Last week we went to Kratie (Kracheh) to see the rare Irrawaddy fresh water river dolphins. There’s about 75 of them living in a small stretch of the Mekong river ( 340 km north of Phnom Penh ). We were met at Kratie by a gentleman Sotheary knew from working at “ Hagar”. Sourn is retired and was pleased to take us around. He took us out to where we got a local boat and slowly moved out into the river. Almost immediately we heard this loud “wwhhhoooosh” and in the distance were the dolphins. The noise is them clearing their breathing tubes (just like whales). We floated around for an hour seeing them on and off the whole time. Once, two of them surfaced right beside us (about 25 feet). They’re quite striking, a sort of grayish, pinkish color, a blunt nose and, of course, a dorsal fin. Unfortunately getting a picture was a challenge as you never knew when they would surface and they stayed above the surface only 5 seconds or so- just long enough to blow out their air tubes and suck more air in. Anyway, about the middle of the video you get a glance at one. I’ll tell you more about Sourn later.
This Mekong River is truly a great river. It starts in north -west China, comes down through Laos, through Cambodia and finally through southern Vietnam and out to the South China Sea. All along this route water is flowing in from both sides. From dry season to wet season the river rises 25 feet. Another huge river (Tonle Sap) coming down from the north of Cambodia joins the Mekong at Phnom Penh. When the Mekong reaches its highest level it causes the Tonle Sap to reverse its flow. The water that reverses flows up the Tonle Sap river and fills a huge lake in central Cambodia (called the Tonle Sap Lake). It’s the biggest fresh water lake in Asia. The presence of this lake in Cambodia is the reason there are many fishermen in Cambodia. There are city people in Cambodia, fishermen in Cambodia and rice farmers in Cambodia.
To finish up let’s look at some people whom we will always remember.
MUM Sotheary’s sister who works for Sotheary and who we see every day. What a wonderful lady. She and Susan brutalize the English and Khmer languages while talking to each other. Somehow they communicate—I think it’s a woman thing. Mum does all sorts of things for us, like getting us special food at the market, making “different” Khmer foods and bringing them up for us to try (she says we’re good Khmers – we’ll try anything!), asking us to her place for Chinese New Years, buying silk for us, inviting us to family gatherings. We both love her. She’s a priceless treasure.
PHANNA Activities director at a drug rehabilitation center sponsored by Ratanak. His English is excellent and when we asked where he learned, he said he had learned from reading a dictionary! This man loves the kids who come to the facility. The center is in a Muslin district and suffers persecution as a result. Nothing stops Phalla. He’s big, he’s strong, the kids love him - what a fine example for these youngsters to look up to.
CHANDA An example of the local talent just waiting to be used to move Cambodia out of the darkness. She’s a bright light, eager to help her country. Smart. Educated. Willing. She is the head physiotherapist at TLC, trained at a medical university in Phnom Penh and advanced training taken in Singapore. She directs TLC, a center for handicapped children as well as Sunrise School where those who are unable to go to a regular school take literacy classes. TLC is sponsored by Ratanak.
NY The girl we sponsor at “Place of Rescue”. Her mother died of AIDS at Rescue, and her father died prior to that. She is 16 in grade 7. She had never been to school when she came to Rescue at10 years of age. We met her then and have loved her from the first. She wants to do medical work. Chances are pretty good she’ll reach her goal.
MR. MONG Our driver each time we have been in Cambodia. He speaks excellent English, knows every nook and cranny of Phnom Penh, (there are plenty of these in Phnom Penh), is honest, has a good sense of humor. How is it that we are so blessed to have found this man?
KIM (on the left). What’s the difference between Kim and the previous 5? Can you guess? She’s Canadian. She recently graduated from nursing. She’s here in Phnom Penh living on a shoestring and doing medical work at “Daughters of Cambodia” (an organization that helps women who have voluntarily left the brothels). Daughters is also funded by Ratanak. Look Kim up on her blog kimberlyfoster.blogspot.com and once you read this blog you will not forget Kim.
