Translation of Schalotte

I arrived there but could not find a hotel immediately, so that I took my luggage with me. I know that this is very provocative to thiefs. One should not walk on the street with a big backpack.
So the man and the woman are staing at the station, sitting at their table and tasting unknown alcoholic drinks, wishing they had the same feeling of joy that they had known before this all happened.
We were Lao Cai around six o'clock but the train left only at eight. I was somehow relieved though that we had all the dangerous bus journeys behind us and that we left this lovely place soon.