Day 102 – Battambang
Today we had breakfast at Lucky Hostel, which was very large for the price. The Remork Moto (Tuk Tuk) driver was waiting outside for us. His company was called DJ Tuk Tuk. When we greeted him, he was super friendly and told us about the full day tour, we had organised over the phone last night.
The Remork Moto was slightly older than any of the other ones we have been in, but it was still comfortable.
Bamboo Train
We drove down progressively bumpier roads on the way to the Bamboo Train. The dust was a little irritating but there wasn’t much that could be done. We knew we were close to the Bamboo Train, as we were starting to see a lot of other tourists in their own Remork Motos.
Our driver had a hook up with one of the Train operators so we only had to pay $5 USD instead of the normal $10 USD. The Train, is basically a rectangular plank made of bamboo, that sits on two axles. A motor is connected to the rear axle and there you have it. The railway track was built by the French during their occupation of Cambodia. Until last year there was no train on these lines, but we were told not to worry, as the train only runs once a day.
We sat down on the Bamboo platform on top of cushions for comfort. The driver sat on the back and started the motor.
It was awesome! Think of a roller coaster without seat belts! Not sure how fast we got to, but it felt fast! The driver would slow down around intersections or when we met other trains. The trains would actually disassemble and move to the side of the road. It was a simple process. Once we got to the end 7km away, we got off the train and had to wait at the shops on the end, where the shop keepers first told us to buy items, and then before we left they told us to tip the driver.
With the Train remade facing the opposite direction we returned to the starting point with massive smiles on our faces.
Wat Samroung Knong
We then had a short ride to a more sombre experience. It was a Buddhist temple built in 1707 called Wat Samroung Knong, which was then converted into a prison and then a killing field during the brutal Khmer Rouge period in the 1970s. Over 10,000 people lost their lives in this prison alone. In 2002, with help of overseas aid, the bodies were removed from the mass graves and given proper Buddhist burials.
It was very depressing and angering at what people can do to other people. Once back at the hotel we watched a BBC documentary about the Khmer Rouge, which was insightful.
Early ride home
While going to the next location, it happened in slow motion. The Remork Moto having break failure, crashed into two motorbikes in front of us!!! Luckily no one was hurt, but there was a bit of damage to the motorbike of a young girl.
The driver was apologetic, and organised a friend of his to come pick us up. We said we will finish the tour with him tomorrow and wished him luck with the repairs as we went on another Remork Moto to our hostel.
We ended up having Lunch and Dinner (separate times) at a restaurant close by, called Cafe Cappuccino Battambang. The food took some time to come but was delicious. When we went back for dinner, the girl actually told us she would need to go to the market to buy some lemons for the lemonade we ordered and asked if we were okay to wait. We said okay and waited. The food was again delicious.