Angkor Wat! As long as I can remember I have always wanted to go there and explore “The Lost City” myself. Known from movies, documentary films and books this place is magnificent. I’m still blown away when I look at the pictures we took there and have to pinch myself. Cambodia was our second country which we explored during our Asia trip and I can say this without a doubt it was my favorite one. Our arrival was very well planned, we got our visa at the airport and our driver from the hotel was already outside waiting for us, the whole process went super smooth which I didn’t expect. After our arrival at the wonderful hotel Lotus Blanc, The Privilege Floor in Siem Reap, we decided to unpack a little bit for the first time during this trip because we stayed longer in Cambodia as originally planned. We spent a whole week there and canceled our original plan which included a trip to Thailand. At that time the situation was a bit uncertain and we decided it might be the best to skip Thailand for now. The hotel was super nice and we asked if it is possible to extend our stay and keep the same room as well. They seemed happy that we enjoyed ourselves and gave us the opportunity to stay longer, which was phenomenal. After almost 12 days running from city to city we took a break for the first couple of days and did nothing besides relaxing, eating and resting by the pool. Our hotel was super quiet and not crowded, especially not during the day since most of the tourists come to Siem Reap and explore the temples.

Hong Kong was one of my favorite stops during our Asia trip. It reminded me so much of New York city but with its own completely different flair: A huge modern, bustling city in which I felt very welcomed. Before we traveled to Asia I had no idea what to expect. Yes, to be honest I guess I had a lot of prejudices, like most humans do. After our trip I felt relieved – most of them where actually not true. I’m just grateful for all the amazing memories I made there. I learned so much about different cultures, backgrounds and history and I enjoyed every single second. Hong Kong was our last stop in China, yes I know Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and we didn’t need a visa for this city but I wanted to reflect on a couple of highlights first: I remember the warm, welcoming and open art which we experienced from the beginning of our journey in Beijing all the way to Hong Kong, the taste of real Asian cuisines, all of the different accents they speak, very clean and modern transportation systems and an incredible feeling to be a part of this foreign world. At least to be part of it for a few weeks.

Shanghai. After our visit to Beijing and Xi’an, Shanghai was our third stop in China. We had only one full day to explore this incredible and bustling city due to our tight plan and had to find a way to explore as much as possible without getting totally exhausted. After a short night in Xi’an the day before we decided to take a nap upon arrival in our hotel – Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai. Rested and a coffee to go in our hands we felt ready to explore another part of China and started with the Bund area which was right outside our hotel. The skyline was fascinating and we had a breathtaking view of Pudong with all its skyscrapers and the Oriental Pearl Tower. Pudong is a new area by the side of Huangpu River, opposite The Bund, and is known as the financial area of Shanghai. We walked along the Bund and took a couple of pictures. Later that day we had dinner at a nice restaurant (I don’t remember the name) and went back to our hotel since we were really exhausted. Well rested and after a huge breakfast we were ready for our full day tour around Shanghai.

After two incredible days in Beijing, we left the city by train, to reach our second destination: Xi’an. Xi’an is a large city and the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. We decided to take a time-effective overnight sleeper train – Chinese trains are an experience in itself – don’t miss that fun adventure on your trip. The famous Bullet Train was unfortunately not scheduled that night so we booked tickets for the regular train in advance with help of a Chinese booking company I can recommend. We purchased our tickets (Luxury Soft Sleeper) online at travelchinaguide.com and paid via PayPal. We received an email confirmation the next day with a side note that we would have to pick up paper tickets at the railway station in Beijing, before boarding the train. Our confirmation was in English and Chinese language, which made the whole “project” easier. Two hours before our train left we arrived at the railway station and noticed immediately that this was a different part of Beijing we had never seen before.