Jul 5th 2008
by Tynan
Gadling
Cambodia has only one passenger train that still runs, and I'm on it right now.
Calling it a passenger train is a bit of a misnomer, though. Most of the few seats still attached to the floor are piled high with exotic fruits: durians, pineapples, and several others that I've eaten before but can't name. I think one's a jackfruit, and another might be a soursop.
Half of the back car is full of lumber which I helped load a few stops ago. I almost crushed my foot.
The train is slow, probably the slowest train in the world. The fastest I clocked it with my GPS was 17kph. That's fast enough that if you want to take a jog you can just hop out the back and run along.
The journey from Battambang, a city reasonably close to the Thai border, to Phnom Penh takes four hours by air conditioned bus. I've been on the train for 17 hours now and there's been no word on when we'll finally arrive. The official timetable claimed it would be 5 hours ago.
As I write I'm sitting in one of the wood benches, which puts me in the minority. Most people string up cloth hammocks in front of the open windows or ride on the roof.
I rode on the roof for a good part of the day. The local kids showed me how to jump from car to car as if I was part of an Indiana Jones movie.
When I arrived at the train station this morning there were a dozen other foreigners. Most of them stayed as long as Pursat, the big stop 5 hours in which allows the rest of the journey to be completed by bus.
Four of us are left. My friend Todd, a lonely planet writer named Andrew, and Laila who has been traveling for 4 months and is expecting to travel for another 12. Her seat is a huge bag of charcoal that she claims is more comfortable than my bench. She's probably right.
The train probably won't run for much longer. Giant holes in the roof douse everyone and their cargo when it rains. No attempt is made at repairing the gaping holes in the rotting floor that expose the wheels and the track below us.
We once stopped unexpectedly because one of the four car's bumpers had jumped onto another one's.
You might be wondering why anyone would ever ride this train, and you might be surprised that I couldn't possible recommend it any more. Why?
Because THIS is how to see Cambodia. Not all of it, of course, but it's a whopping serving of authentic Cambodian life.
From the rusted roof of the train you get an unrestricted view of the beautiful rice paddies that cover the countryside. You watch as families work together to harvest the rice and direct their Oxen.
Children run up to the train and wave and yell out the few English phrases they know.
The train makes a few short stops, mainly to load or unload lumber and fruits, and vendors run up with trays of food, illuminated by kerosene lanterns.
I've been to a lot of countries, and I'm not sure I've met friendlier people.
When the monks saw that Laina had only bought one bag of steamed rice, they bought her another bag and some eggs. The woman sitting near us insisted on holding my flashlight while we ate.
When a pineapple vendor started cutting up one of her pineapples on the train, I hurried over to buy it. She gave it to me and then absolutely refused to take money.
Everyone smiles and tries to talk to us. They show us how to tie our hammocks and warn us when the train is about to leave after a stop.
Traveling can be more about the journey than the destination. I haven't been to Phnom Penh yet, but I don't know how it will be more memorable and enjoyable than the ride over.
If you're in the area and you want a train ride of a lifetime, check out this page on seat61.com, which is an amazing resource for traveling by train, bus, or boat.
UPDATE: It took 24 hours total. A parting word of advice - buy a hammock in Battambang before you go. The locals will show you how to hang it.
Calling it a passenger train is a bit of a misnomer, though. Most of the few seats still attached to the floor are piled high with exotic fruits: durians, pineapples, and several others that I've eaten before but can't name. I think one's a jackfruit, and another might be a soursop.
Half of the back car is full of lumber which I helped load a few stops ago. I almost crushed my foot.
The train is slow, probably the slowest train in the world. The fastest I clocked it with my GPS was 17kph. That's fast enough that if you want to take a jog you can just hop out the back and run along.
The journey from Battambang, a city reasonably close to the Thai border, to Phnom Penh takes four hours by air conditioned bus. I've been on the train for 17 hours now and there's been no word on when we'll finally arrive. The official timetable claimed it would be 5 hours ago.
As I write I'm sitting in one of the wood benches, which puts me in the minority. Most people string up cloth hammocks in front of the open windows or ride on the roof.
I rode on the roof for a good part of the day. The local kids showed me how to jump from car to car as if I was part of an Indiana Jones movie.
When I arrived at the train station this morning there were a dozen other foreigners. Most of them stayed as long as Pursat, the big stop 5 hours in which allows the rest of the journey to be completed by bus.
Four of us are left. My friend Todd, a lonely planet writer named Andrew, and Laila who has been traveling for 4 months and is expecting to travel for another 12. Her seat is a huge bag of charcoal that she claims is more comfortable than my bench. She's probably right.
The train probably won't run for much longer. Giant holes in the roof douse everyone and their cargo when it rains. No attempt is made at repairing the gaping holes in the rotting floor that expose the wheels and the track below us.
We once stopped unexpectedly because one of the four car's bumpers had jumped onto another one's.
You might be wondering why anyone would ever ride this train, and you might be surprised that I couldn't possible recommend it any more. Why?
