From Beijing…

‘Lily, thank you so much for everything. I will surely never forget this.’

My last words to one of my Chinese teachers before the didi driver took me to Beijing International Airport, where I would take the journey to other life long dreamed of destinations. It was our presentation day at the college and after that the closing ceremony was the final curtain of the one month educational endeavour we had dived into; being trained as teachers of the Chinese language. One month in Beijing, gaining new experiences and knowledge daily. A constant transformation I need, to revive and enhance my life as I age. The more we learn and the more we go through is the clay that forms our mindset, modus vivendi and modus operandi. We kissed goodbye and I vanished from her sight with the taxi driver, until the only thing on my mind now was the next adventure that awaited ahead. I don’t remember much about the ride apart from some last random scenes of the city, but surely I recall the moment at the airport where I handed my tickets to the minuscule Chinese lady in order to check in for my flight. My Chinese visa was no longer valid; a trip with no return.

…to Guangzhou

Four hours later I was at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport for my 8-hour overnight layover, the price I had to pay to get to Phnom Penh. While it wasn’t convenient at all, I not once hesitated from booking these flights. It seemed as though nothing could stand as a hindrance toward my decision to roam the world. It was all that mattered and at any cost. The night unfolded its darkness slowly and patiently leaving me with very few options since most of the shops at the airport were closed. I wandered about for a while experimenting every detail, taking pictures and just being happy when others were struggling to sleep on chairs or on the floor. Like I said, nothing could take away my excitement, not sleep, not fatigue, not one single negative thought. Everything was exactly as it should be. I found an open KFC and ordered a coffee and some egg tarts, which happened to be one of my favourite food so far in China. I spoke on the phone with my boyfriend thanks to the time difference and then fell asleep on my travel pillow right on the table in front of me for a couple hours; just like everybody else, lol.

…to Phnom Penh

The first sun rays fell upon us through the glass windows early in the morning finding me utterly impatient to board the plane. It was time. I headed downstairs to the gates, discovering more parts of this modern construction in one of China’s industrial cities, which I hope to see in the future. I chose to continue my exploration outside China after a lot of contemplation. While in Beijing, I was desperate to visit Xi An and its infamous Terracotta Warriors, but no matter how many times I entered the dates and preferred time on the booking site online, for some reason I wouldn’t click the payment button. And for a good reason nonetheless. Traveling around China needed a more well thought plan and absolutely much more time than I had in my hands. As I said in my first post about this journey, the only booked adventure was my return from Seoul, South Korea. So I had to find a way to get there somehow. And it was happening now. On my way to the gate which would take me closer to the last destination. I never regretted having come to this point. To be honest, I wasn’t even thinking about traveling to Cambodia this year. It was a deep desire and a dream out of reach at that time. But you see, an avid and passionate traveler is ceaselessly haunted by his fate to meet his most favorite places on earth at the mere thought of them. As if the universe is secretly conjuring his destiny. Just like magic. Just as I mysteriously and subconsciously was planning this trip in my mind without being aware of it. I’m on the plane to Cambodia. Cambodia!!!!!