We woke up bright and early to a spectacular sunrise, and the bats returning to the caves, after their little night adventures. After sunrise, we were well-fed once again by Captain Mad, before setting off for Komodo at probably about 7 or 8 am. Who knows. It wasn’t a long boat ride, but we arrived in Komodo soon enough. The park was still relatively empty, though there were about two other boats parked at the jetty.
We got off, and following R’s advice, we went on the medium trail. On a previous trip, R was convinced he almost lost his life going on the baron trail, and they didn’t see anything either. There was quite some things to see on the trail, like deers, and various trees, but I guess it was slightly disappointing, as we were not really there to see those. You go to Komodo to see Komodo dragons, right? The downhill descent was once again breath-taking, as we got a great view of Komodo Island bay. Nonetheless, no dragons, just more deers.
We did almost leave Komodo without ever seeing a Komodo dragon. But just as we were about to leave and board our boat again, a dragon sauntered out, and parked itself near the kitchen. It definitely caused a lot of commotion, as we were not the only ones who wanted to see a dragon. There were other groups there who had also gone for the bust of a hike. One of the cool things that did happen was we saw how the park ranger used his flimsy-looking stick to hold off the dragon, by poking it at the neck. It ain’t pretty, but it sure is effective!
After we were done with our two hour hike, guess what? It was still early in the morning. Captain Mat brought us to the Red Beach, and the snorkelling nearby, and we jumped into the water to cool off. Post-swim/snorkel, we had some lunch, played more minimum, rested some, and snorkelled some more.
My main impression of this boat trip was not really the Komodo and Rinca hikes, but the snorkelling. In many ways, this was like our Philippines trip, just that this time, we are spending three days on board the boat. I didn’t think I would like it, given my obsession with taking showers and having clean bathrooms, but it did work out. The snorkelling was sensational, and not being around way too many people was very enjoyable. I did wish I had an underwater camera with me to share the underwater beauty. With the good company, this was definitely a great trip.
Thanks R for organizing!
Sunrise in the Bat Cave Bay
Komodo Island Bay
Komodo Dragon spotted me
Sunset at our second docking spot
Wanderlust 