* Thinking back to those days travelling without a care in the world while writing this piece in my room in Singapore in 2021 after a year of COVID-19 just feels so unreal .... somehow the invisible chain has set in ... and I wonder when could we do these types of cross cultural soul searching in future.
Kratie was a nice little quiet town unlike any I have seen in Cambodia. Most towns I rode through along Cambodia was either very small and dusty while the slightly more bigger one would be very noisy and cluttered. Kratie was different, it was quiet and somehow peaceful. Seeing sunset along the Mekong river and just watching it flow was the most natural thing to do every evening.
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| Kratie - Sunset |
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| A Fishing Boat at Kratie - Mekong River |
The Mekong Dolphins,
Of course I had to go see the Mekong Dolphins ... or as they call it ... the Irrawaddy dolphins. It was a tourist trap in a way but still the experience was worth the trip. I mean we got on a boat, either sharing or alone with the boat guide which was relatively affordable and controlled price by the tourism industry board of Cambodia.
They propel out with the motor engine and near a certain spot they would kill the engine and slowly peddle manually ever so slowly closer towards the dolphins. Apparently the dolphins just hang around these parts of the Mekong all year round. Its their home and in a way, would not be able to go very far upstream or downstream as the Mekong river becomes shallow or narrow.
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| Irrawaddy Dolphins Viewing Spot in Kratie |
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| Looking for Break-line in the Water for Irrawaddy Dolphins - Kratie |
One could only see every so much a moment, slight tip of the top fin of a bunch of dolphins ... usually 2 or 3 in a group and then they would dive and we would hunt the waterline waiting for a break to catch another glimpse of the top fins of Irrawaddy dolphins. Photos was of course near impossible to catch with all these brief moments and after a while looking at some boats with DSLR franticly trying to snap photos of the dolphins when they are spotted felt ridiculous. I decided to just sit, look out and enjoy the breeze and occasionally smile at the passing breakwater tip of an Irrawaddy dolphin swimming closely
Kampi Resort
Nearby Kratie was the Kampi Resort. I decided to stop since it looked like a tourist souvenir trap but found out it was like a day resort retreat. Floating huts on top the Mekong river where one could dip in to the cold and fast flowing rapids of the Mekong river on a hot afternoon was really an ingenious idea. Coupled with hammocks and food service, if only it was not that expensive. Thinking back ... it was not really expensive when compared to Malaysia or Singapore ... but I had normalized to local value of money.
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| Kampi Resort - Kratie |
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| Swimming In the Mekong River at Kampi Resort - Kratie |
Traveled on: Mar 2019
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