Dejavue - from Darßwald to the Oder

We wake up punctually at 5:30 am together with the sun and go outside in our sleepwear, equipped with flashlights, to discover the first animals.

Kerstin promised pictures of the happy elephant, except for a white one - insiders know what I'm talking about - we haven't seen any yet. However, we did spot a squirrel. The birds are already hard at work - they had a blast competing with each other with their singing. With the rising sun, we embark on a boat ride along the river through the jungle at 6:30 am. Getting up early is worth it: in addition to a beautiful landscape, we encounter rare birds and a family of monkeys.

As we stand on the bridge during our onshore excursion and look downstream, I think of Dresden and the Oder. A beautiful feeling. After a two-hour drive and a small breakfast, we continue by jeep 10 km into the park and then on foot through the jungle towards the crocodile playground.

What a forest. We walk past lava rock, intertwined with green and brown, majestic or standing alone. We are in awe of 500-year-old trees and we are thrilled. And this is not hocus-pocus, we can feel the energy these mighty trees emit. After a 5-kilometer hike, we reach an adventurous wooden structure, some kind of observation platform, where we make ourselves comfortable on old chairs and wait. After about 20 minutes, we see 2 eyes and the nose of a crocodile in the distance. What luck. But still no elephant. The landscape reminds me of the Oderbruch. Everything seems incredibly peaceful. The animals do their thing, as always extremely smooth. Stress would only arise here if another actor wanted to join in. The crocodile continues to circle and eventually disappears, inconspicuously, just as it appeared, modestly from the scene. Our sightings include a large gecko and several birds. Satisfied, we begin the journey back, watching monkeys jumping from tree to tree and along the way, we learn from Than, our guide, that Vietnamese families are now required to have a maximum of two children. A penalty is imposed for the third child, and an explanation must be given as to how it was possible! 😊 We wonder if this can work in the long run with the large number of 6 million Catholics in the country, the second largest Catholic community in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, and what Rome has to say about it.

Distracted by talking, we continue walking, leaving behind the wonderful photo opportunities. Suddenly, Than comes to an abrupt stop as if frozen. Instinctively, we do the same, without understanding the cause of this pantomime-like freezing of movement. It lays in front of us on the ground, black and about 100 cm long: a viper. It waits and finally slithers elegantly onto the lava rock into the depths of the jungle. So there it was, our little lesson on attention in the jungle. We follow the reptile with our eyes and continue on to the agreed meeting point.

After an adventurous drive through the jungle on the jeep, where we discover many parts of the wild Darßwald, we head to our final destination, the animal sanctuary.

On the grounds of the National Park, the Malayan bear, a particularly protected species, finds refuge from persecution by humans. The bears were confiscated by the authorities because they were kidnapped as cubs by poachers for resale. In addition to the bears, the funny orange-colored gibbons also found shelter on the premises.

We say goodbye to Than with a traditional dinner and prepare our departure tomorrow morning to Ho Chi Minh City.

Stefan