Beng Melea - Cambodia
What is It - Ever since Angkor Wat was “rediscovered” by French naturalist Henri Mouhot in the 1860s, the region has captured the imagination of adventurers and tourists. Nevertheless, opportunities still exist to get off the beaten path by traveling beyond the beautiful and mostly restored ruins of Angkor Wat to play at being Indiana Jones for a day.
For the more adventurous, it is worthwhile to drive through some villages and rice fields for 90 minutes to another city known as Beng Mealea which is believed to have been built by the father of Jayavarmin VII in the 12th century. These ruins were only opened to the public about a decade ago when the government cleared away land mines planted on the trails by the Khmer Rouge. Although now safe, visitors are required in places to walk on staircases and wooden platforms built along or over the partially cleared ruins.
Beng Mealea was a large city but was likely abandoned by the 14th century. Once the reservoirs that surrounded the city largely dried up, it did not take long for most of the stone arches and columns that once held up the buildings to collapse and be swallowed by the jungle. This process may have been hastened along by the military incursions mounted against the Khmer by the Siamese from modern day Thailand or the Champas from central Vietnam during the middle ages.
When visiting restored sites, it is easy to forget the painstaking work that is done by explorers, and then archeologists, historians, and contractors to locate, dig out and restore the walls and buildings of an ancient city. One of the interesting things about Beng Mealea is that the restoration work has proceeded enough for visitors to see what some buildings looked like and imagine others, while still glimpsing what explorers saw when they first visited these ruins.
As you approach the city, you are greeted by a fully preserved Naga balustrade statue showing the snake-like body of the Hindu God with five faces. Some of the stone walls surrounding the city have collapsed and been gathered into huge piles, but others have been fully assembled. It is the same within the city. Corridors and temples with Hindu carvings and some Buddhist figures are fully intact in one place and look like a giant puzzle of carefully marked stones in others. One of the most popular areas of the site is known as the library because of its scroll-like windows. Restoration of the site will likely take years, but the government sees a bright future and is funding the work there.
Interesting Facts - In the last 15 years, Angkor Wat and the surrounding area have taken off and the region now attracts 2 million visitors annually. It is frequently rated as the top destination for tourists from around the world. Western and Asian tourists continued to be intrigued by the culture and history of the Khmer empire and seek further places to explore. The new ground penetrating radar known as LIDAR used by scientists has already identified several new cities deep in the jungle and expanded archeological knowledge of this world and other ancient sites.
When to Go There - The best time to enjoy archeological sites in Cambodia like Beng Mealea and Angkor Wat is to go there during the cooler months of the dry season from November to March and to try to avoid the heaviest rain months that generally run from June to October.
How to Get There- Siem Reap has a small but expanding airport which offers direct flights from Bangkok, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City. Some people take a six-hour drive to Siem Reap from Thailand, but the roads are still a bit sketchy and delays at the border occur from time to time. It is also a six-hour drive from the capital of Phnom Penh. The best way to reach the Victoria Angkor is to fly direct from Singapore on Silk Airways which is the regional carrier of Singapore Airlines or on Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City. Local hotels concierge services which will arrange a stress-free transfer and welcome for guests.
Cost - Beng Mealea will cost $10 per person or less for admission.