We have entered into a much different culture with our first stop in Indonesia, which is the world’s largest archipelago consisting of 17,505 islands. It is an area of earthquakes, tsunamis, monsoons, and volcanoes with a most diverse variety of cultures and religions. There are Muslims in Java, Hindus in Bali, and animist tribes in Papua New Guinea. It is a land of temples, rice paddies, stunning beaches, lush jungles, and animals that are not found anywhere else in the world.
The capital is Jakarta, on the island of Java, and the total population in 2012 was 241,000,000 people. The best time to visit is not now, but from May to December when it is the driest. We have always found that the day might begin dry, but the afternoons can experience monsoon-like showers, flooding streets in minutes.
The top things to see are the Buddhist stupas of Borobudur, the largest one of its kind in the world. We have been there twice, climbing to the top and touching the Buddha stupa which gives one good luck. Doubt we are limber enough to do that now. Also famous in Indonesia are the shadow puppetry arts and batik dyeing in Java. Touristy, but mysterious Bali is a highlight of a visit to this country.
We have yet to see the orangutans, named the old men of the forest, that live in the jungles of Tanjung Puting National Park. That would take a side trip away from the ship, or done independent of a cruise.
The favorite dish in Indonesia has to be fried rice called nasi goring. It can be served with steamed beef with roasted coconut and lemongrass. Or any combination of chicken, beef, or seafood and even fried eggs on top. The favorite drink is called kopi, or coffee. This is the place to be brave and try the civet coffee, made from the beans retrieved from the droppings of civet cats. Eeewww!
The best random fact has to be: Komodo dragons live in Indonesia and are the largest lizards on earth. They are occasional man-eaters with a lethal bite. But more on that later.
So our port of call for today is Slawi Bay, Komodo Island, and it is a tender port. About 2000 residents live here in houses that are built on stilts. Besides being cooler, the dragons cannot climb stairs to access the houses. Most of the natives live in fishing villages. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, Komodo is home to about 5700 dragons, according to the ship’s port guide (which may or may not be accurate). As we mentioned, these are the largest lizards in the world, often measuring over 10 feet in length, weighing over 150 pounds. They can live up to 30 years, and have been in existence for 8 million years according to the scientists.
Here are a few fast facts on these creatures. They have long sharp claws and 60 serrated teeth that grab and tear their prey. Their snake-like forked tongues are sensitive to smell, although their eye site is poor, especially at night. Their tails are most powerful, almost half of their body length. That makes them very strong swimmers capable of going from island to island if they choose to. They have bony scales that work like a suit of armor. The dragons are able to run at speeds up to 13 MPH. The females lay from 15 to 30 eggs that are soft shelled and the size of a peacock or goose egg. When the babies hatch, they immediately take to the trees, since the adults will devour them. That includes the mother.
What do they eat? Anything and everything such as Timor deer, macaques, water buffalo, and wild boars. They can devour an animal whole, bones and hooves, and consume as much as 80% of their body weight. However, they can survive on only twelve meals a year. Big meals. They will fight with each other, especially the breeding males. But they are all immune to the bacteria in their bites.
And that is what they use to bring down their prey. It is the nasty bacteria in their saliva they produce that is toxic to animals when bitten. All it takes is one good bite, and the animals slowly bleed out and eventually die. The dragons sit back and simply wait. We have seen videos from the old days, when a huge pit was dug, and the trapped dragons devoured freshly-killed goats or pigs for the tourists to watch. Outlawed now, this is never seen.
It is reported that as many as 5000 Komodo dragons exist in the world, with many of those living in zoos. Since this number came from the expert speaker, we assume it is up-to-date information. Sometimes in the wild, they will attack people when provoked. We have been informed that there is an anti-venom treatment if that does happen, but tourists are not usually on their menu. Hopefully that holds true for tomorrow.
Other things to see on the outlying islands are coral reefs and pink-hued sandy beaches. There are 1000 species of tropical fish, whales, dolphins, dugongs (similar to manatees), manta rays, and sea turtles. There is one tour offered that takes folks on another boat to a village of 1100 people. They will have a chance to visit a school and mix with the local kids. A swim in the warm waters is also included on this excursion, but there will be no sightings of the dragons. Hopefully, none of them are swimming from island to island.
Two tours that take in the dragons are the short version, glimpse of the dragons, or the 90 minute walk called Komodo Island adventure. And there is no guarantee that you will see them. And we may have already mentioned this, but no one will be allowed to tender over unless you have an organized tour, either with shore excursions or proof of a private tour. And of course, there is some shopping time for typical dragon souvenirs, with a warning this is NOT a shopping spree. Yeah, right, you better believe most folks will stock up.
So, we went to breakfast like we always do, then eventually we went to the Mainstage to get “stickered”, and wait for our group to assemble. There were six tours leaving every ½ hour, and we were scheduled for 10am. While watching the tendering to shore from deck three, the rain began to fall. But it was more of a passing shower. Not extremely heavy, we figured it was best to bring umbrellas and a large plastic bag for the good camera. We would not melt if we got a little wet. Actually, having a mostly cloudy day with occasional showers would keep things cooler.
