The only road going across western and northern Cambodia - N5 - makes a loop round Tonle Sap Lake.
We are now on the western arm of the loop. Our destination is Siem Reap which is already situated on its eastern arm. Soon you are going to see why Siem Reap is the destination of all the tourist in Cambodia.
On our way we make stops at the places or towns where we can enjoy what we are offered to do there.
Today, not far form a big town of Battambang, we could enjoy a special ride on a train which is named by international guidebooks "The Bamboo Train". In fact this is a set of platforms - trolleys moving on the rails. The trolleys are powered by small engines. Years ago "the train" was used to transport people and goods on a distance of about 100 km.
Not long ago were tourists accepted on such platforms only as additional load if there was free space or if the train set off at all. There didn't use to be any timetable.
Now it has become a tourist attraction and the trolleys take on groups of everybody willing to have such fun. USD 5 per person. The return journey, with some breaks, takes about 1 hour.
The breaks are the most interesting part of the fun since there is a two-way traffic on one pair of rails. The trolleys with fewer passenger must give way. How it is done, see for yourselves!
