Battambong Bamboo Train

(Zara) Bump bump… bump bump. Down the bamboo railroad we go. Hair blowing in the warm wind. Leaves bustling as the cart flies by. Fiery red ants scattered along the tracks. A cloudless sky. Sun hanging just above the golden fields as far as the eye could see. Dragon flies passing overhead. Dried grass tickling my legs.

This unusual train has a bamboo base and a straw mat with small pillows as seats. The cart had no roof, walls, or rails except for one wobbly wooden handlebar in front and one in back where the driver would sit. Next to the driver is a small engine to push us along the tracks. All four kids went on one cart while the adults went on another behind us. Being little made the ride go even faster unlike the adults who trailed far behind.

Treat time!

After about 20 minutes on the railroad we came to a complete stop so we could walk around in a little village containing shops and houses. Kids were running around everywhere going about their daily lives until they saw us coming. They all ran over with items from their families shops, hoping we buy something. We bought a few friendship bracelets and then went over to a spot where we saw some kids jumping rope with a vine they found. We joined in and learned some of their jump roping games and then decided to help out all of the stores while making the kids happy. We bought all 25 of them sodas, five from each store to make it equal. Rapidly they all “queued” up or lined up to get a soda. They were all so happy and when we went to take a picture with them one little girl came up to me and just sat on my lap. She was so cute!

Soon we had to go back on the bamboo train to go home. On the way back we only slowed down for the oncoming carts and a water buffalo in the middle of the one way track. We didn’t even slow down for one of the chickens which could possibly be missing a body part. Uh oh! When a cart came towards us whoever had the least amount of carts behind them had to get off the track and the two drivers lifted the cart completely off and set it aside so the others could pass. We usually won because we had two carts but one time we had to wait for at least five or six to pass by. The bamboo train ride was very fun and a great use of an old abandoned railroad.