This trip was a big 'bucket-list' tick for us. Ian has been talking about going to Komodo pretty much as long as I have known him. Our expectations were high, really high, and I'm pleased to report that Komodo lives up to its World Heritage status and delivered on pretty much every level.
Having survived the one hour flight from Bali in propeller plane with the somewhat notorious Lion Air, we arrived safely in Labuan Bajo - a small but bustling hamlet on the tip of west Flores. We set ourselves up in a five-star hotel for about $65 a night (why not, right?) and with far less hassle than anticipated, we negotiated to get the four of us - a private boat for a 2 day/1 night trip into the park - departing at 8am the following day. *As a guideline for anyone else thinking of this trip, we paid $250 for a private boat for 4 people, sleeper cabins and 4 (excellent) meals, beer not included (more on that later . . . )
We met our crew which consisted of : a small, sinewy captain, a chain-smoking first-mate who appeared to double as the 'muscle' in case of mutiny on our small craft and a teenage cook - who was quite clearly at the bottom of the pay-scale but an invaluable resource as the only one who spoke any English.
We quickly settled into a mutually silent but cordial routine.
Our first stop was Rinca, one of the two main islands that form the park. Here we embarked on our first dragon sighting expedition. Our guide (you must have a guide) was a sweet but self-conscious teenager from the only village on the island who had somehow managed to acquire just enough English to work as an official park guide. After a perfunctory, but slightly alarming speech on the importance of not getting too close to these 10ft, 300+ pound beasts, I was suddenly very aware that all that stood between me and the dragons was scrawny teenager with a big stick.
After checking out a few large dragons hanging around the park HQ, we embarked on hike through some unremarkable scrubby flatlands, but we were rewarded with spotting a 'baby' dragon scuttling along the forest floor. Even at 'baby' size, I would not have relished a close encounter with the little beast.A single bite from a Komodo Dragon is usually fatal to prey as the 50+ kinds of bacteria they harbor in their mouths does a fine job of spreading infection. Dragons will patiently wait while deer, wild pigs and other large prey succumb to a slow poisonous death rather than a swift but gory thrashing. But don't be misled - these creatures can move a lot faster than they look - the only way to seriously consider outrunning one would be to go straight up a tree. They can also eat up to 80% of their body weight in a single feeding.
Trying not to linger on these gruesome thoughts we carried on and although we did not spot any more dragons, we did start to move out of the scrub and into the hills - where after a short but steep climb we were rewarded with stunning views across the island and into the Flores Sea.
We returned to park HQ and despite being barely past noon we each bought a 'big Bintang' (Indonesia's main domestic beer) and cooled off for a few moments before our diligent guide led us back to the dock where our boat was waiting. Trooping along merrily with our beers we spotted, under the single tree on a large baked-mud plain, a huge dragon roosting in the shade.
There was another flurry of photography and then we returned to the boat and cracked open a few more big Bintangs.
