nasty sharp pointy teeth
labuanbajo is the port on the west coast of flores. at first glance, it looks like a pretty grotty little industrial harbour, but watching the sun set with a beer from the terrace of a hilltop bar, you can see myriad rocky islands protruding from the clear water as small fishing boats lazily amble around, and you realise that it's actually rather a beautiful place.i was here to chill out, and to go and see the komodo dragons. these huge lizards exist only on the two islands of komodo and rinca. the former has the name, but the latter has a higher density of dragons and a lower density of tourists, plus is closer and cheaper to get to, so was an obvious choice. initially i was having a bit of a mare, as i could see no other tourists, so it looked like i was going to have to charter a boat on my own ($30!). eventually however i ran into, or rather ran myself into, some rather lovely people (hi edd, mary, robert and wouter), so it was a happy group of us that set sail in the morning. the fishing boat looked a touch rickety, but the sea was calm so there weren't any problems.
we arrived at rinca, and the first thing that greeted us was a 2m long dragon lazing on the little wooden harbour. now they're supposed to leave humans alone, but i had to wonder why this particular beast was waiting here... an easy lunch maybe? we were all having similar thoughts until our amused captain poked it with a stick and it stomped off placidly enough. i would have felt like a bit of a pussy, but the things are fucking huge and mean looking, with menacing claws, so i maintain my right to have been wary.
we got to the rangers post and found ourselves a guide. a nice chap, he seemed to delight in telling us that komodos killed a couple of villagers every year, and that in a particularly gruesome manner. as we trekked into the interior of the island, i was fascinated but pensive.
rinca is incredibly dry and arid... as such, the dragons are frighteningly well camouflaged: i almost stumbled into one lazing under a tree, which would have been a spectacularly silly idea. we saw quite a few, and they are truly amazing beasts, primitive, imposing, sharp and pointy in a variety of worrying places, and possessing an almost visceral beauty. one tried to kick off with a huge water buffalo but gave up, another couple thought about having a scrap before both backing down... they might be big, but they're lazy as hell in the heat.
after two hours we'd seen our fill and were sweaty but happy. on the journey back we stopped on a secluded beach to have a little paddle and a snorkel in the clear green waters... secluded until a boat of excitable school kids turned up. cue all the usual questions, a barrage of photos, and a hasty exit.
we could see labuanbajo in the distance and everything was going swimmingly... until it got a bit grey. and we couldn't see the port anymore. and it started raining. then lightning. then thunder. it was at this point that i realied just how flimsy our little vessel was, and the captain wasn't helping matters by being very clearly lost. as rain lashed in from one side, and the choppy waves got closer and closer on the other, i was wet, bedraggled, and more than a little worried.
finally the captain got his act together and the harbour loomed into view. i leapt off the boat, absolutely drenched but happy. i'd seen dragons, been shit scared on the sea during a monsoon thunder storm, and generally achieved for the day.
posted by bicrom @ 4:25 am
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