Dragon hunting in Indonesia!

Papa T and I have just got back from a rather exciting trip to Flores and Komodo island. Initially our travel plans were to find somewhere for a few days relaxation, preferably with good swimming and a bit of snorkelling. By chance I got a good deal on what looked like a very nice hotel at Labuan Bajo and having discovered where this is ( on the island of Flores) and Flores is only a boat trip away from Komodo  Island, where the famous dragons live, our holiday plans took shape and grew into a bit of an adventure!

As the plane flew over some of Indonesia's incredible 17,000 islands our excitement grew

I felt a little apprehensive when enroute from the airport the taxi left the tarmac road onto a rough unmade track

but the views on the way were stunning

 the hotel entrance lodges had buffalo skulls attached to their walls

The hotel was beautiful, I loved the table in the reception area  

old phones, typewriters and even a wind up record player added to the quirky decor

the beach and views were stunning

 and when the sun started to set we are treated to the most magnificent sunset

which just got better and better

the following morning the birds woke us up with their singing and a flock of these Scaly Breasted Munias were busy adding twigs to their nests

 the sea was so clear that we could see many fish and this blue star fish even standing on the hotel jetty, which was an easy place to snorkel from

 we mainly had a lazy day reading by the pool and snorkelling but later on took the hotel kayaks for a paddle in the bay

That afternoon a few tables were placed on the beach and laid for dinner, and an oil drum BBQ set up, we presumed a special event was being held but the staff said all the hotel guests were invited to join the seafood BBQ feast and we were invited to have the best table overlooking the sea

As it got dark we watched another glorious sunset

 and then choose our dinner from the range of fresh fish on display, 

 which was cooked superbly by the beach chef

 The next day, now suitably rested and refreshed we went into Labuan Bajo (LBJ as we came to call it) to explore and to find a live-aboard boat trip for the following two days. This harbour town lies in a beautiful setting but like many Indonesian towns is scruffy and dirty with half built buildings and roads 

 This part of the world is known as the coral triangle and LBJ is a mecca for divers. We have yet to learn to dive (which we really must whilst living in Asia) but wanted to snorkel and explore the islands by boat. On the internet there are many scary tales of unseaworthy boats with cockroach and bed bug infested sleeping decks and the general advice was to go to the harbour, see the actual boat you want to hire and check it out.

As it was still low season we were very quickly approached by lots of eager boat 'agents' showing us photos of boats and desperate for us to book with them, the cost of the trip rapidly fell as they competed for our business.

It was all rather nerve wracking but we finally signed up with Mr Ficko, a very cheerful, chain smoking chap, who seemed a bit of a wheeler dealer and reminded me of Del boy from Only Fools and Horses. I just hoped we weren't being fooled!

The last evening at The Plataran Komodo Hotel we climbed up the little hill at the back of the hotel and were rewarded with beautiful views and an even redder sunset than the previous night

We had to get up horribly early the next morning to check out of our hotel, drive the off track road to LBJ and get to Mr Ficko's office for a 7.30am pick up. At 8am with still no sign of Mr Ficko and I was starting to worry that we had been fooled. He finally showed up at 8.30 and cheerfully reminded us we were on Indonesian time, which is obviously pretty fluid.

At the harbour we had to scramble across a commercial boat to get to our boat (the one with cream sides and flat covered deck space behind)

and from here had a good view of the commercial boat being unloaded of bags of flour and noodles 

 some of the crew seemed to do all the work whilst others just watched or rested in a shady spot

 With a cheery wave, beer in hand and wads of money in his bag Mr Ficko handed us over to the crew and watched as we sailed away

 The boat was sturdy and seaworthy, with an airy kitchen!

And the captain was friendly and a very capable sailor

 We sailed through the Flores Sea and the scenery was truly stunning, the water was incredibly clear and as we neared islands we could see to the bottom with beautiful coral reefs and fish

 We anchored off Pulau Kanawa and had fabulous snorkelling in the crystal clear water

We sailed on to "Manta Point", an area between several islands where the current brings in plankton rich water and the Manta Rays come to feed. I presumed we would watch any Manta's from the boat but was shocked when one of the crew (the only one who some some English) told us to get our snorkelling gear on and be ready to jump in when he saw the Manta's and said go! 

 I was really not sure about this but when we saw several Manta's below us and he shouted "Go, Go Go", I plucked up courage and jumped. They were there, just below and behind us, they were HUGE and there were lots of them. Swimming with Manta rays was an incredible experience, and one I never dreamed I would do.
The photo below is of 2 Manta Rays, you just have to trust me.

