[TRAVELS] ប្រាសាទបឹងមាលា / Beng Mealea @ Siem Reap, Cambodia
I just came back from a 5D4N trip from Siem Reap on Monday and I have to express how much I love Cambodia just by visiting many attractions in this lovely city! The temple I was looking forward to visit most was Beng Mealea, which I did on the second morning of my trip and it did not disappoint!
Beng Mealea
Crystal and I woke up at 5:45-6am to prepare and we went to have complimentary breakfast at our hostel at 7am before leaving for an hour and 45 minutes tuk tuk ride to Beng Mealea! We did not realized how strong the winds will be in the morning and was totally not prepared for such long cold ride. Fortunately, Crystal brought her scarf and we could cover ourselves since we were freezing! We had to wear sunglasses and masks so as to avoid sand and dust flying into your eyes and such. It was quite an interesting experience going on a tuk tuk towards the countryside and you will have amazing view of the rice paddies and observe with your very own eyes on how the locals live in huts or stilted wooden bungalows. I get to see cows, pigs and buffaloes being transported at the back of the motorbikes in carts. Since I needed to go to the washroom very badly after an hour’s ride, I was so thankful that the washroom at the ticket booth of the temple was clean as well! As you already know, the journey to the temple is long as it is 40-60km northeast of Siem Reap. So it is good to relieve yourself after such a long ride! The ticket booth was quite a distance from the temple so you need to have a mode of transportation from the booth to the temple site. Thankfully, we used the same tuk tuk driver for the 5 days that we were there!
Once we entered the temple’s district, many local children were requesting for sweets, selling postcards and singing in Mandarin. I am really amazed at how Cambodian people learn to survive in the country. Different guides can speak different languages such as Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, etc fluently and they can even speak the language with the accent of that particularly country. I find that many of us are so sheltered that we do not try to strive more than we should. This is a great takeaway lesson learnt while observing the Cambodian people.
Beng Mealea (Lotus Pond) was also built by the founder of Ang Kor Wat, King Suryavarman II in the 12th century. However, unlike the other temples in the Ang Kor complex which have been restored by the French in the 18th century, Beng Mealea has remained lying in ruins and vines. The temple was only ready to be a tourist attraction after landmines were cleared in 2003 and new roads leading to the temple were built. Visitors usually arrive at the southern gateway of the temple called South Gopuram as depicted from the first to third pictures. Gopuram is a term used to call very tall gates of Khmer/Tamil temples. The fifth and sixth pictures cover the south-eastern corner tower, which has a tree growing inside the tower. The North Eastern library can be seen in the tenth picture, which is covered by a web of roots. I did not managed to snap shots of intricate lintels but at least I have a picture of one of it as shown in the eleventh picture. The last two pictures portray the second and first enclosure respectively. From all the temples visited in Cambodia, Beng Mealea is my favourite as it provides a sense of tranquility and you cannot be as close to nature as possible. It is better to arrive at the temple when it opens at 7:30am as most tour groups will be arriving around 9am and it will be harder to enjoy the silence and solace there. I really love walking through the dark covered gallery, climbing over crumbling rocks to get to the top point and walking on unsteady stairs that seems to be falling anytime. All these activities done in the temple consumed by jungle makes it an ultimate Indiana Jones’ adventure for me!
OPENS 7:30AM-5:30PM DAILY
ADMISSION FEE: USD$5
TUK TUK FROM THE HOSTEL TO TEMPLE ROUND TRIP: USD$35
There are too many temples to visit at Siem Reap but the one you should not missed is this hidden gem – the ancient abandoned temple ruins overrun by plants and hidden in the jungle.