Because THIS is how to see Cambodia. Not all of it, of course, but it's a whopping serving of authentic Cambodian life.
From the rusted roof of the train you get an unrestricted view of the beautiful rice paddies that cover the countryside. You watch as families work together to harvest the rice and direct their Oxen.
Children run up to the train and wave and yell out the few English phrases they know.
The train makes a few short stops, mainly to load or unload lumber and fruits, and vendors run up with trays of food, illuminated by kerosene lanterns.
I've been to a lot of countries, and I'm not sure I've met friendlier people.
When the monks saw that Laina had only bought one bag of steamed rice, they bought her another bag and some eggs. The woman sitting near us insisted on holding my flashlight while we ate.
When a pineapple vendor started cutting up one of her pineapples on the train, I hurried over to buy it. She gave it to me and then absolutely refused to take money.
Everyone smiles and tries to talk to us. They show us how to tie our hammocks and warn us when the train is about to leave after a stop.
Traveling can be more about the journey than the destination. I haven't been to Phnom Penh yet, but I don't know how it will be more memorable and enjoyable than the ride over.
If you're in the area and you want a train ride of a lifetime, check out this page on seat61.com, which is an amazing resource for traveling by train, bus, or boat.
UPDATE: It took 24 hours total. A parting word of advice - buy a hammock in Battambang before you go. The locals will show you how to hang it.
19 comments:
Oh well! This is Hun Sen legacy and his progress!
It seems that Cambodia has changed so much and yet Cambodia is going so slow!
I wonder why!
That's what Hun Sen says:
"Ak-Pee-What" (?)
This train looks dramatically speed Labour government of Hun Sen.
It is the growth of the economy of our kingdom.
It's steal a lot better than Ah Scam Rainxy locomotive on bare foot.
Vietnamese can live peacefully anywhere in Cambodia ... but Khmer Krom are oppressed by Hanoi communist regime, is it fair?
That's the way it supposed to be for criminals who destroyed the live of hundreds of millions people in the region.
No matter what UNESCO decides, the fake hypocrite monkey in Cambodia will not own Khmer temple ever.
An record being beaten by Cambodia?
I preferred a cow carriage. It is not as noisy, I can ride it all days and listen to my mp3 player. The only set back, however, is it stink when the damn cow fart, and you have to stop periodically to let them drink and eat.
Ah hunsen pee pee regime is coward,low life.....only with khmers ppls....ehehehehehehehehe
go to hell Ah Siem Chor Prey..& Ah Yuon chor Srok........
That's my kind of train. Good for making love during the slow journey to nowhere. Love it. By the time I wake up... haha I'm home. What was the price of the ticket, seriously?
Ah blind (1:17), go and get your head examined. You got serious problem, stupid.
Seriously! You can make love for 17 hours? Hey! I try Viagra and I can get only 4 hours! You must be doing something right and please let me know too! Ahahahhahahhah
You idiot, if 1 viagra get you 4 hours then you need about 4 of them to get close to 17 hours. Can't you do the math? Hellllohhhhh!
3:44AM, for 17 hours of journey, after making love you just fall asleep. when you two wake up just do it again and fall asleep again until the train stop... get out and smile to the world. anyway, 5:11AM is rude and has no sense of humor. don't bother.
my dear, enjoy it because soon all will be changed to fast train as cambodia is in the midst of development in our infrastructures. god bless cambodia.
hey, at least we set the record for the slowest train in the world. enjoy it, dear; soon it'll be replaced with modern high speed trains from france, germany or japan. god bless cambodia.
Cambodia...HMMMM
Until 1953, Prah TamBong (Monk's Staff in Thai), now called Battambang had been inside Siam, now called Thailand, for over 500 years. In 1907, when the French invaded and took the area from Siam, they called it a 'Protectorate' and guaranteed they would return it to Siam (someday), but instead, in 1953, passed those provinces to Siahanouk's government. Twice, Thailand has helped the Cambodian people rebuild. Once 500 years ago, following the devastation Bubonic Plague and again following the devastation of the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodians still hate them for their help...
To 10:06PM
Oh poor baby! Tell me did Cambodian ask for the Thaicong help? Of course not!
I don't know how you can come up with 500 years of Thailame in Battambang? Listen fool! If all the people in Battambang were Siam and I am sure the French would face a fierce resistance from the people! But how come the French didn't face any fierce resistance from the people in Battambang? It is because all the people in Battambang were Cambodian (Khmer) and they are so sicken tired of the Thaicong and they were welcoming the French for a change!
As for the Khmer Rouge issue it is because Thailame is now bordering with the Vietcong after the Vietcong invaded Cambodia! Now the Thaicong are within the range of the Vietcong big guns and because of this the Thaicong were supporting the Khmer Rouge through out the 1980 to fight the Vietcong to the end!
The only times the Thaicong want to save Cambodia because they want to save their arse first especially from the Vietcong!
Any Thaicong help are not welcome unless it is asked for!
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