Cambodia had been on my list for a long time, and the moment I landed, I understood why people talk about it the way they do. The heat hits you first. The heat is thick and relentless, even in the month of February. But the landscape opens up into something that feels almost prehistoric; the jungle has been quietly reclaiming the earth for centuries, and nobody has tried to stop it. Angkor Wat was the obvious starting point, and nothing really prepares you for its scale. Standing at the base of those stone towers, watching the morning light crawl across the structures that have been sitting there for nearly a thousand years, you get this strange feeling of being both incredibly small and incredibly lucky to be there at all. The detail carved into every wall and corridor is staggering. Human faces, gods, battles, elephant chariots, and stories stretching further than you can take in on a single visit. Once finished exploring the vastness of Siem Reap, I headed south to Tonle Sap Lake. The size of this body of water feels like heading out into the ocean. And within the rivers leading to the lake is a village, Chong Knea. Going during the dry season, you could see just how tall they make these houses so they don't flood during the rainy season. Being at the base of the house makes you realize how much water is in Tonle Sap Lake. Cambodia showed me just enough to know that I've barely scratched the surface of Earth’s history. After returning, I still have an urge to go back and wander further into those forests and forgotten temples.