Wake up with the source

Awakening with the mountain top, the river head, with the birds and animals residing in the great forest, people clearly feel their smallness in the maze of mysterious emotional levels.

The Krong No River winds, on the right is Chu Yang Sin National Park, on the left is Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park. Chu Yang Sin Park is very large, nearly 59,000 hectares with Chu Yang Sin peak reaching 2,442 m high. Bidoup - Nui Ba Park is even larger, 64,800 hectares with Bidoup peak reaching nearly 2,300 m high. Not only does it have a large altitude and area, this place also has the most rare gene reserves and biodiversity in Vietnam. Scientists have recorded that Chu Yang Sin's flora has 143 endemic species in Vietnam, of which 54 species are in the Vietnam Red Book; 203 bird species; 46 mammal species. In Bidoup - Nui Ba, flora has up to 96 endemic species and 62 rare species in the IUCN Red Book in 2009; 441 vertebrate species, 32 species listed in the IUCN Red Book. Bidoup-Nui Ba is a world biosphere reserve…

Krong No River is shrouded in mist and smoke.

Only when coming to the most remote and polluted places can one fully feel the affection of people who work together to preserve natural resources. National parks are separate, in terms of administrative management but also in terms of protection. To facilitate the implementation of their tasks, Chu Yang Sin and Bidoup - Nui Ba National Parks both place stations on each other's land. The left bank of the Krong No River, Lam Dong land, is where Station No. 10 of Chu Yang Sin National Park is built, the right bank is Dak Lak land, the post of Krong No Forest Ranger Station of Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park. Placing posts like this is both comprehensive and close. Remote areas in terms of boundaries are made close by mutual affection.

Station 10 has 12 people, managing 5,000 hectares, Mr. Do Van Lam, originally from Ha Tay, is the Station Chief. Lam said: "We in the two gardens consider each other as brothers, we help each other with anything!". It is the same everywhere, solidarity and mutual support are human nature when placed in harsh survival environments. Then each individual accumulates adaptive skills. Everyone admires Ma Van Ly (H'Mong ethnic group) at Station Krong No who has just successfully completed the contract to manage 30 hectares of forest and bought a car to transport goods for his wife, Kon So Ka Long, a K'Ho mountain girl who sells groceries. The H'Mong - K'Ho couple is even happier when contributing to greening Sub-zones 26 and 27, once barren, now in harmony with the beloved great forest. More than anyone, they understand that they must rely on the forest and nurture the forest to survive...

The Krong No River winds between two national parks.

In the deep valley, there is no phone signal but everything is precious. It is a peaceful and friendly living space, protected and witnessed by the world of gods, the Forest Gods, Mountain Gods, Water Gods, Sun Gods... Humans are small, their behavior is implicitly based on sincerity and generosity. Starting from the meticulousness and respect when performing the forest worship ceremony at the beginning of the year, wishing for a peaceful year for the forest.

The afternoon light slanted through the foliage. Colorful butterflies fluttered in the reed fields. The valley of bees was sweet. They diligently sucked the essence of the flowers of the po lang, the hooves, the daisy, the wild eggplant… Master of plant classification Truong Quang Cuong, who lived in the forest as a place to return to, had a deep understanding of plants, and had a generous inner strength to explain each plant to me, then recited a poem by Nguyen Dinh Huan: “The po lang or the cotton tree has bloomed/ On the high mountains, the po lang is burning red/ Like human love in the sun and wind of Ban Me… The swarms of honeybees kept hovering around the flowers/ The forest birds sang melodiously”.

The autumn sky quickly turned. After 5 pm, we lit the fire for dinner. The meal was neither hurried nor leisurely, but rich in smell, taste, and sight thanks to the combination of wild vegetables such as sóc dau ton, atractylodes, bài, s'rang... and warm human affection. The sacred fire flickered on the leaves, driving away evil spirits, and people moved closer to each other. The kitchen smoke drifted into millions of eyes, mixing with the mist rising from the river surface. The space calmed down, filled with mystery. Dreamy white. In the distance, patches of green and blue from the evergreen forest were dotted. The wind suddenly stopped, only the tall trees moved. The lower the vegetation layer, the deeper the valley seemed to freeze, the river was like a tunnel without light.

Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park.

Dusk gradually fades. The night is pitch black and quiet. The forest sleeps early. Silence gradually creeps into every sense of the forest’s visitors. But the life of the great masters of the forest always rises. The closest is the long chorus of crickets, chirping, chirping, and whining. Farther away, the loud sound of water creeping over the mossy rocks and the croaking of frogs. Every now and then, there is the clatter, chirp of chords from animals and birds calling for mates or traveling to find prey. Occasionally, the rustling tones from the ravines by the river when the “wanderer” wind wanders. The symphony of chords in the forest has no ending.

Night fell very quickly. Only the Krong No River was awake with its patient melody, penetrating the heart and soul. Lying in a hammock that was already sunken due to lack of a hook and under a makeshift tarpaulin, despite being covered with layers of clothes, raincoats, woolen hats, and socks, the cold still penetrated my skin. I was awake, rustling all night... to freely enjoy the great harmony of water, birds, and howling wind. Deputy Director of Bidoup - Ba Mountain National Park Ton Thien An quietly turned on his flashlight and followed the foggy trail to keep watch. The outpost fire gradually died out in the frost...

Morning. The mist condenses into small puddles in every corner of the canvas. The river is hazy with a hazy smoke drifting down the mountainside. The mountain tops are covered with pure white veils. The chicken fat clouds remain on the green forest floor and then quickly move and disappear. In a moment, the big tree trunks and the red soil on the riverbank appear when the sun rises quickly. The river changes from gray to bright, soft, and charming. Birds chirp, carrying the sunlight to all the forest areas. As every time, the great forest wakes up. The Krong No River still has white hair, restless with the world of small and large rocks, singing a never-ending love song to bring cool water to fill the lower reaches. The river sends the love of the forest scent, sends tamarind fish, white fish, k'rang fish... to the delta. The river awakens people to the eternal meaning. Life is never boring!

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/phong-su-ky-su/202504/thuc-cung-thuong-nguon-7620563/