Good times

So, after receiving many concerned messages about how the trip in the blog really sounds like a disaster, I have to clarify something here: yes, it was incredibly hard that something like this happened right at the beginning and that Jana felt so bad. But I have learned so much and developed myself that I really see everything as a great opportunity. Aside from everything that went wrong, and yes, there was a lot, we also had a great time. And so that you can get an idea of that, I will now tell you a little bit about the highlights.

In Vietnam: the landscape in the North was a dream. As I mentioned before, we took a bike tour to the waterfall in Ha Giang. We also stayed in a great hostel where we all had dinner together in the evening and the atmosphere was amazing. We had an incredibly fun evening at karaoke, we had our own room, beer, and a lot of fun with great people. In Sa Pa, we had bad luck with the weather, but on the bus ride to the town, we saw beautiful mountains, rice fields, and a nature that you cannot imagine. The evening with Minh and the other Vietnamese people in the pub was also a highlight. In Ho Chi Minh City, we met Krishna, who was also enriching for me. One evening, he wanted to find something to eat, and since he is Indian and only eats chicken, we went to at least 6 restaurants where the same thing happened every 5 minutes. He would get the menu, try to order something, and say, 'only chicken! Is there anything that is not chicken like beef or pork?' and it was always the same, the waitstaff could hardly speak English and hesitated, but assured him that it was only chicken. But in the end, we always left the restaurant again because he said, 'they don't know what I mean'. It was so much fun. We also went to the Indian restaurant with him and it was very, very good, he chose the food for us. And in the evening, we went for drinks and ended up in the red light district, and he ended up with a meal that 'wasn't chicken at all'. We saw about 5 cockroaches and 7 rats and mice, it was definitely an experience. We discovered a small street festival and got a henna tattoo. We also visited a temple and I meditated for about half an hour, which was incredibly good for me.

In Cambodia, unfortunately, it started with Jana's hospital stay. But the people were incredibly helpful. One evening, after a stressful day at the hospital where I couldn't eat, I wanted to get something at the restaurant in the hospital. In the elevator on the way down, there was also a nurse from Jana's ward and she was also going to the restaurant. However, she had already ordered something to eat because she had the night shift and the restaurant closed at 7:30. And promptly, she gave me her food. I didn't want to accept it, of course, but she insisted. When I tried to give her money, she didn't want to accept it either. So incredibly nice. The Tuk Tuk driver the next day took me to the hostel and we stopped at KFC so I could get something to take away. I told him about Jana and he said he wanted to cheer me up. And suddenly, he drove through the take away with his Tuk Tuk, laughing his head off. He definitely managed to cheer me up. Phnom Penh is overall very beautiful, I really like the temples and pagodas here and compared to Vietnam, I really feel like the people are living Buddhism. Of course, money is still important, but the most important thing is karma and helping others, and that is really nice. The Royal Palace is magnificent and the Mekong and the markets are great. In the hostel where we are staying here, we have met some amazing people and made friends with them. One evening, we went to a bar with live music and it was incredibly fun, the next evening we just sat together and played cards or chatted. One evening, I met Wally, a 66-year-old Hawaiian. He is truly one of the most inspiring people I have met in my life so far. Talking to him was really enriching for me and I think for him too. We talked about everything, religion, the Trump election results, why we travel, experiences, and wishes. I will definitely stay in touch with the backpackers we traveled with afterwards, and I really want to see some of them again. That is also something that is still very difficult for me. That I leave behind people I get along so well with after just a few days and move on. But through that, I learn to appreciate the moments more and see them as precious.

So, I hope I could show you the beautiful times a bit more. Right now, we are on the bus to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat, and I'm really looking forward to it!! It's holiday time here and there are festivals everywhere, and tonight there's a beautiful and bright full moon and I hope to see it from some beautiful mountain or temple. But first, we have to get through the bus ride. We lucky ones got a bus in which the air conditioning has failed, and it's 44 degrees in here. It's really incredibly hot and smelly. I don't think I've ever been this hot before. But the person behind me said with a laugh, 'we're the lucky ones. Sauna for free!'

But as you know, I will keep you updated :)