But aside from all of my lizard friends, another very interesting animal element of Sóc Trăng is the Bat Pagoda, Chua Doi in Vietnamese. This Khmer pagoda is one of many in Sóc Trăng, but what differentiates it is the numerous tall trees surrounding it that are home to a small colony of fruit bats. Did you know that a group of bats is called a colony? I didn’t until 30 seconds ago when I looked it up! As you walk past the main, beautiful building, you can hear a screeching from above your head. Then, if you peer up into the top branches of the trees, you will spot these bats (that are quite large) fanning their wings to stay cool in the beating Vietnamese sun.
After some research, I found out that this pagoda is actually 452 years old–almost twice as old as the United States. The reason why the bats reside there is a mystery, but some speculate that it is due to the fruit forests nearby, the pagoda’s ancient trees or even a spiritual draw.
The coolest thing I saw in nature this week was actually my final animal encounter that went down less than 50 feet from my dormitory room. After one of the largest thunder storms that I have experienced here in Sóc Trăng, when I was walking to my first class, I noticed something odd on the path in front of me. To my surprise, I looked down to see a fully alive fish flopping on the cement of the school! This may not sound very odd until I tell you that the school is about half a mile from the nearest water that is home to any animal.
