Me and Jin loaded up on the "bamboo train," the main attraction of Battambang. This train rides on abandoned railroad tracks left over from when Cambodia had real trains. It only travels locally, 7km for tourists, and is mainly used for making money off tourists and transporting goods to more rural areas. It's a great way to see some of the countryside and farmland that roads don't show you.
The bamboo train is basically a large wooden rectangle made of bamboo and two train wheels with axels. There is only one set of tracks, so when two trains meet going opposite directions, one has to be taken apart, and then put back together after the other one passes. The train with more people or goods on it, or a motorbike gets to go through without being taken apart. The whole process takes a minute or two at most.
This is the drying racks where the rice paper that wraps all those tasty spring rolls are cured.
Here are fish drying on the ground outside the fish paste factory, which was more like a huge barn/shed with tons of decomposing fish inside. These fish on the ground will be BBQ'd or cooked in soup, or other ways. The fish paste factory is crazy, and quite gruesome!
Fish Paste
The bamboo train is basically a large wooden rectangle made of bamboo and two train wheels with axels. There is only one set of tracks, so when two trains meet going opposite directions, one has to be taken apart, and then put back together after the other one passes. The train with more people or goods on it, or a motorbike gets to go through without being taken apart. The whole process takes a minute or two at most.
Wow, I saw a video of that train on the web after hearing about it on a podcast (while slaving over D4Js). Great to follow your adventures Ben, you are missed. Enjoy Bancock! - Peter
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