A komodo dragon and a Labuanbajo sunset, via the web.Having met Maria, Laurent, and Esther, and having enjoyed their company at dinner, we agreed to split the costs of an overnight boat trip to Rinca and Komodo (nearby islands) with stop-offs for snorkeling at spots along the way. Maria bartered with the travel 'agent' fiercely and got us a good deal, and the next morning we set off on our trip.
The boat was small and loud, but there was enough room for five people to sit comfortably (with two benches and a table), and the sea breeze felt great in our hair as we headed out of Labuanbajo's bay toward Rinca. After two hours on easy seas, we arrived, and climbed off the boat onto the dry, windy, and hot island--one of only three known homes to the legendary Komodo dragon. The plan was to hike the island for an hour or so (with a guide) in hopes of spotting the beasts.
It didn't take long. In fact, we hadn't even bought our tickets yet and there one sat, right next to the restrooms. It was well camouflaged, even out in the open--I almost didn't see it. Komodo dragons are drawn to the arrival area by the smell of food and humans (who are themselves, on very rare occasions, 'food'), and there turned out to be at least a half-dozen within 50 yards of the arrival area. They are HUGE (8 -10 feet long at times) but lazy, mostly just laying around in the heat, hoping something to eat will present itself. However, the guides informed us they are capable of running 18 kmph, which if my conversion is correct is over 150 miles per hour. But then again, I had no internet access, so that may not be right.
There was something slightly unsatisfying about seeing all the dragons right there at the start, so we went ahead with our hike in an effort to see some more 'wild' dragons. We were lucky and saw three more, as well as some wild water buffalo, deer, and other assorted animal life. We did NOT see a komodo dragon kill a buffalo, which I had been hoping for. What a rip off.
After exploring Rinca, we returned to the boat hungry for lunch (mie goering and fried fish, yum) and then headed out for a snorkeling spot nearer Komodo. Maria and Esther had never snorkeled before, and the Komodo area is known to have some first-rate snorkeling, so Alison and I gave them some pointers and we all jumped in to give it a go. All of us excepting Laurent, that is, who can't swim.
The water was cooooold, but the snorkeling was top-notch, and Alison and I saw a stingray, among tons of other great stuff (coral, cool fish, etc.), before returning to the boat to warm up and eat dinner (mie goering and fried fish again? yum?). We then settled in for an evening of good conversation, and a night on some flimsly mattresses laid on the deck, kept awake by snoring and vicious winds that whipped the tarps above us.
The next day we woke before sunrise to see a huge flock of nocturnal animals called 'flying foxes' return to their tree nests. Flying foxes looked quite a bit like huge bats--I'm not sure they weren't. After a fried banana breakfast, we went to Komodo for more dragon-spotting. At first I thought it would just be more of the same we had seen on Rinca, but it was worth the extra trip. The dragons are more rare there, surprisingly, and they aren't as docile, so when we saw one in the wild we knew we were lucky. One guide said it had been a week since he had spotted one. Also on Komodo were wild boars, cockatoos, and huge spiders. I was happy for taking the overnight trip.
On the way back from Komodo we stopped at a deserted island with beaches of the finest powdered sand for more snorkeling. It was good, but not as great as the previous night's spot. The beaches made the stop memorable, though. Once we had our fill of snork & sand, we ate lunch (mie goering and fish?!? give me a break!), then the trip was over and we returned to Labuanbajo for a night's rest and to prepare for our journey across Flores.
Next time on the summerofgills, our driver "Sigfried" takes us across Flores, and more about 'the family'.
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