Day 199 - 202 Visit to the Komodo Dragons

Today starts a special trip. We have booked a 4-day boat tour from Lombok to Flores. The highlight of the trip is supposed to be the Komodo Dragons on Komodo Island.

Since the port from where our ship departs is on the other side of the island in Senggigi, that meant a 3-hour taxi ride for us. Once we arrived at Lombok Coffee, which is the meeting point, we checked in for our tour and then had to kill some time because we were two hours early. As time passed, our fellow travelers for the next 4 days arrived. And soon enough, we had enough people to play a card game to pass the time.

At 12 o'clock, we went on board.

This ship will be our home for the next 4 days. We will also sleep on the ship. Since, like almost everyone, we chose the cheaper option, that means we will sleep on the deck.

The other option would have been a cabin. So we found ourselves an available mattress in the mass sleeping area. There are 23 people on board, of which 21 slept on the deck. So all the mattresses were occupied. Once everyone was on board, the ship set off. Apart from a swimming stop, nothing else was planned for today, so it was all about relaxing, getting to know each other, and sunbathing.

A really cozy day. From the ship, we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

But when the sun went away, the wind picked up and the sea became restless. The ship rocked in the waves. Since there wasn't much to do, everyone went to bed early. At least, we tried to. Since I wanted to watch the starry sky for a bit before falling asleep, I decided to sleep outside. So I unpacked my sleeping bag and lay down on the raised bow deck. My plan worked. It was a beautiful starry sky and I could see shooting stars. Wrapped in my sleeping bag, the wind didn't bother me much. But the sea became stronger and when I was showered by the spray of a wave crashing against the boat, the bow deck was about 4 meters above the water level, I had no choice but to crawl under the protective canopy.

After a rather short night, around 2 o'clock in the morning, the waves calmed down and we could enjoy the sunrise.

Today was also all about sunbathing.

After breakfast, there was the opportunity for a morning shower, which means you could jump into the sea if you wanted. At noon, we visited an island where we could see a waterfall. Since the boat couldn't dock at the shore, we had to swim the last 30 meters to the island.

The waterfall itself was not really something special, but it was a nice change from doing nothing.

In the afternoon, there was another opportunity to go swimming.

With the sunset, the sea became restless again. But we were able to watch entire schools of flying fish and 2 dolphins crossed our path. But what started harmlessly escalated over time and the ups and downs of the ship made many passengers seasick. Moritz also got seasick, but I was fine and a few others and I enjoyed the roller coaster ride. After about 4 hours, the sea calmed down and I dared to sleep outside again. And this time it worked. I didn't sleep much, but that was mainly because I had already slept half the afternoon. But I saw at least 30 shooting stars. When I finally fell asleep, it seemed to me that 10 minutes later I was woken up by the sunrise.

After breakfast and a morning swim, we visited one of the many islands.

We had a little hike planned. The hill was about 300 meters high, but after lying around all the time, some movement felt good. And the view was simply fantastic, almost kitschy. The blue water with the islands and the small bays.

After the hike, there was the opportunity to go snorkeling. There was plenty to see, from turtles to Nemos, and the corals still looked untouched. Simply beautiful.

After a short ride, a highlight that everyone was excited about was on the program. We went to Manta Point, where we had the chance to snorkel with Manta Rays if we were lucky. And we were lucky. In total, we saw about 8 of these creatures gracefully "flying" through the water. It was very fascinating to watch these animals. I didn't want to go back to the boat anymore.

After lunch, we went to Pink Beach. It was a bit of a disappointment because the beach wasn't really pink. If you looked very closely and used your imagination, you could see a pink shimmer at the water's edge. Well, the spot was beautiful for snorkeling.

In the evening, yes, it was already the last day, there was traditionally a farewell party. There was a festive atmosphere, as we had gotten to know each other quite well by now. There wasn't much else to do but talk, read, or laze around. Some went to bed a little earlier and others celebrated exuberantly.

Then the last day started. Today we are going to see the dragons, the Komodo Dragons. Our first stop was Komodo Island. On the island is a national park where these dragons live. And we were lucky, we saw 7 of these lizards.

We were able to get as close as about 5 meters, but at the slightest movement, we all flinched and backed away. Because a bite from these dragons can be deadly. The bite itself is not lethal, but the dragons have many bacteria in their saliva that ultimately cause blood poisoning. If you don't get an antibiotic within 72 hours, it's over. That's also the hunting technique of these animals. For example, they bite a deer and then follow the animal until it dies from blood poisoning. Furthermore, although they don't look like it, these animals can reach a top speed of 80 km/h. All good reasons to keep your distance.

After a short walk on the island, we went back to the boat and continued to a second island where Komodo Dragons also live.

On this island, we saw 7 animals, but only at one spot.

We also took a walk to a viewpoint on this island before returning to the boat one last time.

In the late afternoon, we finally reached Flores. Although we didn't do much, time flew by. Everyone would have liked to stay a little longer. We really had a cool group on the boat.

We agreed on a meeting point in the evening to eat together one last time and have a few beers.

After getting to know each other in bathing outfits for 4 days, it was exciting to see what people looked like when they were wearing normal clothes. It was really 4 very cool days.