Baeng Maelia

On Christmas day, we got the day off, so some friends and I decided to check out one of the temples. We chose Baeng Maelia based on some suggestions from the Pepy staff. It is a bit far, about one and a half to two hours away from Siem Reap. We hired a driver with a minivan to take us out. He was very friendly and showed us a nice place for lunch. Now for my Cambodia trip, I wanted to go to a temple that would remind me of Indiana Jones. Or as I actually said, “I better be chased by a boulder at a temple on this trip or I’ll be pissed!” Well, I almost got my wish. No boulder, but this temple was as close to Indiana Jones as I could get. Looking at my photographs, I am disappointed because I just don’t feel that any one of them captures the feel of the temple. But it was the most amazing place I have ever been to. The entire complex is very large, and almost completely in ruins. One of the best things about this temple is that no one is there. We were there for over an hour, and I saw one family, a group of boys, and a few other tourists. There were many points where I was completely alone wandering through the temple. At first, there is a wooden walkway that takes you over the rubble. I saw a doorway opening about 15 feet away and through it I could see more rubble, pillars, and trees. I said to myself, “Wow, I really wish I could go through there.” But it looked blocked off, so I kept walking. After walking for a while I met up with Kate. The wooden walkway ended, and there was a not very stable looking wooden ladder leading up to a higher level, so we thought we would just turn around and go back the way we came. Then another girl we were with, Stephanie, climbed down that ladder, and said it was ok to go up there. She had a guide with her. He beckoned us to follow him. At the top of the ladder I could see that they were still building the walkway, so the only way to on was to climb over and through the fallen temple blocks. He led us through dark hallways, up and down stone blocks, and through carved doorways. We walked around the interior part of the temple, but still inside the exterior wall. After stooping under stone blocks and edging our way on low ledges, we popped out the very same doorway that I looked at earlier wondering what was inside. Now, I can imagine that in a few years, there will be only certain parts you can walk through and hundreds of people will accompany you wherever you go, but for now, this temple is barely touched by man and it is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. But like I said, my pictures don’t do it justice. You’ll have to go and see it for yourself.