Beng Mealea
Beng Mealea is about 60 kms NE of Siem Reap; it was cleared of mines in 2003 by the British Halo Trust, however, take care not to stray beyond the perimeter. On the drive there I saw a mine explode less than ¼ of a mile from the road. The Road from Siem Reap is good and passes through some very interesting villages, which provide great photo ops. This temple is a true jungle temple, I was the only one there during the time that I visited and found one of the guards willing to act as an informal guide. Believed to have been built in 11th and 12th centuries the temple is badly dilapidated but has some great apsaras and naga balustrades. There is a 45 meter wide moat now filled with all kinds of vegetation surrounding the temple whose site is about 1 square klm in size. Huge trees grow from the temple walls, and in one gallery with an intact roof it is rumored by locals that tigers lived...
