Flores and the Komodo Dragons

Flores is a place to wonderful contrast - bloody difficult to get to (and around) and absolutely stunning... and it is also the starting point for any non-painful (and less dangerous) trips to the Komodo islands. The reason the trips can be dangerous at this time of year is that it is the rainy season and the seas get rough... Whilst we have been here two major passenger ferries have sank in the seas around us killing well over 200 people (notably not one of the captains)... so we opted for the slightly more expensive but safer route of starting from Labuan Bajo.

Labuan Bajo is basically a rural Indonesian port that serves as a gateway to the Komodo islands. We found what turned out to be the best little boutique hotel in Flores as the two dutch women that ran the Golo Hotel we not only very knowledgeable about the area but also put us in touch with one of their workers (a guy called Piter) who set us up on a safe boat to the Komodo islands and then subsequently set us up on out 5 day overland trip across Flores with a good driver (Gusti) and english speaking guide (Mikhel).

There is nothing really to say about the Komodo islands (both Rinca and Komodo itself) other than they are absolutely stunning and it is a real Jurassic park!!! The photos I will post on Picassa will tell the story.

We saw the Komodo dragons on both islands in the wild although the ones on Rinca were noticeably larger (over 3 metres long and weighing in at a mere 250lbs). That is world record length and weight. We were also told not to go too near them as they had killed a boy about 6 months previously who was in the village... Note to self - don't go near the big f****rs!!!

The boat ride wasn't too bad barring an indident where the sea got a bit rough with the swells and I was catapulted across the boat to the other side and my chair was upended - minor wounds ensued and the boat captain and crew (3 of them to our 2 passengers) were given a lesser tip as a result...

Highlights of the Komodo trip were definitely the Komodo dragons, snorkling with 3 Manta rays and defending the boat from marauders (local fishermen who purport to sell you trinkets but actually come to scope out the boat for stuff to pinch) - I'm not sure they have seen a white person stare them down for 30 minutes but Erin found the whole incident very amusing. They even came back at night to try their luck again on our boat but to no avail...

Having got back to Labuan Bajo we took a day out to just chill out then hired a driver and Kijang (air con car) to take us to Maumere over a five day trip.

Along the way we managed the following:-

• Staying at a catholic nunnery which has got to be one of the cleanest and nicest places I have stayed at in a while
• Saw various different strata of rice padi fields ingeniously constructed wherever the l0cals can think of to get any land use out of it - and these can be on some pretty steep slopes I can tell you...
• We also saw the spider fields that have been constructed in such a way due to clan rivalries and historic ways of separating usable field space amongst local clans. It looks very interesting when you see it from above.
• We also went on two walks to see various different volcanic lakes (the Emerald Lakes near Moni/Ende and the Volcanic lakes near Bajawa that were created only 5 years ago when it last erupted. All very different colours.
• We saw various different tribes in their natural setting and went inside a few of the "king's houses" whilst the kings were not at home... thank god - imagine walking into my mothers place if you were a total stranger unannounced just for a snoop round... ;-)

Anyway, after the early morning rise (4am) to see the sun coming up and hitting the Emerald lakes we moved on to Maumere and to a hotel called the Sea Water Hotel - run by a retired priest who has an albino monkey as a pet (it doesn't like women as Erin found out!)

The latest medical report is that Erin has blonde(ish) hair but mow has a rash that has broken out and is causing her untold amounts of irritation, and crying (and unsightliness - think of lepers ;-) ) so I have come the 10kms back into Maumere to find some antihistamine medicine for her... on the back of an Ojek (scooter) and have taken my life into my own hands as the rider is weaving his way through the traffic dodging minivans and other riders along the way. I think it must be strange for foreigners to use this method of transport as the locals I pass all seem to find it VERY amusing and stare at me... Oh well - maybe its my good looks - then again - maybe not!

A & E