438 replies to this topic

[dixon cox]

Another day, another stroll. But today (26th June 2011) would turn out to be possibly my favourite day of all in Battambang.

I woke very early around 4am and laid dozing in bed for maybe half an hour as it was still dark. She stirred slightly as I got up and I told her I was going to the guesthouse roof to see the sunrise, followed by another walk. She rolled over and went back to sleep, perhaps in a similar fashion to many bored-members reading this TR, but her reasons were not due to lack of mongering content and smut pics.

I waited on the rooftop gazing at the horizon for about 30 mins but it was somewhat of a cloudy and overcast morning, so I chose not to waste any of my memory card on it. I just pondered upon life, a pleasant moment alone.

Here's some Khmer music to hopefully add to the flavour of Battambang.
 

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[Coco]

thanks for the report ... good read and the post above the pictures are priceless ..doug







Cardboard passengers. .......good one

[dixon cox]

Coco[/url]"]thanks for the report ... good read and the post above the pictures are priceless ..doug

Very pleased you're enjoying it so far Doug and thank you for popping in

[dixon cox]

After a few laps of Boeung Chhnoeuk market I headed back via a different route keeping a mental note of which direction the guesthouse was in.

The grid system for the roads here is straighfoward and Battambang is not a big city so I knew if I went wrong I'd pick up the train tracks eventually which would lead me to the now disused Battambang Railway station close to my guesthouse.

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[dixon cox]

Barang (foreigners) seem to be pretty thin on the ground in Battambang and even though we might be in a miniscule minority the locals tend to leave you alone, with the exception of motodop riders who think walking is for weirdos.

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[dixon cox]

Just before returning back to the guesthouse I had a wander behind Battambang Railway Station (Regional Railway Battambang) which has been in a state of disrepair for some time.

Now disused it consisted of one old piece of crumbling rolling-stock, delapidated buildings and kids playing around the back of the station building, several of the old perimeter buildings were used by some locals with shacks attached.

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[dixon cox]

It should be noted that this is not the location where Battambang's bamboo railway can be found nor does it pass through here.

The bamboo railway can be found about 15 minutes ride away but there are no signs for it, so local directions or a tuk-tuk would be required but they can easily be arranged. We would be going out on the bike later today to locate it as it was one of the things I wanted to do before it closed for good.

While sniffing around at the back of the station I'd received a phonecall to say that croissants and iced-coffee had been brought for me to the guesthouse, so I headed back, it would only take me 5 minutes.

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[dixon cox]

Back in the room I showered and then relaxed as we dunked our croissants into our respective glasses of tinned Nescafe Express Roast coffee. A welcome sugar boost and very tasty too.

She finished getting herself up and ready then went to sit downstairs and chat to her sister and the staff for a while as I took a nap. I'd asked if she could find out about the location of the bamboo railway as we both wanted to have a ride on it. I'd heard it would be coming to an end later this year (2011) due to planned refurbishment of the regional railways and I didn't want to miss it.

Around 3pm, after my lunchtime siesta and an invigorating tea-bagging 69, we headed off on the bike to go and find the bamboo trains as she'd now garnered the necessary directions from the locals as I slept. It was a good job she was wearing a helmet along the way as the Battambang police seem to be out in force this afternoon, happily catching and fining offenders near the new Borey Thmey Shopping Mall along Road 3.

It was a lovely day weather-wise and the relatively short ride out to the bamboo trains took numerous twists and turns out into the boonies, but she eventually found the location with minimal fuss and no wrong turns, well done girl!

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[dixon cox]

The bamboo trains, or "norries" as the locals call them, are a simple yet excellent means of transport used by the locals to shift people and light goods between villages and make excellent use of the otherwise unused rails. They're not primarily for tourists although they are very welcome to take a ride.

The ride cost us $10 which was paid to the well-rounded official-looking guy at the start. At the end I tipped the driver and co-driver a $1 each as I imagined the official is not overly generous and gets the lions share of the tourist takings, judging by his chubby frame. No doubt the locals pay far less.

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[dixon cox]

The ride itself was extremely bumpy and some of the gaps and misaligned tracks caused passengers to brace themselves, but we both thoroughly enjoyed it and it was the best $10 I spent in Cambodia.

We pretty much had the place to ourselves apart from passing happy Koreans midway at one point and a set of barang at each end which were just leaving as we arrived.

On the single track should norries meet coming in opposite directions the one with the lighter load or passengers hops off and the two-man crew removes the train from the rails to allow the other to pass, then reloads. It makes sense. Evidence at 02.50 into the clip.


End Of The Line For Cambodia’s Quirky Bamboo Train

[KendoUK]

looks like a lot of fun but 10 bucks seems very steep! I think I paid 11baht to ride 3rd class on the train in Isaan, and that was an actual train with carriages and a diesel engine and stuff.

[dixon cox]

looks like a lot of fun but 10 bucks seems very steep! I think I paid 11baht to ride 3rd class on the train in Isaan, and that was an actual train with carriages and a diesel engine and stuff.

Perhaps you're missing the point.

In terms of cost $10 is a lot of money for the locals, but there's always one who gets the lions share but that's life. I chose to pay the going rate and was happy to do so as were many others who made their way to Battambang. Unfortunately that experience is no longer available which is why I'm so glad I did it while it was still possible.

There's enough buildings and structures in Cambodia already sitting idle, left abandoned, rotting and unused, so it's good to see local people making use of something and offering it to visitors for enjoyment too, if they so choose.

The bamboo train was never intended as a full scale transportation service, more a system for locals to make the most of the old unused railway tracks. For a visitor it is enjoyed just for the fun and experience, not for the purpose of getting from A to B.