Adventure on the Mekong
Part of our team trips with RAW Impact involve a kayaking trip while in Karatié. I have been on a few team trips as the logistics person but never able to go on the trip because of group size. I have been looking forward to the day when there would be room for me to join. That day came last week when they had room for one more!
I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT!
Since I was the extra person I got to paddle with the tour guide. It was great to practice my Khmer with him but we soon got over that and I let him tell me all the facts about the Mekong in English.
The groups are 12 tourists and two guides. The first bit is hard because you have to cross over the river and explore on the other side. I remember thinking half way across how crazy this is because once you start you have to finish and it's hard! I had already been hoeing a garden all morning and now I was paddling across this river!
The kayaks are open and made for two people. I stored my phone/camera in a small dry bag they provided for me. My life vest was a bit cold and wet when I put it on but at least it wasn't too hot out.
Midway on the trip we stop at a sand bar and get out to splash around in the river. In this area it's shallow and we don't have to worry about the giant stingrays or catfish that my tour guide has told me about. I still don't venture to far in, mainly because I had forgotten my swimmers (that's Aussie for swimsuit) and didn't want to wear a wet shirt for the rest of the trip.
It had been pretty standard looking for the first half. Lots of water, currents and bushes growing out of the sand bars that see daylight during the dry season. The second half however was THE BEST. The water picked up because of the trees causing eddies and that made mini bumps in the river. So here's what's way cool; they call it the floating forest because the trees grow in the river and with the water going up and down twice a year the roots look as if they have been pushed to one side by the wind, it's really the water flowing past during the rainy season. As it's the dry season starting now the river is quite low so take a look at how cool it is.
I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT!
Since I was the extra person I got to paddle with the tour guide. It was great to practice my Khmer with him but we soon got over that and I let him tell me all the facts about the Mekong in English.
The groups are 12 tourists and two guides. The first bit is hard because you have to cross over the river and explore on the other side. I remember thinking half way across how crazy this is because once you start you have to finish and it's hard! I had already been hoeing a garden all morning and now I was paddling across this river!
The kayaks are open and made for two people. I stored my phone/camera in a small dry bag they provided for me. My life vest was a bit cold and wet when I put it on but at least it wasn't too hot out.
Midway on the trip we stop at a sand bar and get out to splash around in the river. In this area it's shallow and we don't have to worry about the giant stingrays or catfish that my tour guide has told me about. I still don't venture to far in, mainly because I had forgotten my swimmers (that's Aussie for swimsuit) and didn't want to wear a wet shirt for the rest of the trip.
It had been pretty standard looking for the first half. Lots of water, currents and bushes growing out of the sand bars that see daylight during the dry season. The second half however was THE BEST. The water picked up because of the trees causing eddies and that made mini bumps in the river. So here's what's way cool; they call it the floating forest because the trees grow in the river and with the water going up and down twice a year the roots look as if they have been pushed to one side by the wind, it's really the water flowing past during the rainy season. As it's the dry season starting now the river is quite low so take a look at how cool it is.
Once we got out all the way past the floating forest we were back in the open several kilometers down the river. It was here that we started looking for the beautiful Mekong Dolphins! These little guys are in much smaller numbers because of people wanting them for meat, oil or killing them in their fishing lines or explosions with bomb fishing. They also might move away to another area because of the noise of boats and people.
This is me with the tour guide, Lucky. I am making my Mekong friendly pirate face.
We slowed down once out of the forest and enjoyed the nature and openness of the Mekong. We did see the beautiful dolphins. They are a shy bunch. They came up for air and then would dive back down again. It was pointless to try and take a picture because you wouldn't have been able to see them anyway. So I recommend going here if you want to see what they look like and learn more about them. They were wonderful creations. They reminded me of whales, which I love, and they were magnificent.
What I would really love to do is go back up to Karatié for a long weekend and go kayaking all day long. It was so beautiful out there, peaceful and such a powerful reminder of God and the beauty he has made. I don't get to see heaps of nature living in Phnom Penh. It was perfect timing to be invited to go with the group. I'll be back, perhaps I'll be back with you when you come for a visit!
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