Phnom Penh left a strong impression on me because of the sense of history you feel throughout the city. The Mekong River cuts a course through the capital, while the memory of Cambodia’s troubled past still feels remarkably recent. I found myself especially conscious of the violence of the Pol Pot era and the enormous weight that history carries. At the same time, Phnom Penh feels resilient—a city looking toward the future without forgetting what happened in the past. That combination of history, remembrance and optimism gave the city a depth and meaning that stayed with me.