Cambodia, a land of beauty and deeply held traditions — despite the pain of recent genocide, despite a challenging development. Or — is it their very love and celebration of beauty, strong sense of community, and deeply held Buddhist beliefs that together provide a foundation for recovery, for resilience?

Cambodia struggles even today to overcome the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, to remember their dead, and to share their story with the world as yet another cautionary tale. This memorial can be seen in central Phnom Penh, on the grounds of a former school used by the perpetrators for their atrocities — a double betrayal.

The evocative nature of Angkor Wat at sunrise speaks to that which has sustained the people of Cambodia through the many centuries: their deeply held Buddhist faith — and their equally profound connection with the natural world.

~EWP