After a five and half hour coach journey from Siem Reap we arrived in Battambang (pronounced Battombong). This was a destination that I had never heard of before arriving in Cambodia so I had no idea what to expect, a feeling I was beginning to get used and kind of liked! As soon as we got off the coach there were loads of people grabbing at us, touting for business as they offered us a range of hotels all of which claimed to be the best in the area. I felt a tiny little tug on my elbow and was sad to see that it was a young girl probably no older than about 5 or 6 begging for money. I wanted to give her something as most people would also want to do, but I knew that it was not really ok to give money to street children as you can soon be swarmed and feel obliged to give more than you actually can. Once we had agreed on a hotel, a place named 'The Royal', we paid a tuk tuk driver to take us to the bamboo railway. This was heaps of fun, partly because it is so unique and partly because you get to meet some of the local people in a village at the stop off point of the trip. Arriving at the village we were greeted by a elderly man and two young girls who sat us down and offered us yummy banana chips and a drink. We spoke to the girls about school and their hobbies and the man asked Jack about his Wane Rooney t-shirt (it seems the rooney top is a cross-cultural ice breaker!!) The young girls then took us to the brick factory behind the stalls and explained how they are made etc, they amazingly reeled of facts that had learnt for the purpose of visitors, such as how many bricks were exactly in each hut! We said our goodbyes before climbing aboard the bamboo train once again and taking off into the overgrown wilderness around us. The train itself was suprisingly fast and could be compared more to a rollercoaster without any of the safety requirements and loop the loops obviously! I sat in the middle where I was attacked by a giant black bug stinging my knee at one point, as Els and Jack dodged the bushes either side...it was exciting tho honest! As it was such a narrow track, when a train approaches from the opposite direction, the train carrying the heavier load must be dissmantled in order for the other train to pass. As there was just one passenger on the opposing train, we had to get off this time! We were told that the local people use this train still especially in the mornings where they can be seen piling their animals and family onto the small, rickety bamboo platform!