Dolphin Day 26th of January

Dolphin Day 26th of January

Yesterday turned into an unexpected day off work

Some of those loveable wags in my office have dubbed the day ‘Dolphin Day’

But I am getting ahead of myself…

In an effort to beautify the Ministry a somewhat random set of odds and sods have been appearing around the place over the last few months.

New fishes in the aquarium in the foyer, a new display cabinet there to with bits of old broken things in it.

A fishing boat in the car park, and a huge rattan and bamboo fishing trap by the entrance - and when I say huge I mean six feet in diameter and twelve foot long...

Another display item was to be a skeleton of a rare Irrawaddy dolphin. Unfortunately when it arrived, it was a full carcase – more than a little aromatic I can tell you !

So, rather than send it off to an already identified specialist to have it stripped down to the bones, the bones wired and set and a full exhibition exhibit returned what do my beloved colleagues do ?

Figuring to save a few bucks, they decided that it would be cheaper if they buried the carcase for a couple of months, then dug it up, then sent just the bones over to the institute to assemble and turn into an exhibit.

Thus the plan was conceived. The next part was the actual implementation.

Well, none of my guys were going to get there hands dirty digging a hole in the car park, so they paid a motodope driver 20,000 riel (US$5) to dig the hole and bury it.

Leaving him with a shovel and a dead dolphin we all go off for breakfast.

An hour later, full of rice and iced coffee, we stroll back to the Ministry.

Odd. None of the lights are on?

mmm, no electricity.

So it is too dark to work, lets pop out to the garden and see what is going on.

Once round the back of the building we see a crowd of Khmers standing in the corner where we left the motodope.

As we draw nearer, we see the motodope sitting on the ground looking somewhat dazed and unhappy.

One swift conversation later we discover the reasons for everything.

It seem that our fearless hole digger had struck something metallic during his excavation. Rather than be deterred he sets about hacking at it with the shovel and great gusto, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 swings…

BANG !!!

Yes, the main power line into the building was severed and he was thrown 20 yards back across the ground.

No electricity for the rest of the day while they waited for the Electricity Company to come and fix it – US$200 please thank you very much.

Would have been cheaper to just send the dolphin carcase off in the first place.

So, now that we have a stunned motodope and no money, the dolphin carcase is just laying in the car park under a piece of tarpaulin – becoming even more aromatic by the day…

Only in the Ministry of Fish in Cambodia…