Hoi An

My final stop in Vietnam was Hoi An... but getting there was anything but easy. I took a long 14 hours night bus ride while battling one of the worst fevers I’ve ever had. I had no idea what was going on with my body. The fever dragged on for nearly 36 hours, and I felt completely drained. Once I arrived at the hostel, a girl that I ment a few weeks earlier in China was there, and helped me to go to a doctor who checked for all the tropical illnesses (dengue, malaria) but thankfully, it was just a bacterial infection. A round of antibiotics slowly brought me back to life.

Hoi An welcomed me with bursts of color... yellow walls, hanging lanterns, and market stalls overflowing with life. The streets were full of tempting smells and sizzling sounds, and I was genuinely curious to try everything I saw, from rice cakes to street barbecues and even cooked frogs. But I was still recovering from the fever, and my body felt fragile, so I hesitated to try any unusual food. Still, I wandered through the old town with my camera in hand, capturing the rhythm of the vendors, the way they arranged their fruits or folded dumplings. Even though I couldn’t fully dive into the food scene the way I wanted, I was drawn in by the vibrant life around me.

Hoi An had a peaceful atmosphere, but my experience there was shaped more by recovery and reflection. It was also where I received some worrying news from home. So I made the difficult decision to pause the rest of my sabbatical journey and return to Europe. It wasn’t the ending I expected, but it was what I had to do at that time. Sometimes, the road changes direction whether we’re ready or not.