A few days ago we crossed into Kampuchea for the fourth time, and stopped in yet another Mekong River town. Like every small village and big city that we visited in Laos, the people of Kratie lived off the mighty Mekong River and had that same friendly, laid-back charm. The only difference for us was that we could finally speak a bit more of their language, which makes those random local encounters so much more fun!

We stopped in Kratie for one reason - to spot the rare and endangered freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphin. These guys have been basically wiped out from the rivers of China and India, but the short stretch of river from Kratie to the Laos border is home to a few hundred at least. In an effort to promote conservation, a few international organisations have convinced local fishers and farmers of the benefits of increased tourism, which the dolphins could attract.

Although it rained almost the entire time, we hired bikes again and rode out to the dolphin-watching boat dock in Kampi, luckily only 16km away. The road was part of an ecotourism project called the 'Mekong Discovery Trail' and passed through dozens of friendly villages, smiling and waving as we passed. We stopped for some Krolan, which the area is famous for. This tasty snack consists of sticky rice, coconut and lentils mixed up and steamed in a piece of bamboo.. Ch'ngun na! With bamboo and rice in hand, we spotted a hilltop meditation retreat on Phnom Wat, and ventured up for some nice views of the surrounding rice crops.

We knew we were getting close to Kampi when every man in site was carving wooden dolphin ornaments. It's a wonder all the noisy electric sanders havn't driven the dolphins away! A quiet young fisherman who didn't speak much English motored us a few kilometres upriver and anchored close to the shore. Within 30 seconds two or three pods of dolphins showed us their dorsal fins. We watched the animals for a while as they fought the current and set a trap for the helpless fish which were being swept downriver. The Irrawaddy weren't as egocentric as the Bottlenoses back home, and we barely saw any jumping or tail slapping, although they definitely knew we were there. We tried desperately to capture that perfect action photograph, and failed, although it was beautifully peaceful to just sit back and admire these graceful creatures in their natural habitat.

We would have loved to head east and see some more of this beautiful part of Cambodia, but time is running out so we've jumped on a bus, destined for Siam Reap, and Cambodia's jewel, the ancient temples of Angkor!