Staying gold

Karen over at Rambling Spoon has a terrific post up about Beng Melea and the magical parts of Cambodia that most people never see.

I used to take my notebook to a lonely corner of Preah Khan, one of the Angkor temples, and I’d sit in a doorway of cobwebs, gazing out on ancient stones like these. I used to revel in my solitude there, thinking and writing and listening to the muffled buzz of bees. I still love Preah Khan in its crumpled state — though its state changes day by day, month by month, as its pieces are restored. But an even bigger change has swept through the Angkor temples in recent years. That solitude, those quiet corners — nearly impossible to find anymore in any of the ruins on the main tourist paths.

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But here’s what most tourists miss: The untrammeled temples, the places way out there, the destinations not noted in guidebooks. Plenty of those gems remain in Cambodia, all across the country, and I won’t tell you where they are. You must find your own. (That you can is one of Cambodia’s greatest attractions.)

So true, that. The best places in Cambodia are not in Siem Reap, certainly not in Phnom Penh. As the country opens up, places like this get harder and harder to keep secret. But as Karen points out, at least for now, there are still plenty of “gems” out there if you just take the time to look.