雨期の終わりを告げる「水上列車」　タイ

【ロッブリ（タイ）ＡＦＰ＝時事】ダムに架かる狭い橋に止まった列車から乗客が降りてきて、自撮りをしたり、周りに広がる景色を満喫したりするのを、船乗りが一人、眺めていた。（写真はタイのパーサック・チョンラシット・ダムに架かる橋の上に止まった列車）
　雨期の終わりを告げるタイ国鉄の「水上列車（ロットファイ・ロイナーム）」が４日、首都バンコクからパーサック・チョンラシットダムまでの運行を開始した。
　寝ぼけ眼の数百人の乗客が、夜明け前にバンコクのフアランポーン駅に集まった。
　列車はハス池、ジャングル、寺、田園を駆け抜けていく。三等車に乗った乗客が、窓から乗り出し、涼しい風を浴びながら写真を撮る。
　古都アユタヤでは、白髪交じりの女性が乗り込んできて、綿菓子や有名なバジル炒め「パット・ガパオ」を売り始めた。
　バンコクを出発してから３時間半。十数両の客車をけん引する改修をされた日本の列車は、パーサック・チョンラシットダムの途中で、２０分の自撮りタイムのために停車した。
　橋の下は、年の大部分は牧草地が広がっているが、「１０～１月には水位が上がり、列車はまるで水に浮かんでいるようになる」と話すのは、タイに長く駐在する英国人の列車マニアで旅ブロガーのリチャード・バローさんだ。
　バローさんは、英語の案内がないため列車の存在を知らない外国人も多いと嘆く。
　母親と一緒に乗車した１１歳のリリーさんは、水が「どこまでも続いてすごい」と話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/11/17-16:07）

A lone boatman watched the spectacle of Thailand's so-called floating train as selfie-seeking passengers soaked up the water views after disembarking from carriages stopped on a narrow bridge.
Railway adventures are gaining popularity in the kingdom with tourists seeking off-the-beaten-track travel experiences away from the hordes visiting temples and beaches.
Saturday was the State Railway of Thailand's first Bangkok to Pasak Jolasid Dam service Rot Fai Loi Nam marking the end of the rainy season.
Hundreds of bleary-eyed passengers boarded the train at Bangkok's century-old Hua Lamphong Station before sunrise.
Lotus ponds, jungles, temples and rice paddies zipped by as tourists in third class hung out the window and took pictures while enjoying the natural air conditioning.
Greying Thai aunties boarded at Ayutthaya, the ancient former capital of Siam -- to sell fairy floss and pad krapow, a famous stir-fry basil dish.
Three and a half hours after chugging out of Bangkok, the refurbished Japanese train pulling more than a dozen carriages crossed the Pasak Jolasid reservoir over a series of viaducts and stopped for 20 minutes of selfie time.
For most of the year, cattle graze underneath the bridge but from October to January, the water is high on both sides which gives the impression that the train is floating on water, said long-time British expat, train enthusiast and travel blogger Richard Barrow.
I have done it many times and I am already booked to do it three more times this season.
Barrow lamented the trip was only publicised in Thai language and not English so not many foreigners know about the unique experience.
It's kind of a missed opportunity, he said.
Enjoying the day trip with her mother, 11-year-old Lily Piratchakit said the water view was endless.
It was amazing, she told AFP.
It's nice to travel, be outdoors and get some fresh air.
Taiwanese university exchange student Wei Wu, 21, said it was a thrill to pose for photos on the railway track.
It's very cool. It's my first time to take a train in Thailand, she told AFP.
Most tourists will only see the stereotypes of Thailand.
Later some passengers toured the Pasak Jolasid Dam and enjoyed picnics.
The dam is used for agriculture and flood prevention and is fast becoming a tourism drawcard with the popular rail trips running from November to January.
For Mail, 28, and his boyfriend the floating train experience was the perfect compromise on water views.
I don't like the sea, but he likes it. That's why we came here, he joked.