okumaya devam et🇨🇭Meisterschwanden
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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      La Han was Fun, u get the pun?

      22 Mayıs, 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.      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      CatBa!! CatBa!!

      21 Mayıs, 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).      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      Bumpy roads take me home…

      19 Mayıs, 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.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      Broken motorbike in the cloudy Ha Giang

      18 Mayıs, 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.      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia
      2

      Good morning Vietnam

      16 Mayıs, 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.      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      Hay day didn’t disappoint

      14 Mayıs, 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      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      Peninsula Tea & Lions Rock

      12 Mayıs, 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.      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginBackpacking through East Asia

      A long way to Hongkong

      11 Mayıs, İsviçre ⋅ 🌙 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!      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginInterrail Italien
      1

      Ultima serata, bagno freddo e fuoco

      13 Nisan 2023, İtalya ⋅ ☁️ 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.      Okumaya devam et

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    • Lisa GlaettliGezginInterrail Italien
      1

      Grande Finale

      13 Nisan 2023, İtalya ⋅ ☁️ 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!      Okumaya devam et

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