Journal
Stories, reflections and observations from across Southeast Asia.
The Practical Monk
A week in a remote Thai monastery challenged many of my assumptions about Buddhism. What I found wasn’t mysticism, but practical compassion expressed through education, community service and thoughtful leadership.
What I Learned About Cambodia From a Tuk-Tuk Driver
More than thirty years later, there are only two things I remember clearly about that day in Phnom Penh. One was a room at Tuol Sleng. The other was something the tuk-tuk driver said to me on the journey back to my hotel.
Where the Timber Yard Once Stood
We travelled to Laos expecting to witness a country preparing to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Instead, the journey became a return to the places where a childhood had unfolded and an opportunity to reflect on what remains when the places themselves have disappeared.