SOURN- Sourn was our guide in Kratie. He’s something else. Speaks Chinese, Khmer, English, French and Vietnamese. I complained about having to take French in school. Sourn was born in Vietnam in 1937, his father died when he was 2 months old and, same old, same old, his mother was extremely poor. At the age of 9 he hopped on the roof of a bus and in 2 days arrived in Phnom Penh. No particular reason, saw the bus and decided it was time to get going somewhere. Once in Phnom Penh the R.C. fathers found him, took him in and cared for him. During this time he learned French and Khmer and took all of his schooling. Once he left the fathers, he did several things - worked in a Chinese business (learned Chinese), worked for the U.S. army, survived the Pol Pot years (he said that the Khmer Rouge starved the people so they couldn’t think politics only survival) and worked as a bicycle repair man. In about 1994 a man came into his bicycle shop way up in Stung Treng near the Laos border and began to talk to him. The man, Pierre Tami from Switzerland, asked Sourn if he could speak French. “Yes.” Pierre said, “Then you are my friend”. He had been praying for a French-speaking friend in Cambodia. Sourn fit the bill and the man hired him. Pierre started the Christian organization known as “Hagar”. The organization is now in several countries. The mandate of Hagar is to help women and children at risk. Sourn worked with Hagar for 15 years. While at Hagar Sourn learned English from Pierre’s children and translated wherever he was needed - example: interviews re Hagar on French and Singaporian TV stations. Sotheary knew Sourn because she worked at Hagar in the financial department at the same time Sourn worked at Hagar.
Sourn is now retired in Kratia where he owns 10 hectares of land and is busy preparing to go into organic farming (at 72)
Last week we went to Kratie (Kracheh) to see the rare Irrawaddy fresh water river dolphins. There’s about 75 of them living in a small stretch of the Mekong river ( 340 km north of Phnom Penh ). We were met at Kratie by a gentleman Sotheary knew from working at “ Hagar”. Sourn is retired and was pleased to take us around. He took us out to where we got a local boat and slowly moved out into the river. Almost immediately we heard this loud “wwhhhoooosh” and in the distance were the dolphins. The noise is them clearing their breathing tubes (just like whales). We floated around for an hour seeing them on and off the whole time. Once, two of them surfaced right beside us (about 25 feet). They’re quite striking, a sort of grayish, pinkish color, a blunt nose and, of course, a dorsal fin. Unfortunately getting a picture was a challenge as you never knew when they would surface and they stayed above the surface only 5 seconds or so- just long enough to blow out their air tubes and suck more air in. Anyway, about the middle of the video you get a glance at one. I’ll tell you more about Sourn later.
This Mekong River is truly a great river. It starts in north -west China, comes down through Laos, through Cambodia and finally through southern Vietnam and out to the South China Sea. All along this route water is flowing in from both sides. From dry season to wet season the river rises 25 feet. Another huge river (Tonle Sap) coming down from the north of Cambodia joins the Mekong at Phnom Penh. When the Mekong reaches its highest level it causes the Tonle Sap to reverse its flow. The water that reverses flows up the Tonle Sap river and fills a huge lake in central Cambodia (called the Tonle Sap Lake). It’s the biggest fresh water lake in Asia. The presence of this lake in Cambodia is the reason there are many fishermen in Cambodia. There are city people in Cambodia, fishermen in Cambodia and rice farmers in Cambodia.
To finish up let’s look at some people whom we will always remember.
MUM Sotheary’s sister who works for Sotheary and who we see every day. What a wonderful lady. She and Susan brutalize the English and Khmer languages while talking to each other. Somehow they communicate—I think it’s a woman thing. Mum does all sorts of things for us, like getting us special food at the market, making “different” Khmer foods and bringing them up for us to try (she says we’re good Khmers – we’ll try anything!), asking us to her place for Chinese New Years, buying silk for us, inviting us to family gatherings. We both love her. She’s a priceless treasure.
PHALLA Activities director at a drug rehabilitation center sponsored by Ratanak. His English is excellent and when we asked where he learned, he said he had learned from reading a dictionary! This man loves the kids who come to the facility. The center is in a Muslin district and suffers persecution as a result. Nothing stops Phalla. He’s big, he’s strong, the kids love him - what a fine example for these youngsters to look up to.
