Part 4: Where the Dolphins Are
“What sublime truths, and wholesome themes,
Lodge in thy mystical, deep streams!”
--- The Water-Fall Henry Vaughan
Early the next day we awaited the arrival of one of D.’s closest friends, M. My friend was to ride with D. on his moto (Khmer term for motorbike) while I was to ride with M. We were headed to the main town of Kratie, about 5 km. away from Chhlong. The agenda of the day: to see the dolphins!
Moto Torture Ride
It was one extremely uncomfortable, dusty, bumpy, and excruciating one-and-a-half-or-so-hour ride over the pot-holed dirt road to the town of Kratie! There were no pit stops; it was also my first time to ride this far on a moto, and so I was gripping the back handle for my dear life as my driver, M., madly roared the moto engine to full speed. However, M. is a very kind person. He would ask me from time to time if I was doing okay, even attempting to make me feel comfortable by initiating a conversation – which I somehow wasn’t too keen in having at that time since I was concentrating hard enough not to fall off the moto, or be catapulted high in the mighty sky by the sudden jerks of the motorbike.
Sore Bottom Blues
I thank God that we arrived in the market square of Kratie safe and sound, and as for me, in one piece and with a sore bottom only. We had brunch at one of the corner restaurants there and after having our fill, we finally headed off for Kampi Irrawady Dolphin Viewing Site!
Irrawady Dolphins at MeKong River
How cool is that? We were very close to seeing dolphins up close! What was not cool, however, was being charged $9 each for the entrance fee (the Khmer boys were to pay $7 instead). But it was well worth it. It didn’t take long for us to wait in that scorching heat for the dolphins to surface. They are such amazing water beauties. They didn’t jump or perform tricks for us, but just seeing their sleek, dark-grey bodies in and out of the water, blowing some steam, and swimming in pods was just an awesome experience. What’s more awesome is learning that these dolphins are endangered Mekong River Irrawady Dolphins and I get to see them alive and swimming even before extinction hits them (heaven forbid!). The summer season is the best time to view them because this is when they surface in groups. There are only about 100 Irrawady dolphins left in the Mekong River as mortality rate of these dolphins is high. The Kingdom of Cambodia is doing its very best to enforce the conservation of these species.
More Endangered Species Showing Up
When our time in the river was up and we had to go back to shore, we saw a couple of dolphins suddenly making splashes on the water. They were probably playing, if not, then only God knows what they’re really doing, but more boats of dolphin viewers came and exchanged loud oohs and aahs, as the sound of clicking cameras can be vaguely heard from a distance.
Experiencing More of Cambodia
We all left the river with uplifted hearts and a sense of wonder. As for me, I spent the rest of the afternoon back to Chhlong (red-dust-powdered-face, sore bottom, and all) in quiet reverie and a prayer of thankfulness for such a remarkable adventure. This is just a small portion of Cambodia that I had the privilege of seeing and experiencing. God willing, I hope to see more of this fascinating country -- more of what I have only seen in books and magazines -- and live to tell you all about this place, which is (for now) my adopted home.
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