10 most unusual modes of transport in the world
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• Everyone should have a way to get from point A to point B. For most of us, this is a proven car. Alternatively, you can use a motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard, scooter or your own feet. There are also public transport options such as bus, trolleybus and metro.
• But the imagination of the inventors is not limited to such banal vehicles. And in different countries of the world, from time to time, the most unusual and bizarre modes of transport appeared, many of which operate today.
10. Horse ferry, USA and Canada
• At the end of the 18th century in the United States, and then in Canada, a ferry appeared to transport people and supplies by water. He was set in motion by manpower, but not bipedal, but quadrupedal.
• From two or more horses they walked in a circle, rotating the gate. Its movement through the transmission was transmitted to the mover, which was the propeller wheel, or propellers.
• At the end of the 19th century in New York, horse-driving ships successfully competed with steamboats. The newspapers of the time wrote that a horse-drawn ferry with 8 horses could take 200 passengers on board and cross the East River in 8-12 minutes, about the same speed as a steamboat.
• And the last horse ferry in the United States, sailing along the Cumberland River in Tennessee, operated until the late 1920s. However, as Comrade Bender said, though on a different occasion, “the iron horse is replacing the peasant horse,” and the exotic means of transportation on water is a thing of the past.
9. Bamboo train, Cambodia
• The French first built railway lines in Cambodia in the 1920s and the development of the railway industry continued until 1953 when French rule ended.
• In 1967-1975, a civil war was going on in the country, which ended with the coming to power of the Khmer Rouge regime. By the time it ended, 20% of the population (1,4 million people) had died at the hands of the Khmer, starvation or overwork. And most of the railway tracks were dismantled or mined.
• In this situation, people needed an alternative to conventional trains. And the hard-working Cambodians created the norri bamboo train. It is a railway track 1 meter wide, along which trolleys move. Norrie is driven by an engine from a tractor or motorcycle. Prior to that, bamboo trains did not even have brakes, and braking was done by the engine or even by the passengers' feet.
• Locals can spend 50 cents on a trip, tourists ten times more. The bamboo train does not move very fast, its average speed reaches 50 km / h and passengers have a beautiful view of the countryside of Cambodia.
8. Toboggan basket sled, Portugal
• In the 19th century, the inhabitants of the mountain village of Toboggan on the island of Madeira wanted a faster way to the city of Funchal. And they chose an original and unusual type of transport for this – baskets made of willow twigs. They were placed on wooden slats, oiled to slide on the roads.
• This design was controlled by two carreiros drivers, traditionally dressed in white trousers and shirts, a straw hat and special boots with thick soles to slow down when cornering. And the control was carried out with the help of ropes tied to rails.
• Nowadays, such skiing has become a popular pastime for tourists. A ten-minute descent along an asphalt mountain road will cost 25 euros for one person and 30 euros for two.
7. Coco Taxi, Cuba
• One of the most unusual modes of transport in the world resembles a giant yellow helmet with seats and wheels. It can be compared to a huge Pac-Man with people inside. However, the name of the coco-taxi got its resemblance to a coconut, according to local residents.
• Coco Taxi is quite noisy and slow, but very popular with tourists.
6. Barco de totora, Peru
If you are visiting Lake Titicaca, one of most popular tourist destinations in the world – then we recommend crossing its beautiful waters aboard the famous Totora boats.
• Made from dried tufts of totora reed that grows along the shores of the lake, they resemble dragons in their appearance. It is believed that this form initially helped to scare away evil spirits.
5. Jeepneys, Philippines
• A large and colorfully painted passenger taxi resembling an American jeep has been part of everyday life for most people in the Philippines for nearly 80 years.
• The original Jeepneys were made from Jeep parts left behind by American troops after World War II. After the war, the Philippine government did not create a public transportation system, so jeepneys became the most popular form of transportation.
• Jeepneys work like buses. But, unlike most of the buses we are used to, jeepneys are usually painted in bright colors and complemented by beautiful ornaments, and sometimes even the name of the driver.
• Much to the chagrin of the general public, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered that all jeepneys over fifteen years old be taken off the road by 2020 and replaced with greener versions.
4. Knock knock, Thailand
• Like the jeepney, the tuk-tuk (also known as the auto-rickshaw) emerged after World War II as a response to the lack of motor vehicles.
• Today, tuk-tuk can be found on almost every continent, but it is most common in Africa and Asia. In Thailand, the tuk-tuk owes its roots to the Japanese, who popularized it during the occupation of the region during World War II.
• Older models were equipped with a 350 cc two-stroke engine. cm, which, when moving, made the sound “knock knock”. Modern tuk-tuks are equipped with a 660 cc four-stroke engine. see which makes them much quieter.
• The Thai tuk-tuk, with its blue and yellow color scheme, has become somewhat of a symbol of the country.
3 Jet Boats, New Zealand
• New Zealand's Shotover River serves as the backdrop for one of the most exciting ways to get around Oceania. Jetboats, equipped with two V8 engines and a total power of 700 horsepower, are rapidly rushing along it.
• Water is taken in through the inlet grate located at the bottom of the housing. Through the nozzle, water (25 thousand liters per minute) is drawn in by the internal propeller. And then he pushes it out, allowing the boat to move at a speed of 85 km / h.
2. Suspended tramway, Germany
• If you've ever watched the Amazon series The Man in the High Castle, you've seen futuristic technology from Germany's alternate past, including the Berlin monorail.
• However, in real life, you will have to drive a little away from the capital of Germany to see the country's only example of mass transit on a suspension monorail.
• The Wuppertal cable car, located in the western part of Germany, in the state of North Rhine-Westafalia, at first glance looks more like a roller coaster than like public transport. This is one of the strangest ways to travel not only in Germany or Europe, but around the world.
1. Rolls Royce 103EX, UK
• The list of the most unusual vehicles in the world is headed by the Rolls Royce 103EX concept car, aka Vision Next 100. This is a luxurious iron behemoth, which is designed to advertise the future of automotive solutions. The interior features a silk lounge chair, natural wood and a handmade wool carpet.
• The car is equipped with a virtual assistant and chauffeur known as Eleanor. Their manufacturer's website states that "each Rolls-Royce will be designed not like a car, but rather as a single sculpture made from a single seamless surface."
• Unfortunately, the Rolls Royce 103EX will never enter mass production. However, it promises not only intriguing things for the future of luxury cars, but perhaps a radical change in transportation in general.
