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Published: June 25th 2017
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Up Close and Personal with the Komodo Dragon
Trust your eyes! This did happen. Amazing. Note that dragons do not spring backwards, hence the seemingly relaxed mode we were in. It did not hurst that we were also surrounded by four experienced guides armed with their trusty long dragon fighting sticks. Three days after taking off on our boat adventure, we arrived at the Komodo National Park, and began our mission of " Hunting Komodo Dragons by Camera". We would eventually visit both of their island habitats - Komodo Island and Rinca Island, on which we were told live approximately 2,400 dragons - but Komodo Island, the larger of the two, was our first hike. We were also told they may be difficult to spot at this time of year, because it is just the end of the rainy season and the vegetation is thick and lush. We opted for the longest hike route, and began our two hour hike at 8 in the morning, wondering when and if we would be lucky enough to spot any dragons, as our park guides informed us that there were no guarantees, as this is a park, not a nature refuge, and the animals live in the wild.
Before departing, we were given a list of cautionary instructions, and we also noted that our group of twenty was being accompanied by four stick-armed guides, some of whom had had their dragon guiding skills passed on to them from their fathers, and presumably grandfathers:
Our First Komodo Encounter
Yeah. Just a tad bit intimidating. Maybe three metres or four metres long. He didn't offer to share his weight. Perhaps he is sensitive about sharing such personal info. . . 1. We were not to get any nearer than three metres to any dragons at any time, as this is the distance they can spring immediately to action from an apparently dormant position.
2.We were told not to move too quickly, and to avoid being loud when in the presence of a dragon, as these behaviours could be perceived of as aggressive.
3.We were warned many times not to leave the trail or stray from the group.
4.Finally, we were cautioned at length about the danger of having blood scent in the group, as dragons can smell blood from five kilometres away. As such, menstruating women were asked to make the guides aware before beginning.
On that note, our boat guide, Berto, shared an experience he had had a year or so earlier with one of his tour groups, in which some macho guy in the group, frustrated when he had not spotted a dragon yet on the trail remembered about the attraction blood has, and deliberately cut himself to test the theory. It worked, and the park guides got to test their skills at warding off the massive predator with their trusty forked sticks. Need I say, what
Lounge Lizard
This gives a whole new perspective to that cliche expression, doesn't it? But in some ways, makes the cliche even more apt, when you stop and think about it. He is just hanging out, apparently chillin', and waiting for his prey to pass by. . . a looser! So we were well primed for the adventure.
As it turned out, we would not have to wait long. We were less than twenty minutes into our hike when we spotted our first dragon on the trail, sunning himself right in the middle of our walking path. Stan and I happened to be at the very front of the group at that time, so we were the first in our group to spot him. He was a large male, I believe, but you can see his size for yourself when you check out the photos. He stopped. We stopped. A few jaws dropped. And we waited and watched to see what his next move would be. Eventually, he got bored with us and strolled right past us on the path we had magically cleared just for him. Hilariously, just after he passed the group, he paused briefly to leave a gigantic lizard poop, perhaps expressing a subversive message of his real sentiments towards this strange group of gawking but untasty animals. I even caught it all on video!
We would continue on to see another half dozen of the world's largest lizards on this hike, and
Stan the Hunter
As if I would trust him with this meagre little stick against one of those big boys, charging at you full force with a hunger hate on. But hey, it's fun to pretend. another ten or so the following day, on Rinca Island. We even got an excellent photo op, compliments of our park guide, which testifys that we really did get up close and personal with the Komodo dragons!
In addition to the adventure of spotting Komodo Dragons, we also got to take in the beautiful scenery of the surrounding volcanic islands, and view the moss-covered rugged hillside terrain. Our timing was perfect for visiting these islands, as the rainy season had just ended, so the terrain was dry enough for walking, but still green and very lush. It was also perfect because it was low season for tourism. Curiously, I was reminded of the Qu'Appelle Valley hills which we will soon get to see again in all their beauty when we arrive home to our little cottage on Echo Lake in May, to enjoy another spring, summer and fall in our lovely home province of Saskatchewan, Canada.
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