The Bamboo Train

There is not a lot in Battambang (pronounced bong) but our 6 bungalow eco-hotel, recently built by a frenchman and his Cambodian wife whose family fled the Pol Pot massacre, was charming.

As our bus for Bangkok did not leave until noon time we took an excursion to see the bamboo railway. This is not a train in the traditional sense but a method of transport ingenious and typically Cambodian in its simplicity.
There are few parts as you can see: 2 axles, a bamboo raft with a lawn mower engine attached and a drive belt. The raft slots onto the wheels and the belt is fitted to the motor and off you go. As there is only one set of tracks, when you meet an oncoming 'engine' both stop, one driver takes his unit apart and lifts it off the tracks and then the other driver can pass. This takes perhaps 2 minutes.
We rattled along for 5 miles bobbing and weaving to the undulations of the tracks and then made the return. Sadly the line will soon be replaced by a new modern train which the country desperately needs so we are fortunate to have seen it and it was worth the visit.