Bamboo Train

Reason #817 as to why Cambodia is unique is their Bamboo Trains. Bamboo Trains are roughly 4’x8’ platforms of weaved bamboo, sitting atop two railroad axles with an old, old, old, old Briggs & Straton gasoline motor attached to the rear axle by a pair of rubber fan belts - imagine a Go-Kart on rails. They started out as public transportation, after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, to carry rural villagers into the city. Apparently, the Cambodians eventually saw the financial potential in them because now they are a popular tourist attraction. Western tourist pay to take leisurely rides out to admire the beautiful Cambodia countryside.

Thanks to your very generous financial support, our team was able to wire enough money over ahead of us that most of our work was well underway when we arrived. Conversely, we were able to accomplish our construction goals and still take a half a day off. We spent that half day taking the kids on their very first Bamboo Train ride. I’m not sure who had more fun, them or us. Ratha, the orphanage director, came up with a great idea: we would ride the trains out to a small village west of Battambang to a Buddhist Pagoda high up on a mountainside and have a picnic.

We picked the kids up from the orphanage just before 9:00 a.m. reservations. The train ride out was a blast; we split our party into groups and rode out on five separate trains. The kids laughed the whole time. After about an hour’s ride out, we stopped at a small village and piled into a truck for the one kilometer ride up the mountainside. I think we broke the Guinness Record for the number of people in the bed of a truck. The scene was comical…until we went around a corner and Ratha’s head went through the umbrella of a local woman’s umbrella stand. From then on, we felt it was safer to walk!

I’d say we had to climb about mooray pram steps (500) to reach the top of the hill, but once we were up there the view was worth it. We ate lunch beside a Buddhist temple overlooking all of northwestern Cambodia. Even though the sky was clear where we were, when Ratha called the orphanage his wife said it was raining over there. After lunch, the kids started playing along the trails that networked through the woods and forest on the mountain.

The ride back was a bit tougher. By this time, the bright sunlight, heat and humidity has us all drained and we were anxious to get back to the bus. A few of the kids even fell asleep on the ride back. Thankfully, God intervened in the form of a rain cloud, yet again, and a quick shower brought much needed relief. We also stopped at a (rail)roadside concession stand for a few refreshments. By the time we dropped the kids off back at the orphanage, it was 2:00 p.m. Already a long day, but so worth it to see these kids having so much fun.