Battambang & the Bamboo Train (AKA Our Craziest Train Ride Yet)

Our last stop in Cambodia was Battambang, about a 3 hour bus ride from Siem Reap.  Battambang is a smaller and lesser-known city in Cambodia, but it had a few sights that we were excited to check out.  Probably the biggest tourist attraction in Battambang is what's known as the "Bamboo Train".  This train line was created in the 1980s and it was used to transport people and goods for hundreds of kilometers through Cambodia.  The "trains" are essentially bamboo platforms that sit atop wheels and a very basic motor.  There is only one train track, so the bamboo trains go in both directions on the same track.

These pictures and this video, taken right after we started moving, pretty much sum up how the boys felt about the Bamboo Train…

We rode the bamboo train about 6 KM to a small village.  On our way out, Emmett even got to drive the bamboo train.

One of the most unique features of the Bamboo Train is what happens when two bamboo trains that are going in opposite directions come upon each other.  The train with fewer people “disembarks” and disassembles its train so the one with more people can pass.

We stopped for a short time in a small village before turning around to go back.  The scenery along the bamboo train was beautiful, with peaceful rice fields surrounding us.

The Bamboo Train was so much fun!  Definitely the most unique and thrilling train ride we've been on yet.  

That evening, we went to Phare Ponleu Selpak, a school that provides arts programs and training to disadvantaged Cambodian youth.  The organization is well known for its circus arts programs, and we were really excited to be able to attend a show.  The performance began with traditional Apsara dancing and then moved into circus arts.  We were really impressed with the strength of the performers.  A couple of times they missed a trick, but they repeated it until they got it right.  And they were so happy and energetic!

Emmett was even brought up on stage to perform a magic trick with the clown and another volunteer.  Never one to forgo an audience, he had a great time on stage.

The next day, we biked out of Battambang, along the river, and through many small villages.  We saw men fishing with traditional nets, lots of traditional Cambodian houses, and many smiling people as we biked along.

That evening, we tuk-tuk’ed out to Phnom Sampeau, a mountain outside Battambang.  We are big fans of tuk-tuks, which (in Cambodia) are essentially scooters with a beefed-up passenger trailer attached to them.

We hiked up to the top, which had a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.

When it got dark, we watched millions of Asian wrinkle-lipped bats (their name is as ugly sounding as the up close pictures we saw of them) leave a cave in the mountain to go find food.  The bats eat insects which would otherwise destroy the rice crops, so their presence is critical for the farmers in the area.

With our short stay in Battambang at an end, our time in Cambodia came to an end as well.  We packed up our things once more and prepared to move on—to Thailand!