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Cathay Pacific Airways, No Barriers, and Learning AFAR are helping students from Oakland, CA, experience life-changing travel this fall. Here’s what’s in store.

Somewhere off the well-worn track between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, photographer Francesco Lastrucci met a group of dedicated conservationists trying to salvage the stunning, hikeable Cambodian rain forests. And they’re not playing nice.

The best way for wandering bookworms to pass the cold months of winter.

For the ultimate grand tour of Southeast Asia, sail down this iconic waterway on one of a growing number of boutique river cruises.

AFAR chose a destination at random and sent writer Alexander Chee, with 24 hours’ notice, to a Southeast Asian country where he encountered headless Buddhas and naked hotel guests.

From the mountains of Iran and the backstreets of Yogyakarta to war-torn Addis Ababa and a hillside roost in Taiwan, this is the riveting story of a wanderer whose thirst for travel was never-ending.

Embrace a rustic, woodsy vibe at these timber lodges such as the Fairmont Le Château Montebello in Quebec.

With one of the largest Cambodian communities outside of Southeast Asia, the Seattle area is an ideal place to be introduced to Khmer cuisine. Twenty five years ago, the family-run Phnom Penh Noodle House in the Chinatown/International District was the city’s first Cambodian restaurant. My favorite standby when I revisit my erstwhile hometown is “Battambang’s Favorite.” The menu description of this dish reads: “Ground shrimp and pan roasted peanut with salted radish and pickled cucumber, served over a bed of roasted sweet soy sauce thin rice noodles and bean sprouts. Finished with a hardboiled egg, green onion, and cilantro.” Surprise the staff by saying, “Jeum riep sue” (“Hello,” in Cambodian). (The owner, Seng “Sam” Ung, has recently written a memoir about surviving the Pol Pot regime, entitled, I survived the Killing Fields.)

Overview

Overview

It may seem unbelievable now, given the pace of Siem Reap’s evolution, but reliably great coffee and other deli and bakery staples were tough to find before Blue Pumpkin set up shop near the turn of the millennium. Success may have changed the venture—it now has a number of outlets in Siem Reap, and several more in Phnom Penh—but the philosophy of serving simple but high-quality Asian and Western dishes remains intact. Menu highlights include generously proportioned breakfasts and sandwiches, decadent cakes, famous yogurt shakes, and a wide selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets.

Launched in 1929 with a glamorous opening party attended by royalty, this grande dame has long been the most elegant hotel in the Cambodian capital, hosting everyone from Charlie Chaplin to foreign journalists covering the civil war. Part of the Raffles group since 1997, the meticulously restored building—a mix of Art Deco, French Colonial, and Khmer styles—is replete with artisan-crafted decorative touches. Outside, tropical gardens, courtyards, and striking sculptures surround two swimming pools. Hand-woven carpets, polished wood floors, claw-foot tubs, and silk accents—from the throws to the robes—set the scene in the 175 rooms, suites, and apartments.

Khmer culture comes alive at fine-dining restaurant Le Royal (serving Royal Khmer cuisine) and the Apsara dinner-dance show (offered weekly from November–March in the gardens), while international dishes are on the menu at the indoor-outdoor Café Monivong and poolside terrace. The retro-chic Elephant Bar—a city institution, like its counterpart at the Raffles in Siem Reap—is a favorite for afternoon tea and evening cocktails; don’t miss the “Femme Fatale,” created in honor of Jackie O’s visit in 1967. Signature massages using local herbs and traditional healing techniques can be enjoyed at the boutique spa.

So as to not repeat the past, we must learn from it, even when it is difficult to face. Visiting the Buddhist memorial at Choeung Ek is one of those experiences. Located outside the city of Phnom Penh is the memorial and burial site of the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime. An enormous commemorative stupa is filled with the skulls of people whose lives were taken during this horrible period in history. Throughout the surrounding park, there are many places to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in Cambodia.

Unlike some of the other places you will visit throughout Asia, the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh actually has a King living in it. Constructed in the 1860’s, the palace has been the home to all royalty since, with exception to the time around the reign of the Khmer Rouge. The King’s living area takes up over half of the palace grounds, but visitors are free to roam around the Silver Pagoda compound, the main area containing the Chan Chhaya Pavilion, and Throne Hall, which is pictured above. Throne Hall is still in use today as a meeting place for the King to receive dignitaries, and is also used for ceremonies and coronations. I found this to be one of the more approachable and serene palaces that I have ever visited. Admission: $3.00 per person, $2.00 per camera, $5.00 per video camera. The palace is open everyday from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and again from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

With more than 40 different plant species in its garden, Botanico GastroBar feels like an urban jungle. The new café serves excellent coffee along with homemade sugarcane rolls with anise and feta. At night, a stylish crowd comes for the globally influenced menu that includes chorizo burgers and passion fruit–vodka cocktails. No. 9B St. 29, 855/(0) 17-873-101. This appeared in the October 2012 issue.