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Kratie - les dauphins irrwaddy

sunny 38 °C

FRANCAIS
En route pour la frontiere du Laos, nous nous sommes arretes a Kratie pour 2 jours afin de voir les dauphins irrwaddy, espece en voie d'extinction.
Ils etaient plus de 1000 dans la partie du Mekong traversant le nord du Cambodge et le sud du Laos, mais apres les Khmer rouges, on n'en compte plus que 75...

Pour etre honnete, c'etait un attrape-touristes: 7 euros pour rester 1h30 a cramer au soleil et voir quelques ailerons (ils sautent pas ces dauphins ou quoi??), merci!
Surtout que ca va pas dans une organisation les protegeant ou quoi que ce soit...

ENGLISH
On the way to the border of Laos, we stopped in Kratie for 2 days to see the irrwaddy dolphins, an endangered species.
There were more than 1000 in the part of the Mekong crossing the north of Cambodia and the south of Laos, but after the Khmer rouges, there are only 75 left...

To be honest, it was a tourist-trap: 7 euros to burn under the sun during 1h30 and see a few fins (why are they not jumping these dolphins??), thank you very much!
Plus the money doesn't even go to an organisation protecting them or anything like that...

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(Entretien avec un vampire revisite par Gearoid Fitzgibbon sur le Mekong)
(Interview with a vampire revisited by Gearoid Fitzgibbon on the Mekong)

Du coup vous savez toujours pas a quoi ca ressemble un dauphin irrwaddy! Ben nous non plus, donc voila quelques images du net. Et svp ne dites pas qu'ils sont moches, j'ai passe ma journee a dire a Gearoid que les pauvres, ils sont quand meme en voie d'extinction (ca n'a pas vraiment marche, il continue encore a se foutre de leur tete. C'est un cas desespere).

In the end, you still don't know what they look like, the irrwaddy dolphins! Well, neither do we so here are some pictures from internet. And please don't say that they're ugly, I already spent all my day telling Gearoid that poor dolphins, they're still endangered (it didnt work he's still taking the piss out of their faces. He's a hopeless case).

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Bon heureusement on a vu une empreinte de dinosaure :)
Well, thank god at least we saw the footprint of a dinosaur :)

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On a aussi revu nos copains francais de Siem Rep, Caro et Justin, avec qui on s'est fait une bonne aprem tarot-biere bien de chez nous. Ca y est, Gearoid sait jouer il lui manque plus qu'un verre de Ricard et c'est un vrai francais :)

We also met our french friends from Siem Rep, Caro and Justin, with who we spent a great beer-and-cards afternoon. As you see, Gearoid learnt how to play "tarot" (not astrological, a french cards game). All he needs is a glass of Pernod Anise in his hand to look like a typical french guy :)

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Prochaine etape: Laos!!!
Next step: Laos!!!

Posted by g-c 10:16 Archived in Cambodia Tagged ecotourism

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Comments

Wondering why ye hadn't sent updates lately. Thought that Claire was in deep distress after the French exit from the World cup. (We were all crying here in Ireland!!!)
When ye come back to Ireland I will take ye for a drive on the N69 and show ye all the dolphins ye want.
Again guys,some wonderful pictures.Well done and take care.
Ger

by ger

I have to agree with Gearoid on this one. These dolphins are really ugly!

by mathilde

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