Traveling is not just about traveling..
It’s a way to immerse yourself in a world that’s different from your own—often surprising, sometimes hard to grasp, but always rich in meaning. We need both small and big journeys. Through them, we learn to see more clearly, feel more deeply, and listen differently. Travel shapes our sensitivity, perception, and tolerance—because the world is never one-dimensional.
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
— Marcel Proust
It’s not just about the places. It’s about encounters. About questions with no easy answers. About stories that stay with us.
Welcome to the world I’ve seen—and would love to share with you.
Beyond My Scale
While visiting Cambodia, I was drawn to Tonle Sap—the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. From a calm boat ride, I soon entered a surreal floating world: homes, schools, and shops on water, with smiling children playing in the lake. As a European, it felt foreign, but beautiful. Their values differ from mine—but kindness and joy need no translation. Everyone has their place. This experience deeply expanded mine.
Floating Village, Tonle Sap, Cambodia, December 2024
Looking at a map of Cambodia, it’s impossible to miss the vast patch of water in its center. That’s Tonle Sap Lake – the largest freshwater reservoir in Southeast Asia. I grew up near a lake, in the countryside, so I couldn’t resist the urge to visit this “beating heart of Cambodia,” as the guidebook poetically described it.
Apart from the steady hum of the engine, everything at first seemed dreamily calm. Muddy yellow water, blue boats, narrow canals lined with reeds. Here and there, children waved from the shore. But soon, the landscape began to shift. We entered a floating world.
Houses on the water. A church on the water. Dogs barking from the roofs of boats. Chickens on rafts. A shop with shelves swaying with every wave. Children playing football… in the water. In the dry season, these homes must be three stories high. Here, people have made the water their home—literally.
I watched from the boat, trying to grasp this reality. For a European, it feels almost abstract. I found myself judging—sadly, anxiously. But in truth, I have no right. That’s just my internalized value system, one that measures well-being in square meters and wall sockets. They use a different scale. I don’t know what it is—but the children are smiling, and the people are kind. That’s enough. I don’t do politics.
Each of us has our place. That’s how the world is arranged.
I’m grateful for this experience—and I encourage everyone to keep expanding their own scale toward tolerance, sensitivity, and understanding.