-^-for posterity-^-

today i was privileged enough to travel with a group of friends to a wetland preserve. this actual piece of land was like no other i have encountered in vietnam. it was pristine and there were no people.

this land preservation began in 1978 and is still not generally open to the public. they will begin to turn this in to some sort of an eco-tourist spot in the near future and i was fully impressed.

the day began early as we loaded into a van for the hour and 20 minute ride into the countryside. it is currently the flooding season which means that all of the fields to the left and right of the roads are completely inundated by water. the road is built about one meter above ground level and it feels like you’re driving on a giant bridge surrounded by small island houses. people move around on small boats. dogs stay inside. birds fly from tree to tree.

the ubiquitous canals that streak across the mekong all become invisible. one can only guess at their position as large boats follow a distinct pattern. the line separating the shores and the fields is impossible to distinguish.

we arrived at our nature preserve after driving for five minutes over a one lane dirt road built quite high above the water. we drove over two thin bridges, one of which had a sign that said no cars, and eventually stopped at the wetland preserve’s head office.

we soon piled into small boats propelled by large engines and were off through the flooded fields.

i have never seen water so clear in all of vietnam. the normal color for water traveling up and down the river is a dull brown but this water glistened. it was clear but silver. it was like crystal mercury. it lapped at the sides of the boat and you could see all the way down to the bottom, to the beginnings of the moss and lily pads that danced on the surface. it felt less like we were floating on water and more like we were floating on air.

after a bit of a trek the driver of the boat cut the engine and pulled for his oar. he paddled for a bit and lead us through a narrow cluster of trees. we finally turned a corner and saw what we had come to see. the trees sagged under the weight of thousands of giant, black beings. they hung upside-down and looked like black flower buds. as we came closer, they began to rustle. wings moved and bodies twitched. finally, one took to the air.

we had come to the edge of their home and stopped. we looked up at the sky as the trees erupted in activity. these black and brown bats were swooping all around us. they were gigantic. these were not your stereotypical bats that zip around caves but these were lumbering, flying foxes. they flew above our heads and we could see the sunlight through their translucent wings. their arms grew into those wings and the movement they used to propel themselves was disturbingly human. it looked like a crippled old man with rubber wings trying to stay afloat. they took giant swats at the sky.

we estimated that the wingspan of the bats was about three feet long. the sky was black with them as, according to the park ranger, there were about 1,500 of them all around. they all circled, counterclockwise. it was honestly one of the strangest things i have ever seen. sitting on a boat above perfectly hypnotic water and watching giant bats, looking all the mammal they should, flap above us as a hitchcock-like hurricane.

the rest of the day was spent traveling around the preserve and admiring all of the nature, the pure beauty. we left for home and slept in the van. it was a beautiful day. nature has a way of making me feel just like an animal, both good and bad.