“The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.” Exactly. And it’s on Wiki, so it must be true. Kratie is one of the best places to see them. Well, two of them anyway (there are only 24 left in this area, staying within 5km of each other).
That they’re closely related to the killer whale is obvious (see it’s blunt beak in the photo below). Well, as obvious as anything gets with Irrawaddy dolphins, who are much more chilled than their cousins – perhaps that’s why they choose Kratie to hang out every year.
I’m telling you this because the photos contain, shall we say, limited visual information about them. They surface to breathe (a lovely sound when they exhale) and that’s about it. We saw some frolicking, but in a very relaxed kind of way. These are the best shots I got:
But I decided to enjoy watching them, rather than spend my time with them holding up my camera, making my arms ache, only for them to strike a pose just after I’d given up. So here’s one someone else took – they can take the glory, and the time investment, and I’ll just steal their photo:
Then it was off through the streets in our tuk-tuk:
… to “The Pagoda of 100 pillars” (English translation, obviously and not entirely accurate because it actually has 116):
Then to the turtle centre. Small, but interesting and I’ve never seen soft-shelled turtles before. Apparently the shells never harden because they have no natural predators in the Mekong. Due to poor survival rates, they take the newborns into the centre for 10 months, when they release them back into the wild:
They love to bury themselves (for cooling down?):
They also have a few bigger ones, I think it’s their retirement home. Most seemed pretty happy with their lot, especially this one:
The journey back, via Sambok, is worth mentioning: it’s a wonderful trip through real Cambodia life. Wooden houses line the street, with wooden ramps (for rainy season) up to the entrances. We saw many different designs, with some in brick with ornate staircases and mahogany furnishings, and others barely standing. Like a microcosm of Cambodia life.
The “mountain” is a hill. And not a big one at that…. said the Hampshire lass. Round here, it’s a mountain. A wonderfully peaceful place, there are three tiers and the site is a meditation centre with a reasonable contingent of disciples, who live in the wooden sheds around the commune (like beach huts, but not decorated and generally in very poor condition). And, like the rest of Cambodia, the place was full of litter. More about this later.
I’m not sure I’ll ever trump the elephants, but today’s wildlife review is pretty impressive with this chap:
And here he’s feeling threatened:
By this immature prat who was taunting him:
Tried the stern look on him, but it didn’t work. A good telling-off from one of the inhabitants did the trick though.
Good views from the top, peaking between the trees that contribute to the calm of the place, hiding it from the world:
And then dinner and sunset by the Mekong:
… followed by a massage and drinks in the hotel bar. Living the dream. Fantastic day 🙂