CHANDA An example of the local talent just waiting to be used to move Cambodia out of the darkness. She’s a bright light, eager to help her country. Smart. Educated. Willing. She is the head physiotherapist at TLC, trained at a medical university in Phnom Penh and advanced training taken in Singapore. She directs TLC, a center for handicapped children as well as Sunrise School where those who are unable to go to a regular school take literacy classes. TLC is sponsored by Ratanak.
NY The girl we sponsor at “Place of Rescue”. Her mother died of AIDS at Rescue, and her father died prior to that. She is 16 in grade 7. She had never been to school when she came to Rescue at10 years of age. We met her then and have loved her from the first. She wants to do medical work. Chances are pretty good she’ll reach her goal.
MR. MONG Our driver each time we have been in Cambodia. He speaks excellent English, knows every nook and cranny of Phnom Penh, (there are plenty of these in Phnom Penh), is honest, has a good sense of humor. How is it that we are so blessed to have found this man?
KIM (on the left). What’s the difference between Kim and the previous 5? Can you guess? She’s Canadian. She recently graduated from nursing. She’s here in Phnom Penh living on a shoestring and doing medical work at “Daughters of Cambodia” (an organization that helps women who have voluntarily left the brothels). Daughters is also funded by Ratanak. Look Kim up on her blog kimberlyfoster.blogspot.com and once you read this blog you will not forget Kim.
SOURN- Sourn was our guide in Kratie. He’s something else. Speaks Chinese, Khmer, English, French and Vietnamese. I complained about having to take French in school. Sourn was born in Vietnam in 1937, his father died when he was 2 months old and, same old, same old, his mother was extremely poor. At the age of 9 he hopped on the roof of a bus and in 2 days arrived in Phnom Penh. No particular reason, saw the bus and decided it was time to get going somewhere. Once in Phnom Penh the R.C. fathers found him, took him in and cared for him. During this time he learned French and Khmer and took all of his schooling. Once he left the fathers, he did several things - worked in a Chinese business (learned Chinese), worked for the U.S. army, survived the Pol Pot years (he said that the Khmer Rouge starved the people so they couldn’t think politics only survival) and worked as a bicycle repair man. In about 1994 a man came into his bicycle shop way up in Stung Treng near the Laos border and began to talk to him. The man, Pierre Tami from Switzerland, asked Sourn if he could speak French. “Yes.” Pierre said, “Then you are my friend”. He had been praying for a French-speaking friend in Cambodia. Sourn fit the bill and the man hired him. Pierre started the Christian organization known as “Hagar”. The organization is now in several countries. The mandate of Hagar is to help women and children at risk. Sourn worked with Hagar for 15 years. While at Hagar Sourn learned English from Pierre’s children and translated wherever he was needed - example: interviews re Hagar on French and Singaporian TV stations. Sotheary knew Sourn because she worked at Hagar in the financial department at the same time Sourn worked at Hagar.
Sourn is now retired in Kratia where he owns 10 hectares of land and is busy preparing to go into organic farming (at 72)
This sign tells all you need to know about the road to Mondulkiri. Signs like this were common and always heralded much trouble ahead.
On the road up we passed many rubber plantations. Quite a sight- acre upon acre of trees planted in rows. All the collection is done by hand, attach a catch basin, cut the tree above and let the resin drain down into the basin.Talk about labor intensive.
This area is a tribal area. We drove out to see the Bunong tribe.While driving through the area we decided to stop at this house. Under the house these tribal girls were weaving, of course we had to buy some products. While there we found out that the whole village was Christian (surprise). Paul had been wondering if he would see anyone who had borrowed money from the organization he works for (AMK- a microfinancing company). Another surprise, the husband of one of the ladies had borrowed from AMK. What a small world, stop in the middle of nowhere and find a client of AMK! While these people have their own language they also speak Khmer, so Sotheary was able to communicate with them.
On the way back to the car the guy controlling our elephant asked Sakada (Sotheary's nephew) if he wanted to ride up at the head and pretend he was the master of the elephant. "Sure" said Sakada. Here Sakada is leading the band of weary travellers home.
