Updates from the Road: And We Saw Their Noses!

It's a beautifully warm evening in Kratie. Mom and I finally made it up here after a 6-hour bus ride turned into 8. We stopped for 20 minutes every 20 minutes. I'm not joking. It took forver.

But it was definitely worth the trip. We saw a ton of Irrawaddy dolphins strolling the river as the sun began to set over the Mekong. The most impressive sight was a whole pod that emerged at the surface at once. There must have been seven or so of them.

And we saw their noses! These dolphins don't have the typical porpoise nose that you would imagine. Instead, it's flat and rounded. They were close and coming up fairly high so we got to see a good bit of them. So cool!

In other trip news:

• The airlines lost Mom's luggage in DC, so at the moment, she is living off the bare necessities.
• Mom road her first moto. She looked a little stiff and nervous, but is holding up well. (Pictures to come!)
• Mom also had her first encounter with a spider (the soon-to-be edible, but still alive variety) at one of our rest stops. A girl selling fruit asked if Mom would like to hold it. She declined.
• Savoring the last bits of amazing fruit before heading home.