Despite the fact that we had to get up at 7 am in Bangkok, my friend Viki and I were ecstatic about heading to Siem Reap. Cambodia, here we come!

The start of our trip was a little bumpy to put lightly. To save some money we decided to take the bus from Bangkok. It sounded like a good idea: only eight hours, free wifi, snacks, drinks, and all that for less than $15. That our hostel recommended this bus company gave us the assurance that we are in good hands. Can you hear a 'but' coming up? But, indeed. The bus was short of everything of what we expected. That there was no water, snacks, or wifi was not the problem. But add a super sketchy bus driver and his equally creepy operator to the mix, and you have two unhappy women, who couldn't wait to arrive at their destination.

The first scene we had to endure was watching the co-pilot making obscene hand gestures to his buddies on the street when we walked by. Then on our ride, they stopped the bus 2km before the Cambodian border, asking us to hand over our passports because they 'kindly' offered us to handle the visa process. We knew from research beforehand that the Cambodian visa costs $30. Yet these crooks managed to take $50 from us. When asked why it is more expensive, they said because we apply for a visa-on-arrival, which turned out to be true but the price was a total ripoff. Unfortunately, that was not the end of it. Once we made it to Siem Reap after 10 hours, they hushed us out of the bus and directed us to some tuk-tuks which conveniently were waiting for us passengers. The tuk-tuk ride to the hostel was free, they assured us, but everything with this bus company came with a price. We were the first ones, who were assigned to a tuk-tuk. The second we sat down in the back, the driver started offering us tours. We respectfully declined since the only thing we had in mind was to go to bed and wash the day off, but he wasn't having it. It was dark in Siem Reap and there is not so much electricity on the streets. I was already half asleep and not really aware of our surroundings when I heard my friend saying "C'mon we are the only ones left here, everybody left. Please drive us to the hostel now." And baam! I was wide awake. After we were the first ones out of the bus, it was only us left in the field. Anxiety started to rise within me. Double-teaming him we tried being very firm with the driver now, even offering money for the alleged free ride. When two other dark-spirited individuals appeared and surrounded our tuk-tuk from each side, and the guy on my side actually creepily whispered "What are you gonna do if we're not taking you to the hostel?", I had enough. I came up with a white lie, telling the driver we would book a tour once we arrive at the hostel. Seeing our horrified faces, I think the three of them finally realized that they had put us in a very uncomfortable situation. So at last, we took off. The second we arrived at the hostel, we grabbed our bags and ran into the hostel. Not caring that the driver yelled insults after us, we were so happy to be finally in a safe place with other people around. So the first thing we did was to get a drink, sit next to the pool, and let all the bad energy out. We consciously agreed to not let this cloud our experience of Cambodia.

The next day we decided to take it slow and explore the neighborhood. We had great coffee at The Missing Socks Laundry Cafe and relaxed at the hostel's pool for the rest of the day. In the evening we went to The Red Angkor Restaurant, where the owner's little girl squeezed herself next to me and made sure that we are properly entertained.

The temples of Angkor Wat were of course a must-see, so we headed there the next day. Waking up before sunrise became a staple during my travels. And every time I struggled with it and hated the world. But once up, I was glad that I did get up because the time right before and right after sunrise is just pure magic. Angkor Wat was everything we hoped for. Majestic and breathtaking in appearance. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure!

Ever since the beginning of my travels in Southeast Asia, I was eager to chat with a Buddhist monk, to learn about their lives and practices, and most importantly to exchange thoughts about spirituality. I learned quickly though that most monks are reserved and keep their distance, so my endeavor was not an easy one. But finally, at Angkor Wat I got lucky: When we took a break and sat down in one of the temples, a monk approached us and we had a wonderful conversation. He told us that his name was Muni and that he was born in 1981. He became a monk in 1992 at the tender age of 11. His usual day starts at 7 am and after lunch, which is around 11 am, he does not consume any food for the rest of the day, although coffee and tea are still allowed. Pretty specific, right? Well, I asked carefully and Muni was glad to answer all of my questions. I also always wanted to know why monks wear marigold robes and Muni told us that the color orange is considered ordinary, low-profile, not of value in Southeast Asia. Monks do not want to attract attention and that's why this is the choice of color for their robes. They blend in. When asked about his most important life lesson, he responded: Life as we know it is full of suffering and we have to recognize it. What is suffering? Desire and attachment in particular. Avoid suffering by realizing it. One thing I struggled with a lot is this statement: There is only one reality. So I asked him: Isn't reality subjective, formed through experiences and individual thought patterns? Like the color orange for example. In the western world orange is a loud and screaming color, it reeks of attention. In Asia, it is ignored and is almost a neutral color. Two realities, right? Yet, orange is still orange at the end. Everything else is a social, imagined construct. Basically put, it is what it is. It took me a while to understand this, but I’m getting there. Before we said goodbye to Muni he gave us one final piece of advice:

- Don't believe others, believe what you experience. -

Just let this sink in for a second.

Meeting Muni and having this conversation with him was definitely a travel moment to remember. Since we decided not to prolong our stay in Siem Reap we had to wrap up Angkor Wat in one day. 15 hours of temple hopping later we were done - figuratively and literally.

The next evening, after a day of visiting the floating village Kampong Phluk close to Siem Reap and the biggest freshwater lake of Cambodia Tonlé Sap, we headed to Phnom Phen by a sleeper bus. It was important for us to learn more about the history of Cambodia, especially about historically recent genocide, so it was a given to visit the killing fields and the former prison, now museum S-21 while in the capital. We listened intensely to what happened in this country not so long ago. The audio guide and the photographs were uncensored and showed among other things the victims, the torture methods, and tools. Admittedly it was difficult and hard to look at the pieces of evidence of such horrible history. Moments of raging anger and deep sadness were inevitable, tears were rolling. This experience was very sobering and essential to understanding the country and its people.

To finish this post I quote what I heard from the speakers throughout the museum:

"As you leave S-21 you too are a keeper of that memory. Tell others what happened, so we may all strive for human dignity, compassion, and peace everywhere."