Beng Mealea
Beng Mealea is like something out of a storybook. The sites around Siem Reap have been restored and are full of tourists, this temple is the opposite. It is shaded by trees and while some of the structures have been stabilized, nothing has been restored.
It is probably an hour drive from Siem Reap and we saw very few other people there the day we visited. It is definitely worth the trip.
You can learn more about Beng Mealea here.
This part of the country still shows signs of conflict from the war, as evidenced by this sign at the entrance to the site:
Minefield cleared by CMAC
Supported by Germany
In and around the temple of Beng Mealea:
Area cleared: 1,559,932 m²
438 anti-personnel mines and 809 UXO (unexploded ordnance) were found and removed.
Work began on 1 January 2003 and was still ongoing when the sign was photographed.