 Next stop was anchoring in one of the many bays of Pulau Padar,  from the dingy going ashore we had a good view of our boat-a very fine sight

Padar is a small, hilly, island with deep inlets and lots of beaches many of which can be seen from the summit trail. The trail started off gently but soon became steep, slippery and alarmingly close to the cliff edge in places

 the views from the summit were fantastic

 as the sun started to set we had to head back down before it got too dark to see the path

That night we anchored just off Komodo island, there was a full moon and a beautiful starry ski, something we don't see in Singapore due to the light pollution sadly. 

The following morning we were up early and watched from the top deck as we sailed to Komodo 

 the early morning mist and rugged landscape was quite reminiscent of the west coast of Scotland

 although the 30c heat and stilted houses were completely different

 within moments of mooring, our boat's cook seemed to have switched trades and was doing a fine job as a barber

 The first wildlife we saw was this Timor deer, one of the Komodo Dragon's main prey, he seemed remarkably relaxed strolling along the beach

 We walked along the jetty to the park gates, it felt rather like we were entering Jurassic Park and I would not have been surprised if a pterodactyl had flown over our heads!

After paying our park fees, we met our guide who was armed with a long forked stick, would he and his stick really be enough to protect us from fearsome dragons? The meat eating Komodo dragon grows up to 3 meters long, weighs up to 100kgs and is the largest living species of lizard.

Our guide told us to stay close, keep quiet and when he stopped we should stop. We followed him along a jungle track, peering through the bushes. 10 minutes later we came to a small clearing with a stream, the guide stopped and pointed to a large male dragon walking towards us.

 He was truly amazing, prehistoric looking and very impressive

 His forked tongue flicked in and out, tasting the air for the smell of prey

We moved along slowly tracking his progress

 He met up with another dragon and lay down next to him

this enabled me to get some great close up shots.

The saliva of the dragons is full of bacteria and this and the venom from glands in their mouths help kill any prey that the dragons bite when hunting for food

 Now the dragons were at rest our guide offered to take a picture of us with the dragons. Both dragons kept a beady eye on us and the guide, Papa T and I tried to look relaxed whilst also being ready to sprint away if needs be

 We left these two in peace and walked deeper into the island, climbing a small hill to see the view

 Nearly back at the park headquarters we passed a few stilted houses and underneath one was another dragon enjoying the shade, I couldn't help but think it must be a bit scary living in such close quarters to these dangerous animals

very happy with our dragon hunting trip we boarded the boat again and set sail for Rinca Island, spotting a fabulous White Bellied Sea Eagle, not quite a pterodactyl but good enough

The scenery again was stunning but it was easy to spot the strong currents disturbing the sea

We had another opportunity to snorkel in a bay with an almost pink sandy beach

and then sailed on to Pulau Rinca.

  Although less well known than Komodo, Pulau Rinca is home to a larger number of Komodo Dragons as well as having a healthy population of Timor deer, wild boar, Macaque monkeys and a herd of wild horses

On landing the first thing we saw is a sign warning that we were entering a crocodile area, wow crocodiles and dragons in one place!

 I loved the welcome sign advising visitors not to feed the wildlife, surely none would be foolish enough to hand feed a dragon or crocodiles?

 We again paid our park fee and met our guide with his trusty forked stick and headed off down the track. This island was much more arid and open and as it was about 1pm it was fiercely hot

 We didn't have to go far before we were looking at a group of 4 resting Komodo Dragons

 with a 5th male strolling in to join them

 Leaving them to rest we went deeper into the jungle and saw these Orange-Footed Scrub Fowl

 On Komodo we had been shown this huge mound and told it was the nest of the scrub fowl, and the nest takes 3 months to make, we couldn't quite believe that this little bird (chicken sized) really made this but I've now looked it up and our guide was absolutely right.

Further on we came across a lone dragon, this one looked quite alert and fierce so we didn't stay long

and then we almost trod on this one before spotting it, this island was literally covered in dragons!

 our guide was keen to take a photo of us with this dragon who luckily seemed sleepy enough to risk it

 Delighted with all that we had seen we left 'Jurassic Park' and headed back to the cool of our boat

 On the route back to LBJ we saw this fabulous phinisi, a traditional Indonesian two masted sailing ship

 Far too soon we reached the port of LBJ, looking very pretty in the evening light

 On shore again we waved goodbye to our lovely crew and and thanked them for a truly memorable trip

 During this wonderful sailing trip we had often seen debris floating in the sea and were shocked to see amongst the leaves, coconuts and other organic material there was a lot of plastic bottles, pots and bags. Several times I saw what I thought was a jellyfish only to realise it was a plastic bag, I'm not surprised that turtles often die from swallowing man made rubbish.

 It is so sad to see this fabulous environment littered with human rubbish, at one point we saw what looked like a low lying strip of land but as we got closer it became obvious this 'island' consisted entirely of rubbish, the impact on the local marine life must be terrible. 

It's time to cut down on our plastic usage, particularly the single use plastic bottles, which I vow to do