I’ve got a fun new video to share with you today which is the reason for the image above, which reads “To Film The Most Dangerous Railway On Earth”. That video can be seen at the bottom of this post but first it’s time to share with you some images of a particularly enchanting 900 year old Angkorian temple that sees just a handful of visitors every year.
Over the weekend I logged some serious road time, traveling several hundred miles (much of it on unpaved roads), exploring some new photo locations here in Cambodia, for a “Cambodia in-Depth” photo workshop. I won’t spill the beans yet about some of these new locations, other than to say that they are totally awesome and largely untouched by mainstream tourism. During my visit to the ancient Angkorian temple below, I did not encounter a single tourist. The only people I found there, were a dozen workers doing restoration, two guys collecting bugs to eat, and a “guard” at the entrance, asleep in a hammock.
Temple entrance, marked with the Cambodian flag
View along the outer wall
Partially collapsed interior gallery
Small shrine, interior gallery
Land mines have been completely cleared from this area; this sign warns of unstable rubble
Carving that has until today, survived looting, which still takes place here
Restoration worker taking a break
In addition to exploring remote temples, I also spent some road time trying to futher “dial-in” some of the off-the-beaten-track places that I’ve used for my annual Angkor Photo Workshop in the past, including locations in Battambang and Battambang’s unique and amazing “bamboo railway”.
There’s lots of talk about the future demise of the Bamboo train due to the government’s plans to upgrade the tracks and start regular service (with real trains) between Phnom Penh, Battambang and Poipet.
The Bamboo train is just way too much fun and everyone will hate to see the day that they finally stop it, so, while in Battambang, it made perfect sense to get some additional video footage before it’s too late.
This is the 10th year that I’ve ridden the Bamboo Train and still, it never ceases to put a big smile on my face. Over the years, I’ve shot stills and video of the journey using DSLRs, but this time I shot it exclusively with the Sony HDR-AS100V POV Action Cam . The Sony AS100 is like a GoPro Hero but it’s water-resistent (even without the housing) and it has built in image stabilization. The darn thing is so small, so amazing and so much fun that it’s hard to put down (at least until the batteries run out).
After capturing some decent footage, I slapped together this “just for fun” video trailer using iMovie. If you have a Mac and some video footage, it’s easy. The whole process of creating this “Bamboo Train trailer” took me less than half an hour, thanks to iMovie templates.
Of course, it’s not the “most dangerous railway on earth” that’s just a catchy title…in fact some of you have already ridden the bamboo train, so perhaps you’ll enjoy a quick trip down memory lane….a memory worth repeating. Cheers, Karl
I’ve blogged about the Bamboo Train in the past and some of my tour guests have too, here are a few additional links about the Bamboo Train that are worth exploring, including excellent reportages by regular Jim Cline Photo Tour participants, Ursula Wall and Lisa Brockman
Riding Bamboo Rails (Ursula Wall)
Angkor Photo Workshop 2011 Bamboo Train
Battambang Smiles (Lisa Brockman)
Battambang Cambodia’s Second City
This is a great video, Karl! Not exactly how I remembered it, but a wondrous memory nonetheless. 🙂
I can’t wait for the full feature-length version! 😉
Great memories Karl. It seems so long ago and for me really at the beginning of my photographic journey. I hope that I am able to experience it again before/if they take it away.
Catherine, as they say “you’ve come a long way”, I’m glad I was at the beginning with you…and on your more recent adventures. I still love that shot of you at the Kumbh, on the phone with your Sadhu! Keep up the great work and plan on another Bamboo Train ride before it’s gone forever. Cheers, Karl
Humanitarian, Photojournalist, Tour Guide Extraordinaire and now Cinematographer! Great video with the tiny Sony cam.
Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for the enthusiastic compliment…I must confess though, that I think most of what makes the Bamboo Train video trailer so cool is Apple’s professional looking template 🙂 which by the way, is super easy to use.
As for the Sony camera, it is truly amazing….compact, good in low light, with image stabilization and all for under $300! I’m having lots of fun shooting video after getting some great pointers from professional photographer Gary Shore who was on one of my photo tours. Several of the shots from the bamboo train video were shot with the Sony on top of a long mono-pod in order to get an “aerial” look. Kind of a poor mans “Phantom quad-copter”.
Anyway, thanks again for the comment.
Cheers, Karl
Karl, did I not read somewhere about a reunion..something about you scoping out cool new sites? Sounds like a good time to revisit to me 🙂
Yes, that’s the plan….find groovy new locations to use for the reunion trip and other Cambodia “intensive” trips. Hope you can make it back here! Cheers, Karl
Karl, any idea of dates?