Today we were off on our own to explore whichever part of Siem Reap we chose. After an exhaustive look at all of the temples, I decided we would go to Beng Melea, which is about 1.5 hours off the beaten path.
Our drive there was well worth the 1.5 hours. On our way there we passed by the local Red-Cross hospital. There we found quite an array of people who apparently had walked 10-20 miles to the hospital for care....just that day! We also passed many stands where it appeared that people were selling some sort of liquid in re-used containers. Our driver informed us that these 1-2L bottles were full of gasoline!
While this may seem rudimentary, I can't recall seeing any gas stations, so I suppose this method works just as well.
We also passed a wide array of transportation, from people hand-carrying loads of cardboard and other materials, to the typical scooter with 5 people riding, ox-driven carts, and lots and lots of school-aged children. This was my favorite part.
The children of Cambodia are breathtaking. Their schools operate in 2 shifts - morning and afternoon. The children are required to wear a uniform, and while the public school system is technically 'free', the students must pay for their materials and also many must provide funds to the teachers (under the table of course). Many of them go to school without shoes, as in the rural areas shoes are considered a luxury item. 
We weren't quite aware when we arrived at the temple as there were no tour buses or other crowds of people, which was a good sign in my opinion! We did see a few children and young adults in the front of the temple, seemingly waiting for tourists in hopes that some may pay for a picture or some other trinket they had to sell.
Beng Melea made Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider Temple) look very well manicured in comparison. We lovingly called this temple the 'Indiana Jones' temple as we truly felt like explorers. The temple is in ruins and one must really climb all over the temple to get a good look around. There was a young man who did show us around a bit (for a fee, of course!), and he was able to show us a couple of good photo-ops. We managed to find the library (I think) and a few other areas which lie in ruins. We really had a GREAT time climbing about and exploring...as we were the only ones there at times it did get a bit creepy, but all the same this was everyone's FAVORITE temple as it felt as if we 'discovered' it! |
That afternoon, after our usual swim, Andrea and Brandon (our hosts) offered to take the girls, along with their own children, into town for pizza and play. Terry and I took advantage and went out for a nice adult meal. While the food in Cambodia was quite good, as I mentioned in other articles, the service leads much to be desired and we waited for quite some time before being served. The atmosphere in the restaurant was fabulous, but the food was mediocre in comparison. Still, it was nice to have some adult time!
Up next....Terry and my favorite day touring a farm village in Siem Reap!
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