The elusive dolphins of Kratie, Cambodia

This town was on the smaller side of the population scale. Not a lot to do here, We heard there were a small number of endangered fresh water dolphins in there Mekong River. So we rented a pair of bikes and took off up north following the riverside. After about an hour or so we found a turnoff that indicated a monk sanctuary. We decided to follow the dirt trail and came to a steep hill where we had to walk our bikes up. We met a young monk who spoke little English who told us his aunt supports him while he lives in solitude upon the hilltop because his parents are too poor. There were many statues and stairs involved as we walked around. On one end we sww many murals of Buddha escaping what looked like hell.  We watched a gang of monkeys stalk and viciously attack this dog. We knew it was time to go as the monkeys also stalked us while we walked the stairway down. The monk also told us they don't like and attack children. Back on the road and finally reach our destination only to find out it costs $9 to view the dolphins. We did not want to pay so we road about 1Km up river to avoid payment. We can across these "floating huts" residing over the grand rapids of the mighty Mekong. They had a walk way that crossed the river while attached to each hut that led to a small island on the river. Once we reached the same covered island We found a group of children followed us and were throwing dirt at us. We needed to find refuge so we crossed the deep river way moving from island to island with our gear high above our heads. We found solitude while we ate a nutella sandwich and bathed in the river. Afterwards we walked along the riverside wading through thick bushes and trees hoping to see the elusive dolphins. There it was, a small dorsal fin popping just about the surface. We sat and watched them swim for a bit then headed back to our bikes. Instead we find a group of drunk men dancing, blasting music and shooting at us to join them. We didn't want to upset them so we went and danced for a while on their small mat they set up. It was actually fun throwing flips and seeing how excited they would get. We thanked them and were on our way.