Day 65: Flores XP Dragon Tour – Day 2
While we were told there would be an early wake-up call the next morning, everyone seemed to get up naturally with the sunrise. After breakfast, we left our baggage on the island and headed off for Komodo to see the dragons! The boat ride took about 2 hours, so it was already pretty hot out by the time we arrived. When our tour guide suggested we walk the short trail through the jungle, there were no compaints. While we were warned that we might not see any dragons as it was “mating season” and the dragons tend to go up into the mountains to mate, I suspect the park rangers were just trying to set our expectations really low so we would be overjoyed when we found the dragons, since we found one almost immediately hanging out in the shade of the trees.
The dragons are, of course, wild animals and can be unpredictable and attack humans, so the park rangers would take all of our cameras in turn to take close-up pictures of the dragon’s face. When we asked the park rangers how many times they had seen a komodo on attack someone, the young guys admitted they had never seen an attack on a human…but there was that one Swedish guy who was bitten and died in the 1970s. So, you know, safety first.
Welcome to Komodo Island National Park
Komodo Island Beach
Found our first dragon at the beginning of the short trail
Hiding behind the dragon for a photo-op
The rangers warned us that shiny objects might be mistaken for food – I’ll just hide these water bottles…
The rest of the short walk was dragon-free until we reached the beach and found a dragon walking along the shore. We all raced down the trail to try and beat other groups of tourists for an unobstructed view. Poor dragon – he just wanted a quiet stroll on the beach, and soon found himself mobbed by flashing cameras.
Dragon under the bridge! Quick – get a picture!
Igor got the first pic with the dragon, followed by many more (check out the ranger’s happy-dance!)
The dragon – tired of tourists – turns around and runs back to the jungle fast as he can
After Komodo Island, we stopped at Pink Beach for a quick snorkel before lunch (too shallow for diving), and then on to check out the conditions at Manta Point and Batu Bolong – two more dive sites. Unfortunately, our guides couldn’t spot any mantas, and the current at Batu Bolong was dangerously strong. So we headed back to Pirate’s Cove for more Bintangs and dinner.
Reading up on all the fishies – still looking for Dory, BTW
Checking the conditions at Batu Bolong – look at that current!
No mantas today – try again tomorrow
Heading back to the Cove for dinner – burgers! Yum.
Thank goodness the park ranger took those pictures. I remember that Phil Bronstein (Sharon Stone’s ex-husband) got attacked by a Komodo dragon at the SF Zoo many years ago and had to have foot surgery. It’s hard to believe they can take down a water buffalo by nipping at its legs to inject venom. BTW was the sand really pink at Pink Beach?