Chapter 5: From Asia to the Snow – My Return to Brittany via Shanghai and Chamonix

After my stay in Cambodia, I returned to Bangkok to catch my flight back to Europe. I could have left directly from Phnom Penh, but flights were much cheaper from the Thai capital. So, I decided to stay for two days, giving myself time to prepare for the climate change. Leaving the heat of Asia to return to a European winter, I bought some warm clothes and sent part of my summer gear back to France to travel lighter.

During those two days, I also took the time to book my flight. After extensive research, I found a ticket to Madrid with a 24-hour layover in Shanghai. The price was similar to flights to Copenhagen or Oslo, but the chance to spend a day in China was far more tempting.

24 Hours in Shanghai

I landed in Shanghai, where it was barely 5°C. The temperature shock was brutal after the tropical heat of Cambodia. As soon as I arrived, I set out to explore the city center and was immediately impressed by its level of development. I had some preconceived notions about China, but Shanghai surprised me: modern infrastructure, cleanliness, a dynamic atmosphere… truly a world-class metropolis.

Of course, like any major city, it had its tourist traps. While wandering around, a woman approached me, speaking English, and invited me for tea. Naively, I accepted. She took me to a small shop where I got to taste several varieties of tea, only to be pressured into buying some at what I assumed was an overpriced rate. Feeling awkward, I still ended up purchasing a small amount, realizing I had likely fallen for a common scam. A lesson learned!

That said, both she and the shop owner were very friendly and shared a lot of interesting insights about the history of tea in China. Despite the experience, I really enjoyed Shanghai and wished I had more time to explore. But it was time to catch my flight to Madrid.

Back in Europe

I landed in Madrid early in the morning, greeted by a freezing -5°C—another brutal temperature shock! My hostel didn’t allow check-in until 2 PM, so I spent the morning wandering through the city. It felt strange to see Madrid in winter, having only known it in the scorching 45°C summers. This time, the streets were much quieter, with far fewer tourists, and the atmosphere felt completely different.

But Madrid wasn’t my final destination. I had something else in mind: skiing! Initially, I planned to stop in the Pyrenees, but every ski resort was either fully booked or way too expensive. After some searching, I found an alternative: Chamonix. There was still availability in a youth hostel, and the prices were reasonable.

So, I took a train to Valencia, where I picked up some ski gear. Then a bus to Lyon, followed by a final connection to Chamonix, where I decided to end my journey with a week in the mountains. After months of traveling in the heat, being back in the snow and cold was an incredible sensation.

Stay in Chamonix

As soon as I arrived in Chamonix, I settled into my youth hostel, where I met Mirko, an Italian on vacation—not for skiing, but simply to enjoy the Alpine landscapes. That evening, we went out for a drink in the village, and just before leaving, I met Sophie, an American traveling alone. As we chatted, I suggested we go skiing together the next day, and she agreed. She told me she had already planned to ski with Caden, another American she had recently met.

The next morning, I woke up early to rent my ski gear and met them at the shuttle stop to head to the slopes. Caden then introduced me to Martin, a Swede he had met a few days earlier. All three of them were incredible skiers—Sophie had spent three years in a ski resort in Colorado, Caden skied every year, and Martin, being Swedish, had been skiing his whole life. Even though I had a solid level, they were clearly on another level, which reminded me of my UCPA days, when I had to push myself to keep up with the best.

We skied for three days straight, and on the last day, we were joined by Nick, a New Zealander—also an excellent skier. That final day, I mostly skied with him before deciding it was finally time to head back.

Return to France

After four days of skiing, I left Chamonix and took a bus to Lyon, where I spent the night before catching another bus back to Brittany. My journey had come to an end.

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