Kratie – Flipper
I had the idea to head up to Mondulkiri, in the North East of Cambodia. However, no buses go up that way, which tells you two things – firstly, not enough people go up there to justify a bus, and secondly, the roads are so bad that a bus wouldn’t make it. Rather than make the trek all in one go, I decided to stop overnight at Kratie (pronounced Krach-eh for all those of you who read out loud). The bus goes that far, and I was duly dispatched at Kratie without incident.
After grabbing a room in a guesthouse, I headed straight out again on the back of a moto. Kratie is the best place to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins (google it if you’re interested!). There are about 20 that live in the Mekong near the town, and there’s a little industry in taking people out on the river. I was accompanied by Anouk, a Belgian NGO living and working in Phnom Penh, who was brilliant company – so interesting and interested.
And the dolphins… erm, well, we saw them. Or rather, we saw their backs. They weren’t all that friendly to be honest, and my dream of merrily hitching a ride on the back of one, like Flipper, was shattered. They sort of swam about at a distance but didn’t really get close enough to have a proper look. Still, I went, I saw. They were there. Good good.
And that was that for Kratie. My, I’m specialising in short, non-eventful blogs right now! Still, I went to bed excited, despite the early start I would have to make the next day – I was going to Mondulkiri, and that meant only one thing: elephants!
Tags: Cambodia, Travel
Suzanne
How you can so easily gloss over a journey without incident amazes me! Surely you’d be rejoicing in the fact the bus didn’t break down, or you were stopped at a border crossing?
And as for the Dolphins, well they’re supposed to be the most intelligent creatures on the planet after man; they obviously weren’t impressed with the fake Rolex.
Suze, What a shame you didn’t get to ride on the back of the dolphin. These beautiful creatures really are smart if they keep their distance from people wanting to use them as a cheap taxi service.
Love you lots.
Mum