Train ride from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh with PICTURESQUE VIEWS!!

 With a pre-arranged tuktuk with our hostel, we reached Sihanoukville train station at 0620 for our train ride to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

Sihanoukville train station exterior

Timetable as of Dec 2017.
Upon entering the station, there is a table which sells the train tickets. When we first came to buy our tickets, they had already stopped selling tickets for the day and had to come back the following morning to get them.

Train platfrom

We took the 0700 train on a Sunday morning from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh. We were allocated ‘seats’ at the tail end cabin where there were two long rows of soft cushion seats on both sides of the carriage. One good thing about this was due to there only being a handful of passengers, we were able to lie down during the journey. Also, the lady selling food had her items at the back and it was convenient to buy her instant noodles, sandwiches or drinks. It was also air-conditioned with large windows, allowing great views.

We watched as the train arrived.

A pretty empty cabin so we were able to lie down and sleep on the 'seats'
throughout the journey

Leaving the train station, we passed by village houses jutting out very close to our train and could see some locals busy with their daily chores. One thing I loved at the start was the visibility of the coast and we could see the waves and even the shore at the distance. 

The Cambodian coast visible from our train!

Further afield, we reached some grasslands with the random carabao and some pretty arid landscapes. As the train skirted south of the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, there were interesting jagged cliffs. Farms and villages started to emerge more frequently as we reached Kampot and soon, the prison, schools and houses of Kampot town came into view. With the short stop at Kampot, we got off with many of the passengers and took a look at the food sold. We bought sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf from an old lady (we bought from her partly because no one was buying from her) and we went back on the train when the horn sounded. The other local passengers on board warned us that the sticky rice was from the day before and it would cause stomachache. The food seller lady on board then inspected the rice, took a sniff and declared it eatable but we played it safe and took a small bite just to get a taste (it did have a weird aftertaste) and got rid of it.

Khmer countryside

Roof of Kampot Station

The dodgy sticky rice

Cliffs spotted 

There were more impressive rural countryside scenery and in a few hours, we reached Takeo. Again, we got off, bought food where other people were buying from this time and we continued on the last stretch to Phnom Penh.

Paddy fields on the way to Takeo station

Tuktuks waiting to take passengers who disembarked at Takeo

We bought some sort of a local doughnut with the help of an English speaking passenger.

It was very very sweet!

We spent some time at the 'links' between the carriages.
We opened the doors and were able to feel the wind on our faces and
stretch our feet out. A conductor later told us something in Khmer which we
assumed was asking us to close the doors and get back in the cabin.

Reaching Phnom Penh, we started to see more roads and crossroads. When we reached the outskirts of the city, the train went extra slowly as we passed ponds of water lilies, houses and shops precariously close to the train (the train was even touching some of the roofs). The most interesting view for me was the people. Since we were so close to the houses, we could see people staring at our moving train in awe. Children were running to catch a glimpse of the train smiling and shouting in glee (some even waving). Dressed up teenagers were also using our train as the backdrop for photos.

Vehicles had to stop at crossroads to let our train pass. Some had barriers to
prevent vehicles from passing, others had some officials blocking the roads,
and interestingly, some had no barricades whatsoever.. there was only the train horn as precaution!

We reached Phnom Penh station unceremoniously and we ventured off to the city.

The sign says that the carriage was constructed in 'Praha, Czechoslovakia'. Vintage!!

Inside Phnom Penh train station

Buildings welcoming us to the capital