Hello, Mr. Dragon

1-3 September 2010
Because Indonesia consists of over 17,000 islands, it would be a shame if we didn't even attempt to explore a few of them by boat. So, after arriving on Flores Island and the shockingly trash-ridden beach town of Labuan Bajo we arranged to charter (ahem) a boat for three days to take us to Komodo Island, Rinca Island, and at least a handful of others. On this fancy, and frankly over budget, excursion we would see Komodo dragons in the wild, snorkel 2+ times a day, and enjoy some serious leisure time (just in case we weren't already relaxed enough).

Arriving at the dock off the main (and only) street in downtown Labuan Bajo, we were greeted with a sight that only Dr. Seuss or maybe a few other seasoned travelers that we know would not bat an eye at. The dock was missing boards (more than 10 in some spots), slopping to the left here, the right there, and generally a laughable sight. We were assured that it was perfectly safe and led (sometimes by hand) to our boat about 50 feet away. With a dock like this, what kind of boat would you expect that we had chartered? Once on the mid sized tug-like boat, we were lead to our tidy cabin (simple bunk beds), told that we would be leaving shortly and that we should take a seat on the park like benches that took up most of the space on the bow of the boat. There aren't many who can say that they have spent the majority of three days sitting on a park bench, but Nick and I can now join those proud few.

We soon arrived at our first of many snorkeling spots alongside one of the many tiny islands in between Flores and Komodo. This spot, like all of the snorkeling we did on this particular trip, was totally amazing. The reefs were amazingly intact and full of every color you could ever imagine. Seriously, pick a color any color - we dare you! Our favorite spot of the trip was definitely "Pink Beach", named thus because a red coral species washes ashore and mixes with the sand, turning it a dainty pink color. Pink sand beach!! I could hardly believe my eyes. These diverse coral rich sites are hard to explain. We took our Panasonic "underwater" camera with us on once and got some great photos - check out the Picasa album.


As an aside our "waterproof to 10 feet deep, shockproof" Panasonic Lumix did not survive it's second underwater foray and has yet to turn on (and it's not the battery). If you have a suggestion for a good point and shoot camera with video and maybe underwater possibilities let us know ASAP.

The other half of our trip was spent trekking on Komodo and Rinca Islands for a chance to see Komodo dragons!!! We were lucky to see them at both Komodo and Rinca-- and boy are they big! They can grow up to around 3m, live up to 70 years, and weigh about 100kg. Oh yeah, and they can run between 15 and 20 km per hour. If you are ever in a sticky situation with a Komodo, climb a tree and climb it fast! It's poison and bacteria ridden saliva won't kill you for about five days, so you will probably have time to get to a hospital. Probably.

On these palm studded islands we encountered probably around twenty dragons, all doing pretty much the same thing - resting (or pretending to rest as our guides warned). We were led by young rangers with long forked sticks to protect us from an approaching dragon. You wonder what kind of protection a long stick might have on a 100kg hungry dragon? Surprisingly, one touch from this stick and a dragon is completely demoralized - he looks away away, closes his eyes, and in some cases actually skulks away in shame (or the perception of shame). It comes to my mind that this tool could be useful to young women in bars.


Nicks love of photography certainly peaked the interest of a few of these dragons. While we maintained a safe distance, Nicks "get on the ground" approach for perspective purposes (I imagine) puts him into a size class that appealed to many of the dragons. They would start smelling the air with their forked tongues, get up off their bellies, and start moving towards us - I mean Nick- at a slow yet deliberate pace. Lucky for us, our rangers were well trained and expertly wielded their forked stick.

After three days of floating in the Flores Sea, snorkeling in pristine coral reefs, observing amazing and unique wildlife, and pretending not to notice the thousands of cockroaches on our boat, we were saltily ready for a shower and a more comfortable bed. While a little rough around the edges, we compare our experiences here in Komodo National Park to the Galapagos Islands. Some of you may know that Darwin's contemporary and co-discoverer of the the theory of evolution developed many of his ideas exploring the Indonesian Archipelago. Looking out at this beautiful bay studded with islands thinking about Darwin and Wallace, endemism and evolution, Komodo Dragons and marine iguanas comparing Komodo and the Galapagos seems appropriate.

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Bali beckons on the rough road across Java.

