I wrote this in the Siem Reap airport waiting to board my flight home. Cambodia is a paradox — it’s tough to describe & it impacted me in ways I didn’t expect. Though often seen as a brief stop for Southeast Asia backpackers, Cambodia is far more than that. It’s a land where time bends, where the past is woven into the present, like roots through stone. Ancient cities of architectural wonders, once adorned with precious gems & the favor of gods, now reclaimed by the earth. Children playing barefoot in the mud, free from the weight of the world yet carrying the wisdom of their ancestors — farmers & fishermen attuned to nature’s rhythms in ways the West has long forgotten. Women in markets smiling over flames & fermented fish, but behind their gaze & contagious laughter are stories of darkness — eyes that have known unspeakable suffering, yet never let go of hope. Monks who possess nothing, yet are abundant in peace, compassionate toward the least of these, overflowing with g...