Monday 9th November. Independence Day in Cambodia.
Today we went for a ride on the Bamboo Train.
There is a section of railway from Battambang ( I believe to the Thai border) which is in very poor state of repair, and a single track. You can now ride the Bamboo Train.
"ALL ABOARD THE BAMBOO TRAIN
Battambang’s bamboo train (1hr ride for 2-plus passengers US$5 per person, for 1 passenger US$10; 7am-dusk) is one of the world’s all-time classic rail journeys. From O Dambong, on the East Bank 3.7km south of Battambang’s old French bridge (Wat Kor Bridge), the train bumps 7km southeast to O Sra Lav along warped, misaligned rails and vertiginous bridges left by the French.
Each bamboo train – known in Khmer as a norry – consists of a 3m long wooden frame, covered lengthwise with slats made of ultralight bamboo, that rests on two barbell-like bogies, the aft one connected by fan belts to a 6HP gasoline engine. Pile on 10 or 15 people or up to three tonnes of rice, crank it up and you can cruise along at about 15km/h"
It is a single track, so what to do when 2 trains meet?
Simple, take one off the track.
let the other one pass, then put the train back together again
What a fun trip!!!
