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Komodo National Park
Nov 2, 2009
The Expedition Team lead by Justin Friend has prepared us for what promises to be a great adventure, but always with safety in mind. We have listened dutifully to their directions as we are slicked down with sunscreen and bug spray, and have bottled water, cameras and good walking shoes. They warn you ahead of time that it will be hot with little shade and the walk through the park will take about 2 ½ hours. We were on the 2nd Zodiac before 8:00 am but it was already very warm and well on its way to hot. We met our Park Ranger guide, Donnie, and were soon on our way down the path in search of these giant lizards.
You are told about the Komodos along the way with facts like they can run over 60 miles per hour for perhaps 100 yards. They have long razor sharp claws and a very nasty, venomous bite. And here we are with only a young man and his stick to protect us. Literally, a stick! I begin to question my sanity when perhaps 15 minutes down the road we approached the watering hole and were cautioned to stay silent as there were Komodos ahead. I swallowed hard and tried to walk as quietly as I could as we curved around to see 3 huge male Komodo Dragons; 2 to the left and 1 to the right. We gingerly approached as the prehistoric looking Dragons watched our every move and continually sent out their forked tongue to better gauge the situation. All you could hear was the sound of cameras flashing as we moved in closer. They seemed to be behaving themselves as both sides of the path had additional guides standing close by, they too armed with only their sticks. A small adolescent Dragon cruised through; maybe 3 feet long. Then 1 of the large males on the left started to move in our direction. As he came closer and closer to the path, we all took equal steps back to maintain our distance. One of the guides moved near him with his stick, but he kept coming. The guides were now gesturing for us to move back which we gladly complied with their direction. The Komodo Dragon kept coming. My “fight or flight” instinct kicked in (fighting with a Komodo Dragon would definitely end up badly for me) as I backed away more quickly and I started to wonder just how bad it was going to hurt if he bit me. Soon there were 2 or 3 guides to block his way with their sticks stretched out in front of them pointed at its head and it stopped just short of the path. Everyone stood still like statues as the guides seemed to be winning a classic “stare down” and the Dragon retreated slightly, eventually lying down. Whew!
After taking pictures and videos of our frightening friends, we moved on for the rest of the walk. Deer and birds were everywhere. There are also wild pigs here although we never saw any. The Komodo Dragon is the very top of the food chain here which has contributed to their size, outpacing other Monitor Lizards in their species. We saw several of their nests both next to the road as well as hallows carved out of the walls of the dry river bed. When their eggs hatch, the young wait for everyone to hatch and then all take off for the nearest tree where they will live for about the first 2 years of their life. Their safety in numbers approach is due to the fact that the adult Komodo Dragons will eat their young if caught. Not a flattering depiction of these creatures but that’s the way it is.
As this is a National Park, the locals are not allowed to solicit your tourist dollars. But you can choose after the tour to visit the marketplace set up for them to sell their local fresh-water pearls, hand carvings and a few t-shirts. So, of course we had to see what there was. A beautiful string of good sized pearls could be negotiated down to an equivalent of $10 USD. How could you not buy some? So most of the women came back to the ship with several strands in hand, happy with their new purchases.
Follow Judy Parker through her cruise with Orion Expedition Cruises.
Read more from Orion Expedition Cruises from SDNN’s blog Onboard the Cruise Experience.
Tags: bali, cruises, Fresh-water Pearls, hiking, indonesia, komodo dragons, Komodo Island, Komodo National Park, national parks, Orion Expedition Cruises, SDNN, tourism, Zodiac
