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Published: November 2nd 2008
We took a boat to the island of Lombok where we spent a couple of days and then we took another boat to the Gilli islands. We went diving there and a girl on the dive boat asked if we were getting jaded by traveling for so long. Did things fail to impress us anymore? I answered "Absolutely not!" As a matter of fact, just the night before we saw a huge orange, perfectly round moon rise up and it was one of those amazing moments that you'll never forget in your life. How lucky are we?!
We took a 3 day cruise to Komodo and Rinca Islands to see the dragons. Along the way we stopped to do some fantastic snorkeling in different spots. Unfortunately, at one of these places we saw some guys fishing using dynamite. A huge geyser of water shot up in the air and I felt so sad to think of the damage being done to the reef.
There were 13 of us tourists from all over Europe and Australia on the small boat and we got to be good friends after spending 24/7 sleeping, playing and eating together. No shower! Toby and I
Moon rise over Gilli Trawangan
This picture doesn't do this justice. We saw this speck of orange on the horizon and then this huge, perfectly round, russet colored orb came up. I've never seen anything like it. used some drinking water to take impromptu baths.
On the second day of the trip the sea became rough and suddenly a large wave sloshed up over the bow of the boat and sluiced down the main deck area. Of course, Toby and I had our small packs there and everything got soaked. We bobbed up and over waves and I sang, "The weather started getting rough, the tiny shipped was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew..." We stopped someplace for lunch in the afternoon and the crew told us two things that were bad news. First, something was wrong with the engine so we were behind schedule and would miss out on doing some activities the next day. Second, we had to cross a straight where the seas were the roughest and so we should clear everything from the main deck and hold on.
Actually, the crossing was not as bad as I expected, perhaps because we had to go slower. And in the morning we made it to Komodo Island on schedule. We hit the beach at 7:30 and it was already hotter than a brick oven. The Komodos were quite impressive
POSH accommodations, eh?
And the tiny head was a hole to the ocean. No shower! with their huge claws and yellow tongues slithering out to snatch a sniff of us. The guides that took us on the hike carried long sticks with a fork on the end to fend of any aggressive dragons. When we left and went to Rinca it rained a little which was a real relief.
We reached Labuan Bajo where we could have spent a 4th night on the boat but those of us with a penchant for a shower and a thick mattress that didn't rock found hotel rooms that night. Once on land we kept feeling like we were swaying back and forth which was a strange sensation. Rocking from side to side was comforting. And then we spent a couple of days diving around Komodo National Park (no dynamiting allowed!) so it took a couple more days on land to feel normal again.
One of the Aussies that had been feeling unwell during the boat trip went to the doctor and was diagnosed with malaria. Yikes! The diagnosis sounded a bit iffy though so I hope it was something else. And the poor guy had been hiking around in the swelter of Komodo and swimming so
Lunch on the boat
Toby the carb boy is in rice heaven here in Asia. He never gets tired of it! if he had malaria it must not have taken complete hold yet.
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Dawn (Rinde) Benson
non-member comment
Exciting Adventures in Komodo & Asia
Hi Lisa and Toby, I've been sharing your adventures with my hubby, Greg and my parents (Tom and Sue Rinde) who now reside in the Bay Area near us. Your commentary is better than the Discovery/Travel channels!!!! Safe travels and looking forward to more adventures to come! Dawn and Greg Benson