Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/40418
but remote, lesser-known temples such as Beng Mealea, lost in the overgrown jungle some 40 km east of Siem Reap, provide a more intimate experience. Here the forest has slowly reclaimed the inner courtyards and towers of this once imposing monu- ment, which is ringed by still moats choked with fi st-size lotus buds. Vines and bushes clamber over intricately carved lin- tels, and the roots of soaring fi cus trees pry at splitting walls, sending great blocks of sandstone tumbling into heaps like huge piles of bones. Travellers can spend hours climbing over decaying libraries, silent with the weight of time, and studying sculpted tableaux full of mighty gods and bulging-eyed demons. With few other tourists around, it was easy to feel like an explorer of yesteryear just happening on this great, lost ruin. At the end of the day, we took a small sampan onto the lake, and, over a glass of champagne, our guide placed the day's tour in context. "The Khmer [Empire] chose this location because of the proximity to the Tonlé Sap," he said, motioning out over the water. "They built a canal and fl oated in the stone for the temples from quarries [40 km] away, and the huge fl oodplain let them cul- tivate rice three or four times a year, not just one. But most important, the river gave them access to the Mekong and the sea." Though it's tempting for visitors to fl ock to Angkor and take in the monumental spectacle of the temples, a true understanding of the place begins on these great waters. We sipped our wine, and the late after- noon sun bounced low off the glassy water, turning the dark storm clouds at the south edge of the lake into billowy moun- tains of obsidian. Dragonfl ies fl ickered in the glint, and wisps of lotus fl ower stems sparkled on the wind like spiderwebs. Mil- lennia from now, when the fi g trees have dismantled the temples and the heavy jungle overstorey prevails, the Tonlé Sap will continue to rise and fall, and the river will course to the sea. AMA MEMBERS SAVE MORE Before you go: Add a four-day stay in Siem Reap to any Indochina vacation. Explore Angkor Wat and its spectacular temples, cruise the Tonlé Sap and enjoy a traditional Cambodian dance and dinner. From $490 per person. 1-866-667-4777; AMATravel.ca WESTWORLD >> SEPTEMBER 2011 29