A Lesson In Letting Go

IT TOOK ME UNTIL MY THIRD DAY in Cambodia to realize what was different. I’d traveled to Southeast Asia before.

- Jen Murphy

The first day always feels the same, no matter what the country: I’m overwhelmed by the combination of jet lag, thick humid air, and the utter chaos of moped traffic; distracted by the strange smells; and startled by the vivid contrast of rich and poor. The third day is usually when I desensitize enough to start noticing the details, like an ancient statue hidden by jungle vines or the hawkers selling sticky rice and sandwiches.

On my third evening in Phnom Penh, I was about to dig into a dish of croaker fish tossed in coconut broth with wild mushrooms and candle yam when it hit me: no one here is old, and everyone is smiling.

When I arrived in Cambodia, my knowledge of the country extended to the famous temple of Angkor Wat and the fact that Angelina Jolie had fallen hard for the place while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The country’s mix of Buddhist religion, archaeological wonders, and French architecture prompted me to read up on its history when I got to my room at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, an oasis of calm in the heart of this bustling capital.