AsiaLIFE’s Publisher Mark Bibby Jackson set off in search of the Heartbeat of the Nation for the Phnom Penh Post. Nearly one year on, Mark gives an insight into the three-month trip that covered the length and breadth of the country, as well as providing tips on the best and worst the Kingdom has to offer travellers who venture into the wild.

Jesus may have turned water into wine, but in Cambodia wine merchants are trying to convert whisky drinkers to the vine. Words by Mark Bibby Jackson.

Think of Cambodian dance and almost inevitably your mind will turn to Apsara. In recent years many projects have focused on preserving the country’s rich cultural heritage. But what is being done about its future? A small bunch of young dancers and choreographers are striving to create a contemporary dance scene without forgetting the country’s past. Words by Mark Bibby Jackson. Photos by Dylan Walker.

Cambodia’s approximate 300,000 Cham population appears to be living free from religious persecution, but what is the reality of life for the Kingdom’s largest minority people? Words by Mark Bibby Jackson. Photos by Héctor Bermejo.

Sandwiched between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, Bavet is fast becoming the gaming capital of Cambodia, but is it anything more than the playground for rich Vietnamese popping across the border from HCMC? Words by Mark Bibby Jackson. Photos by Héctor Bermejo.

Those of you who are addicted to Facebook are likely to have stumbled across the following posting that is attributed to Martin Luther King Jr.

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”