It has been a long time since we took an organized tour from Shore Excursions, but it did bring back some very funny memories. Like people jockeying to get to the exit door to be the first on the bus or tender boat. You would be surprised how the folks barrel down those stairs to be first. Today there was no problem like that, since this group only numbered 20 at the most.
An alternate excursion was one that went to the secret village of Kampung Komodo, where you go by a wooden boat to the village where the locals live. There was a visit to a school, but probably not today, because it was Sunday and not a school day. After a short stay, you would go by boat to nearby Pink Beach, and have the chance to snorkel, swim, or sunbathe. We do know people that took this tour, as well as many smart folks that pre-booked this on their own, and also got the short tour to see the dragons.
Our tour was almost identical to the one we did several years ago. Back then, we were given wooden bracelets, locally-made. That did not happen. But we did get a bottle of water, and a blue plastic poncho when it started to rain lightly. Some people put them on, and soon discovered they were dying of the humidity, sweating to death. Led by a park ranger with two assistants with forked sticks, we followed a trail through the brush and tall trees. Stopping along the way, the guide explained many details about the dragons and their surroundings. This had a double purpose, keeping the groups ahead of us separated from each other.
The guide asked all of us to keep silent so we could hear the dragons and birds too. He did not think to shut off his cell phone, which kept ringing every few minutes. Sort of took the wind out of our “treacherous” hike. Eventually, he turned his phone off. We reached the center area, about a mile into the park. That’s where more rangers were holding three of the dragons in the ring that had a puddle of muddy water. Not really big ones, the three Komodo dragons were listless, but alert enough to be watching all of us. Most everyone posed for photos with these creatures in the backround.
Now the last time we were here, a very large dragon broke loose, and decided to run through the middle of our group. A man stepped back too fast, and knocked people in the group over, causing some cuts and bruises. Those forked sticks did nothing to stop that dragon. This did not occur today, thank goodness.
We did learn that the females laid their eggs in sandy mounds, much like the crocodiles do. These eggs were due to hatch sometime next month. Their only chance for survival is to climb into the tallest of the palm trees, or else they get eaten. If other dragons don’t devour them, then the sea eagles do by plucking them out of the trees. Must be a tough life, but enough of them survive to live a long life, which our guide said up to 50 years.
We did spot a few birds of the forest like a soaring eagle in the bay, extra-large crows, some cockatoos, green imperial pigeons, and a couple of colorful black-napped orioles. At the beginning of the trail walk, we saw some wild boar roaming near the entrance. Also, we got an education on the different trees that grow here, and what they are used for by the locals.
Our hike ended back at the beach, where there was a long tented area full of souvenirs. This display had increased double since we were here. You could purchase many sizes of carved Komodo dragons, which we already own. In addition, there were t-shirts, hats, and magnets and postcards. Some of the lady vendors were selling sarongs, along with pearls of all sizes and colors. They looked decent, but for $5 to $25, we doubt anything was close to authentic. We managed to make it through the maze unscathed.
There were several small tents set up with locals selling snacks and beverages. Spotting some nice folks we know, we sat for a while to exchange tour info. Just as we were about to leave, we spotted movement behind us. Low and behold, a dragon was making its way towards the sandy beach just 20 feet from all of us. Our waiter, Slam, and three other crew members followed us as we tracked this monster on the move. Several rangers came alongside the dragon to keep people away from it. They advised us all not to block its way. No problem there, we let it go where it wanted, taking great photos until it reached the other side of the cement pier on the beach.
There were two noticeably injured Timor deer sitting near the water. Not natural behavior, we think this dragon was watching their demise. He was joined by two more smaller dragons, making three of them. If they were hungry enough, they might have fought over them. Our guess was they were not quite ready for that meal, so we would not see any attack today. For certain, it would not be a pretty sight, and we are not sure we would want to see that.
The rain was beginning again, so we headed back out that pier to wait for the next tender boat. Local wooden ferries were dropping independent groups off, and picking up others who had completed their tour like us. One such group was 20 young ladies from Bali. Although the Amsterdam was the only cruise ship at anchor, many people came from the nearby islands with resorts. The locals have a gold mine here.
Back at the ship by 3pm, we cooled off for a bit, then went for a Lido lunch. By the way, the dining room was closed for lunch today. When they do this, the Lido’s full service side stays open for a little longer to take care of the tour people when they return. And that is another stampede……making sure they get lunch immediately.
All aboard was 3:30pm, with sail away around 4pm. The rain held off as we sailed away from the group of islands. We are now headed for Benoa, Bali, a short distance away from Komodo, over 200 nautical miles we believe.
Today was St. Patrick’s Day, and some sort of green was worn by all. Even the dinner menu had themed-titled entrees. To keep the appetizers and meals “green”, a lot of peas were used in most everything. Barb hates peas, so she was careful what she ordered.
To add to today’s activities, there was a Pub Crawl at 8:45pm ($22 charge), as well as a comedy and music variety show full of promised Irish bull and blarney. Of group of three ladies, called The Biddys, sang silly songs, dressed in the funniest get-ups, well, like old biddys. Barb said they had gone to the Crow’s Nest the day before, and brought the house down with laughter.
Tomorrow will be a busy day with long tours and many Indonesian guests visiting their loved ones onboard. Always nice to see.
Bill & Mary Ann
