Perched at the junction of the Mekong, Bassac, and Tonle Sap rivers, Phnom Penh was a colorful tapestry of Khmer and French Indochina colonialism, evident in every aspect of daily life. Legend had it that the city was named after an old lady known as Daun Penh, meaning “Old lady Penh,” with Phnom being the Khmer word for hill. Within Southeast Asia, that was a must-visit city full of color, fascination, and learning.

After settling into our place for the night at You Khin House in Phnom Penh, we hurriedly went out to explore the city. We planned to check out the Genocide Museum first, but our tuk-tuk driver misheard our instructions and instead took us to the Phnom Penh National Museum. We did not mind since we would still have another day to spare in that city, on the way back to Saigon from Siem Reap later in the week.

I had that place locked away in my head for as long as I could remember. Was it some magazine I had read as a kid? Some TV documentary I had seen? I could not precisely pinpoint what sparked my obsession with visiting that place. Angkor Wat for me was like a page from a book I was reading. As the years passed, the pages appeared to become thicker, and my chances of seeing them seemed to slip away.

Our home away from home for two nights while in Siem Reap, Cambodia, surprised us with a wonderful nature vibe. The River Garden was the accommodation provided for me by Roomorama months before my trip. I remembered while planning my trip to Siem Reap, I told myself I would not mind sleeping on benches in a park just to visit the place at all costs. Though sometimes, surprises came in great packages, and I was able to book that place courtesy of Roomorama, which was the leading online provider of "quality accommodations for curious travelers."

It was hard to write something about that place. It was hard enough being there with all your human emotions all over the place. It was more difficult to walk around and stare at the nameless portraits of those who died there. The air inside was that of modern-day peacetime, but the presence of the walls that surrounded you told of an unspoken grim and brutal past.

Like any good addiction, such as traveling, our temple hopping never hovered near overdose level. That was the reason why we went further from the main Angkor complex to explore more temple ruins. Banteay Srei was one of my favorite temples in the former Khmer capital of Angkor. It was probably the most intricately designed sanctuary in Siem Reap, as evidenced by the impressive and elaborate carvings adorning its still-impressive-looking walls. The temple did not share the capaciousness of the temples around Angkor, but it definitely showcased a unique characteristic.

There was the music video featuring the various moving images of Angkor Wat and the many temples surrounding it. I made sure I was able to shoot enough scenes, as that had been the trip I had been wanting to make for the longest time.

Since I had arrived a day earlier than my brother in Ho Chi Minh, I spent the whole day walking around the city. I had a blast getting myself immersed in a new place which hurriedly became familiar to me. From crossing the street with a sea of motorcycles whose drivers never slowed down, I had become an expert in not getting run over after a few attempts. I had also politely rejected motorcycle drivers' and rickshaw operators' offers of rides, as I just told them, "I am just walking around."

After an almost seven-hour bus ride from Phnom Penh, we finally rolled into Siem Reap with my excitement swelling into a massive wave inside my body. My mind was painting a picture of the vast Angkor Wat complex and its nearby and equally impressive temple ruins. Comparing what I had imagined and read before to what I would see in a short while mirrored every adolescent boy's first foray into a lovemaking session with a beautiful girl.

True to form with Roomorama's vision of introducing the other aspects of traveling aside from "visiting a checklist of tourist attractions," the experience I had with You Khin House in Phnom Penh, Cambodia opened my eyes to the many things a traveler could do while visiting a particular city on a longer term. The idea of joining an NGO organization like the one behind You Khin House presented an ideal chance to mix traveling and helping others.