Mother of dragons

In our ceaseless search for the weird and wonderful creatures of this planet, we decided to move on from blissful Bali and head east in Indonesia to an island named Flores. It was thus named by the Portuguese due its profusion of wild flowers and forested green hills. Our first stop on Flores was the town of Labuhan Bajo, which acts as the jumping off point for arguably one of the most beautiful areas on the planet - the Komodo islands. Yes, we had come in search of real life dragons...

Labuhan Bajo has seen a development boom as more people fly to this tiny corner of the world to explore this archipelago. Our first afternoon was spent on the main street, being hassled by tour vendors as we determined our plans for the coming week. First on the list was scuba diving. We had heard from a number of people that this was perhaps one of the best diving destinations in the world, with exceptionally high levels of marine biodiversity in a well protected area. Indonesia consists of a few places which compete for the title of "world's best scuba diving"; sadly money and time prevent us from doing a thorough assessment (but maybe on the next trip). We booked a three-dive day trip for the following morning and quickly escaped the hustle back to our hotel. Unfortunately the hotel didn't prove to be quite the respite we were hoping for, situated on one of the main roads and within earshot of the local mosque - with the mu'azzin call going off regularly. Whilst we are all for freedom of religion, when that interferes with freedom of sleep, we have a problem. After a restless night we headed down to the dive shop, which was when Dale realised that the nausea from the night before was not an aversion to a religion of which he is not particularly fond, but rather the onset of food poisoning. No sooner had we boarded the dive boat than Dale found himself "feeding the fish".

The fact that we were riding the boat out into a stunning area dotted with small islands and brilliant turqouise waters perhaps helped to ease the pain somewhat. We would not let this stand in the way of excellent diving! For some reason the nausea abates underwater - perhaps due to the focus shifting to the profusion of marine life and vibrant coral reefs. Our first spot was known as "Batu Bolong", which consisted of a tiny rocky outcrop which juts out from the surface and drops down like a steep hillside below the water, supporting one of the most amazing reefs we had ever laid eyes on. A large Napolean wrasse, Giant sweetlips and all manner of reef fish crowded the coral. The next dive was the even more famous "Manta Point" - you can probably guess its claim to fame. Our first Manta ray glided past within minutes of us hitting the bottom, resulting in Dale and Esti breaking out their underwater dance of joy (the food poisoning and nausea had again taken a short break from harrassing me as we dived under the surface). The rest of the dive saw us drifting along watching in awe as one manta after another came gliding past. A intricately patterned spotted eagle ray joined the throng to ensure some variety. The last dive of the day was at "coral garden", which sports some incredible, large coral formations, amongst which slept numerous turtles - too numerous to count!

Upon our return to land we quickly made a decision to leave the tormenting town of Labuhan Bajo behind and head out into the watery world of the Komodo archipelago. We fortunately found a dive camp on the small Sebayur island which had accommodation available for the next few days. After another rather restless night in town, we boarded the boat for our own island paradise, XPirates dive camp. The main dining area looked westwards for optimal enjoyment of stunning sunsets, whilst our little beach cabin was about 10 meters from the ocean. We spent the day relaxing on the small beach, only moving to enjoy an epic snorkelling session from their "house reef" right off the jetty out front. Falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean creeping up on our cabin was a welcome respite from the noisy town and religious interruptions.

Whilst our nights were spent watching the moonlight on the ocean, our days involved awesome day trips exploring the area. The first of which took us to Padar Island, which, after a short hike up one of its hills, provides the most epic views of the Komodo archipelago. Looking down on the emerald green waters, with black stone beaches on one side, pink coral beaches on another, and white sand beaches thrown in for good measure, is well worth the sweaty hike to the top. The next stop at a "Pink beach" took us to perhaps one of the most beautiful sights we have ever laid eyes on (although Esti claims I say that about all the natural wonders). Fortunately the lodge happens to take its day trips to a lesser known pink beach - which meant that our group of five tourists were the only people in sight. The pink colour of the sand is created by the continuous natural breakdown of the bright pink shells of a micro-organism called formanifera. Of course we had to investigate further and spent a good hour snorkelling above yet another incredibly vibrant reef, drifting alongside placid turtles as they munched away, completely unconcerned by our presence. We ended a great day with one last snorkelling stop on the route home. At this point I have kind of run out of adjectives to describe the underwater beauty - all the reefs in this area are beyond words.

