19. Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the countries you do not expect too much from. You know that there is the must-do-Angkor-Wat, but besides that everything you have in mind when thinking of Cambodia is pretty sad - poor people, malaria, genocide by the Khmer Rouge, prostitution and so forth. I have to say that despite (or may due to?) all this, we were pleasantly surprised with Cambodia! Angkor Wat was no surprise - it is absolutely stunning and totally worth the visit.

Angkor Wat

There is also prostitution, and of course there are the evil mosquitoes. The big surprise for us were the Cambodians - they were the friendliest and nicest people you can imagine, always smiling despite their dark dark past not too long ago. I will sure spend more time in Cambodia the next time I visit!

It is all about Angkor Wat in Cambodia - even the beer!

About the dark past, in Phnom Penh we went to the torture prison S21 and to the "Killing Fields" where thousands lost their lives. Some people find it disturbing to show where it happened and what happened. I think it is good that these museums were installed. As a German, I do know what it means to live with a dark history, and in my opinion it is better not to forget what happened and to learn to live with the past than to forget about it...

S21 - The Khmer Rouge's torture prison

18. Thailand

Thailand is for me due to the variety of things to do definitely one of my favorite Asian countries. The people are very friendly, the food is excellent, the beer is cheap. What else can one ask for?

We started in the south of Thailand in famous Phuket. Not a bad place, but Phuket City was quite boring and the main beach we went to was very touristy. I am sure that if you invest more time and money, there are some really nice spots to be discovered!

Gay parade in Phuket

Literally on the other side there was Koh Phangan, the island next to Koh Samui, that is famous for its outrageous full moon parties. We missed unfortunately the full moon, but stayed in some really nice bungalows in a little bay in the middle of nowhere. No electricity at night, no phone working, no problems. This place was pretty close to paradise (if you forget about the cockroach and spider "attacks" at night).

Our beach

One of our bungalows

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is a busy city. On the water ways, on the streets, there is a lot going on! It has to offer a ton of temples ("Wats"), the king's palace, a million shopping malls and also a really good night life in the tourist area. The one and only Khao San Road is sure not everyone's favorite place, but I sure like having a cold beer, watching football on TV and eating some insects. I celebrated my birthday there with my cotravellers as well as with Flo and Kate, a German-Thai Clark-University-couple that married last year in Bangkok. Good thing to have friends like them in a city like that! :)

Auge um Auge...

Buddha statue

TukTuk - Race! Yeeeah!

In Chiang Mai, a small city in the north of Thailand, it is again much more about nature. We made an elephant ride (sorry Jasmine, but I really did not have the feeling that the elephants were treated that bad) and some other activities and relaxed in our hostel pool before heading back to Bangkok and then to Cambodia!

Thai boxers do not have to be tall...

Elephant riding in Chiang Mai

17. Malaysia

After experiencing Indian craziness, we felt like being back in the Western world when getting to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The city is green, very modern and clean. Besides the Petronas towers the attractions are limited though. In Malaysia we were also joined by our friends from home for two weeks - quality time!

Jonas amazed by the towers - what a spontaneous reaction!

"Monkey Business"

Georgetown on Penang was our next stop as our friend Claudius was working there as an intern. The island on the West Coast of mainland Malaysia offers an interesting mix of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian culture and of course cuisine. This and the beautiful nature (including some really nice beaches) make it definitely a place that is worth a visit.

Temple dorks

Monkey Beach on Penang

Even though we saw only a part of Malaysia, I can say that it is a beautiful island with a relaxed atmosphere. As it is a muslim country, alcohol is a little expensive, but the cheap food definitely compensates!

16. India

India is different - it is a different continent, maybe even a different world. Coming from a very (or even too?) organized country, I asked myself many times how this chaos can possibly work. Well, I did not find an answer yet, but it somehow does.

We stayed with our friends Peter and Frederike (thank you so much!) in Delhi and made some trips in the region. This way, we got some nice snapshots on Indian culture. In Delhi we saw the new and old town and attended a typical Indian wedding reception (oh yes, there was some crazy Indian dancing going on!).

Then there was the world famous Taj Mahal in Agra, which was a stop on our 3-day-Golden-Triangle-trip (New Delhi - Agra - Jaipur), and it really is as beautiful as everyone says!

Amritsar in the North-East was our next destination. It is home to the most important Sikh temple. The Sikh (aka the typical turban-wearing New Yorker taxi driver) had split from the Hindu as they did not agree with the cast system. Their religion is based on the principle of everyone being equal, and this liberal attitude can also be felt visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Amritsar also has to offer another very unique spectacle - the border to beloved Pakistan is closed every afternoon performing a ceremony during which the spectators on both sides (they even built stands for the people!) are cheering for their respective soldiers and countries. The border soldiers walk up and down as if they applied for the ministry of silly walks and finally close the gate - just hilarious!

Last but not least I have to admit that I was once again surprised with the delicious Indian food. Vegetarian or not, it is all so good!

Pictures will follow as soon as Franziska has uploaded them - check out her Picasa Web Album.