26-30 August 2010

Weary from the multiple full day bus rides across Java from Yogyakarta to Bromo and then again from Bromo to Ijen, we decided to “get it over with” and leave Java two days early for the 12 hour trek to Bali.

The next morning, we found ourselves standing at the security checkpoint outside the Arabika coffee plantation waiting for a bemo (mini-bus) at 6am. We promised ourselves that as long as we made it onto the ferry that transports passengers between Java and Bali before 1pm (6 hours later) we would continue onto Bali (5 more hours) and not stay in Java that night. We were ready for a long day of transport. In total, we rode five buses that day. Five. The first bemo took us from Ijen down a steep, partially paved road to a crossing where we picked up another bemo. After another hour or so on this clownish like transport (the bus was lacking its higher gears and at full speed traveled at about 40 miles an hour) we hopped onto a bus headed for Denpasar, Bali.

As we munched on peanuts and listened to the onboard street band, I avoided eye contact with the kid who was trying to get me to give him my sunglasses or at least a kiss on the cheek. After successfully retaining my sunglasses and my honor, an hour and a half later on a deserted stretch of road one of the back tires blew out. This was, in fact, our second flat tire on our journey across Java, so like the locals we were unimpressed and patiently waited for the tire to be changed. After about 10 minutes it was clear that we had been driving on the spare as the tire that appeared from under the bus was totally mutilated. Ten minutes more and we were generously picked up by a passing bus, cramming ourselves and our bags into the already full bus. Indonesians are very generous people and an elderly woman offered for me to share a spot on her seat with her husband and granddaughter, squishing four people into a seat meant for two. I could not refuse her kind gesture and repeatedly smiled a thanked her “terima kasih”.

Arriving into the bus terminal in the coastal town of Banyuwangi, it became clear that we had lost our transport into Bali as they handed us 50,000 rupiah (about $5) and almost pushed us off the overflowing bus. In the terminal, the bemo drivers did not want to take us to the ferry station (about a five minute drive away) because they thought that the other bus company should pay. A few of the other passengers who had been pushed off the bus went to security to complain as we languished and pleaded to be taken anyway. Finally, after about a half an hour of this nonsense, the driver showed us a 50,000 rupiah note and pointed in the direction of the exit. Nick handed him the cash and we were off. All they wanted was five lousy dollars. We arrived at the ferry terminal and were greeted by men yelling “Denpasar!, Denpasar!”. We jumped onto a ferry, paid the fee, and checked our watch. It was 1:03pm. While we still had five hours or more ahead of us in a non-air conditioned, smoking permitted bus and we had had little food since our 5am breakfast (and stopping for lunch was out of the question) we were happy.

We arrived, exhausted, into the beach town of Sanur, Bali just a quick bemo ride from Denpasar around 6:30pm. After checking into our hotel we went to a nearby restaurant. We were greeted by traditionally dressed women, handed a free welcome cocktail, and finally the waitress gently placed plumerias behind our ears. All I could do was laugh. I embarrassed myself by giggling at the waitress. After almost two months of budget travel and a very long, hot, stinky, day behind us, we were suddenly deposited into a tourist haven, surrounded by Europeans on fancy vacations.

Being in Sanur, we could be anywhere. The difference between here and beach town X? Maybe it’s the beautiful and calming architecture, maybe the incense drenched Hinduism, or maybe it’s just the price? Maybe I’m just jaded. As humans we love places like this and we make them comfortable, including the Dunkin’ Donuts on the corner. What made me giggle in that restaurant was how uncomfortable it made me to accept such a disingenuous gesture of hospitality that is practically required in so many of our vacation “destinations”. I almost wanted to lean over and whisper to the waitress “its ok, you can act normal now”.

The last few days we have enjoyed our budget $30 a night cottage three minutes from the beach, our outdoor shower, our front and back patios, and the koi pond that sits below our giant bay windows. Dodging the flower, incense, and food (rice or sometimes a Ritz cracker) offerings to the Hindu gods, we’ve taken long evening walks on the boardwalk that runs along the beach and enjoyed watching local kids fly kites and the views of neighboring islands. I’ve gone to a yoga class, we’ve both enjoyed drinking good coffee, and who can forget the chocolate cheesecake we had for dessert last night! Bali is so pleasant that it feels like a vacation from our vacation.

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