The next day was the tour we had been waiting for in anticipation. We headed off to Rinca island, similar to Komodo in size, but perhaps less well known as it does not carry the name of the infamous lizards. Fortunately for us, it does host the large lizards themselves. Also rather fortunately, our group of fellow travellers was keen for some adventure and so we all opted for a slightly longer hike which would at least allow us a chance to explore the island. This sense of adventure was rewarded, as we enjoyed views of buffalo (more placid than their African cousins), deer, a number of birds and even some wild horses. Our first sighting of the world's most famous lizard was a juvenile, about 1m long, with startling colouration and absolutely no fear of humans. It watched us from a few meters away, unflinching. The naturalist guide explained that this is one sign for telling monitor lizards from Komodo dragons; apart from the size and colouration, monitor lizards will almost always run away from humans. Komodos on the other hand, show no fear. Perhaps they are of the opinion it is they who should be feared and not the other way round. We were then priviledged to a view of a large female Komodo dragon, lying patiently under a tree next to a large sand mound. The guide explained that she was guarding her nest, literally a mother of dragons watching over the next generation. Upon hatching the young dragons quickly escape to the nearest tree to avoid predation by other animals. They spend their first few years up in the trees, feeding on smaller lizards, insects and even their brothers.

Our last sighting of the Komodo dragons - Varanus komodoensis - finally gave us reason to fear them. A group of massive males have taken up residence near the staff kitchen of the ranger station and here they wait out their days pacified by the smell of roasting meat. There is no artificial feeding however, and the guides are careful to keep the naive tourists out of harms reach, should the dragons decide that westerner might be on the menu. Apparently, when they eventually get hungry enough, they lumber off into the surrounding forest to wait in ambush for a passing buffalo or deer. Seeing these mythical beasts, some over 3m in length, was definitely worth the journey to the far side of the planet. The rest of the day trip provided more snorkelling at "turtle city" and a final stop once again at Manta point. This time we were treated to views of up to four manta rays all feeding together in one long line, seeming to float motionless in the water below us.

We had decided that we couldn't leave without one last diving trip, also having heard that the northern diving sites were among some of the best. Our last morning on Sebayur island saw us heading north to these sites, after a brief explanation on how to use a "reef hook". With a name like "Cauldron" you can imagine how the currents whip around this dive site in all directions, forcing us to employ the reef hooks slightly earlier than anticipated. As if we had not had enough views, this dive provided yet another manta ray, which stayed stationary at a cleaning station as we watched it maneuvering around. The next dive was at "Crystal Rock", another underwater mountain with the summit just peeking out above the waves. We were briefed on the strength of the currents in this area and quickly descended to the reef and found a suitable spot (not on coral), to secure our reef hooks. The location of the rock, out on the edge of the open ocean, brings in some of the larger species. We revelled in close up views of white tip and grey reef sharks, letting the currents do the work as we floated from the bungy cords pulled taught against our reef hooks. The sightings of sharks, various game fish and stunning coral and reef life added to the enjoyment of this rather adrenaline-fuelled dive.

Satisfied with our experience of the marine realm and island hopping of Komodo, we headed inland for some time in the forest. Dale's investigations had revealed that some great bird watching could be had here, with many Flores endemics on the list. Further research led us to a newly built eco-lodge, which fortunately did live up to its name, employing the main principles of ecotourism in its construction and running. These principles include using renewable energy, employing people from the immediate vicinity, reducing waste and recycling grey water. The balcony from our cabin at Mbeliling mountain lodge looked right over the surrounding forest, meaning I could bird watch right from the comfort of the armchair. Of course, I still made regular forays along the short paths into the forest, and was rewarded with views of many of the endemics. Perhaps the most exciting find was a stunning Elegant Pitta, which foraged along the forest floor a few feet in front of me. You may recall from a previous blog post that these are highly regarded by bird watchers, so I was very excited to lay eyes on yet another of their group. We were fortunate to spend three relaxing days here, filled only with birding, reading, eating and sleeping. The lodge was west facing, and the islands of Komodo and Rinca could be seen in the distance, shimmering each evening as the sun set the sea on fire.