After having breakfast at a cute café I went to wander around following the canal. On my way I found a hostel that I plan on staying until sunday. Initially I planned to go to Cambodia tomorrow but feel like I need a few more days to fully arrive.

Before I started my travels, I got the advice to always account for overspending the first few days in a new country and not to worry too much about it. But also keep in mind, I am European, maybe it’s 1€ for me, but for someone else, it could be their lunch. And it‘s true. Here are some examples:

• I walked into a hip backpacking hostel today which was fully booked for the next few days and a price of 30€/night per person in a shared bedroom. I walked into another hostel, which felt very welcoming and seemed clean: 4€/night per person.
• Good Breakfast or Lunch is around 5€. The tiny local food stalls that are a bit hidden offer a full meal at already 1-2€. But to be honest, I am a bit careful, I don’t want too upset my stomach too much in the beginning.
• Tiny-food-stall-coffee: 50ct vs european-looking-café-coffee: 2-3€.
• Going by bus: 15 cents. Taxi would have been 1-2€ for the 3 bus stops I needed to go.

But even the „touristy“ prices, it goes without saying… still incredibly cheap compared to Germany. It makes me feel very privileged. It’s not a new feeling, I’ve been to different places and I know how lucky I am to be born in Europe with very supportive parents that valued education a lot. I am very grateful and it makes me want to give back. At least leave a tip, especially at those tiny hidden shops, here and there.

Since my arrival, I‘ve encountered very kind and helpful people. In this one hostel, I got a coffee for free. An old lady helped me get on a boat to cross the river and walked me to the bus stop. I feel safe here but I try to avoid walking when it get’s dark. At least alone. Tbf I also don‘t like walking alone at nigh in Germany. But no need to take risks.

All in all, today was a nice day. I had a swim, painted at a buddhist temple, saw a few lizards and felt very peaceful and happy in general. I had some delicious but insanly spicy soup. I could only slightly dip my rice into it to avoid feeling like my throat is on fire. Now I know to take the option „not spicy“ instead of „mild“. I even had to get a second rice plate and left probably 95% of the soup.

For sunset I went on a boat. I took an unlimited day-ticket by mistake but it turned out helpful, because I could just go off and on again when I wanted. So I stopped at this amazing Wat Aran Temple which has such an insane level of detail and colors, very beautiful. On my way back I had a quick look at China Town and then it was already 8pm and dark. I think I am actually adapting quite quickly to the new time zone because it‘s now nearly midnight and I feel very tired. Good night!

(P.S. Kao San Road is supposed to be THE road to go for backpackers…or any tourist really. I went there yesterday. Don‘t recommend. A lot of people. Loud. People selling fried scorpions. Maybe it wasn‘t the best place to go after a 16h journey being completly sleep-deprived. To be fair, it wasn‘t all bad, I also saw a cute top I nearly bought. However, it made me notice how I need quieter places especially for the start)