Siem Reap
Settling into Jaya House, where the team think about literally every detail in advance (like spraying guests with insect repellent every time they head out), meant I was in high spirits and ready to explore. I was raring to go to experience dawn breaking over Tonlé Sap, arriving just as the floating villages were waking up. It wasn’t serene or staged but busy and completely real: boats being used as school buses, children waving, the whole place slowly coming to life.
Later that day, I was on the back of a Vespa weaving through traffic and in the evening, I tried everything put in front of me, including insects (which, I was assured more than once by my guide, are full of protein). It felt fully immersive rather than performative. But it also required a willingness to lean in.
And I know myself well enough to know that if I’m exhausted and overheated, I don’t lean in, I hold back. It’s something we see with clients, too. Once energy drops, engagement does as well. (Especially at Angkor Wat, which is why ETG Angkor experiences are timed so carefully to avoid anyone getting “templed out”.)
That’s why the ‘little touches’ start to matter more than you’d think. Back at Jaya House, I was welcomed back with a cold drink, my laundry reappeared folded, and a massage at the end of a long, hot day meant I slept properly.
It wasn’t luxury for luxury’s sake, it simply meant I could keep showing up fully the next day.
Because I was rested, I could say yes to the 4am start. I could stay present rather than counting the hours until I got back to the room. It’s proof that comfort doesn’t dilute the experience, but sustains it.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh brings a different kind of intensity. Visiting sites connected to the Khmer Rouge is heavy, but the city is layered. Protest graffiti alongside contemporary galleries, a young energy pushing forward while the past remains visible. Dark and light, mixed together.
One evening at Rosewood‘s rooftop bar, watching the light fade over the city, I kept coming back to why comfort matters so much in a place like this. Not to soften what you’ve seen, more that when you’ve learnt about poignant history, you need somewhere calm to land. Somewhere quiet to process it.
And there’s something fitting about that contrast, too, as it’s the same tension of the city itself.
Cardamom Mountains
Staying at Shinta Mani Wild, one of Cambodia’s ultimate hotels, also meant I could throw myself into adventure in the jungle.
Arriving at this high-end tented camp by zipline is dramatic, and yes, there’s a pineapple cocktail waiting at the end of it.
But the real substance is walking with rangers protecting the forest from poaching, learning how conservation actually works on the ground: unglamorous, complicated, and worth understanding properly.
That takes energy. Sleeping deeply and eating well meant I could stay genuinely curious rather than just power through it.
