Day 42 - Komodo Island, Indonesia
We are thrilled to be to Komodo Island today. We have had 6 sea days after missing Darwin, so most people are eager to get off the ship and see something new. As always we had quite a wait in the queue area before being called to tender on to the island to begin our tour. We had a short tender ride, then we were met by the friendly staff at the Komodo National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Our tour include 3 casually dressed rangers (no uniforms) with us, with their trusty "sticks" and soda or water as well. I am told this is a must-visit destination for a typical international explorer! So off we go on our 90 minute jungle trek. Yes, there is a path, which is muddy at times. It is extremely hot and humid. But the challenge was well worth it. We observed lovely flora and fauna along with the lush jungle, even tasting wildly grown lemon basil. We did see a young, 4-year-old, Komodo Dragon right on the path but it didn't stay long. We also saw some wild pigs, but I was unable to get a photo of them. We even saw a nest, or megapode for the Komodo Dragons. At last, it was thrilling to see 2 large adults. Here is a video if you want to watch it: Komodo Dragons. At the time of that video, the guides moved all of us away from the dragons as they thought they were going to fight. I hope you can hear their hissing sound on the video. It seems a little absurd to use the sticks they do, but they seem to work! One of the tour groups actually saw a Komodo Dragon eat an entire deer. This is one of their typical meals on the island. We are told they only eat about once a month. They bite their prey, then follow them until they drop from that venomous bite, then they swallow the entire prey. This was noted to be a strenuous tour, and it was! At times we were not sure we would make it but one foot in front of the other, we were thrilled to see the ocean appear before us.
We walked past all the hawkers of goods and went directly to the canteen area where we had cold drinks and a few potato chips. We happen to see Jerry and Susie there doing the same so we had a nice visit with them. They now eat earlier but they were table mates for several weeks. We were refreshed enough to do a little shopping. I really wanted postcards and stamps but that was no available at this location. Darn! Now it was back to the tender spot along the sweltering dock. It seemed like a much longer walk back than it did this morning. Back to the ship, rest to cool off, showers, resting some more!!! We had a beautiful departure from the bay and beautiful skies.
The Komodo Dragon is protected under Indonesian law, and Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to aid protection efforts. The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 8.5 ft. (Male, Adult), 7.5 ft. (Female, Adult). As the world's largest lizards, they can weight up to 200 pounds and have a mouth full of sharp, serrated teeth.
Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September; as many as 20 eggs are deposited at a time in an abandoned megapode nest or in a self-dug nesting hole. The eggs are incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and dwell in trees to avoid predators, such as cannibalistic adults. They take 8 to 9 years to mature and are estimated to live up to 30 years. Komodo Dragons are mostly active during the day but have shown some nocturnal behavior. They are solitary animals that only come together to breed and eat. They are quite fast creatures and can move rapidly in brief sprints up to 12 miles per hour.
Guide and Sharon with the protective "stick"
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