Kratie

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Kratie was our alloted stop-over on the journey north. It is literally a dot of a town, you can see it in less than 5 minutes on foot. It is also the home to the rare and endangered species of Irrawaddy dolphin which we were all keen to see.

We only had 2 nights in Kratie and that was more than enough in my opinion. Although it was Khmer New Year and the hostels and restaurants were understaffed and overworked we found the locals to be grumpy from morning to night. It was a cheap enough place to hangout though. Diana and I shared our nightly room cost of $5 and meals were generally between $2-4.

We did see the dolphins and the guides do seem to be doing their bit and not getting too close to them but it is hard to define the experience. These dolphins are not like the ones we are used to. Our dolphin species seem to be playful and interactive. These dolphins kept their distance, surfaced only when they needed to and seemed very serious- no playing was had. I asked the question, is this just because they are a different species or is it because people chase them around all day and they've had it up to here? I guess i'll never know but because of this I wouldn't reccommend it to others. We paid $7 each to be taken on a 60minute boat ride around the river dolphin seeking. I hope some of this money goes into species protection like they promise on the ticket.

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Photos

Dolphin spotting
This is the most I saw of Mr. Irrawaddy.

Market mayhem
Kratie market on a weekend morning. The whole town comes out to shop- it's a wonderful sight.

Comments

[Esther Whitmee]

check out the power lines
Hi Chloe, we are a little spoilt for dolphin spotting in Oz. I was amazed at the power lines over the top of the markets. It looks organised chaos. Hope you are having a great trip and you are in our prayers. Hugs from Es

[Westernred]

Hi to Esther
Hi Esther, I was so happy to read your comments. It's lovely of you to check out my blog. It always makes my day when I know someone is actually reading what I write. How were your holidays? Did you go away or just relax at home? I just picked up my Vietnamese visa today and so I will be off to Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday morning. I am excited about continuing with my adventure. Thanks again for your comments. It really is wonderful to hear from home. Tell everyone at school I say hello. Much love, Chloe

[brenda]

Hi Chloe, it is lovely to have contact again with you. What a shame it was a bit disappointing in K..... never mind, most of your adventures have been wonderful experiences. I guess one or two not so good help you appreciate the others. The photos are excellent. I love the one with the child and father under the umbrella.... so poetic. Love you my darling! Mum