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The Komodo Dragons,Rinca Islands,Komodo!!!
Entry 32 of 53 | show all | print this entry |
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Boarded the bus at 3pm and started the long winding road journey to East Lombok.Drove for a few hours before jumping onto large ferry where I was the only white person on board amongst the Muslim and Islamic preachers who were on my bus journey.
Wanting to get some rest and learning my lesson from the wooden benches on ferry from Padangbai,found a open area in top cabin where lay down to stretch legs as knew back was going to suffer after 27hours on a bus,and was soon surrounded by preachers finding out there was a mini prayer area,but they let me stay where I was.Got talking to one who was a lawyer and who had a case at the moment defending a British girl busted with drugs,then as Im talking to her,this Muslim lad about 18yrs old sat next to me just starts massaging me!
Im thinking,"ey up whats going on here!" but see all the others doing it to each other to relax,told him I was ok thanks but he wouldnt listen!Was one of most bizarre things ever,talking to a lawyer sat next to me while this Muslim dude massages me all over!ha
Got back on the bus,another 17hours of winding road with only one stop at 11pm for some food .Got to Sape the jumping off point at 9am next morning before 8hours on the ferry before crossing to Labuanbajo.
Really small sea port town on coast with the Komodo and Rincha islands nearby and checked into G.H on the water for 40,000,went down to the harbour to find out how much a boat to Komodo island would cost and was told 500,000
Got up next morning at 6am to see if I could find anyone chartering a boat that I could share and luckily bumped into 2French girls and Sebastian a french teacher who's wife couldnt make it as felt ill so invited me onboard the trip for 75,000 each!thats better!
2hour boat chugging over to Rincha islands and arrived at the jetty-met by a massive Komodo dragon coming down the jetty to greet us just like a dog!
They had to grab some sticks to push him away before we could get off the boat as these things are quite dangerous.
Paid the park entrance fee and lent Sebastian my t-shirt as the ranger told him to change the orange one he had on as it would maybe draw an attack from the dragons!?
Set off around the island,but first via the rangers office,which sat on stilts and underneath could see why-8 or 9 dragons lying underneath apparantly smelling food!
Sat about 5foot with back to some for photo while ranger stood near with stick incase,then set off on 2hour trek around island,totally inhabited with plains like Africa and full of buffalos and Komodo dragons.
Came across one lazing in the shade,aparantly they can take down something as big as a buffalo or the wild horses as a bite causes harm as they have 60different types of bacteria in their saliva.One Australian bloke came here a few months ago,set out without a ranger and a tent and all they found the next day was his camera!....The things were massive,pretty dosile but they can get up to 30kph when they go for it so had to be careful!
Stopped to snorkel around the reef on the way back to Labuanbajo and for some reason came out of the water feeling really dodgy.Eyes stinging,muscles aching and just like crap
Had the worst sleep of my life that night I reckon,lying there shivvering aching with flu symptoms,head banging eyes stinging even when shut felt like hea had been pressurized.Then everytime I start to drift off,the local RAT makes an appearance in my room!oh yeah!tiny hole in corner of the room,could hear a scratching and scuttling then the water bottle on the floor goes flying,jumped out of bed but everytime hes done a runner before I can get him little bugger.THEN 5am finally nodding off, the THREE mosques nearby start screaming at the top of their voices like the speakers are in my bedroom making my brain rattle!
Never felt so rough in ages!Just counted down the hours till 6am where got the bus out front for the 9hour ride to Bajawa next morning
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