Beware the Dragons

We'd been primed for our next port; one of the lecturers on board (the guy who was doing the series on Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter), showed an episode featuring the Komodo Dragons. These things are nasty! There are approximately 5,000 of them and can only be found on five islands in Indonesia.

They really are a throwback to the dinosaur era; they look like humongous lizards wearing chain mail, can crush a deer skull in their jaws and even though they have the power -and the teeth and claws- to kill just about anything, they don't even need to. Their saliva has over 50 strains of powerful bacteria; all it takes is a small wound and a lick and you're as good as dead. In fact, that is how they kill their prey for the most part: they wound it, infection sets in and very soon dinner is served.

Komodo Island is all about the dragons. It is a national park and nothing else. There are a handful of inhabitants who depend on the dragon tourist industry. It is highly regulated, mainly for safety reasons -the safety of the dragons, that is- as they are a protected species. No one is allowed on the island unless they are part of an organized tour. The tour consists of a nature walk on designated paths from where you can see the dragons which, if necessary, can be kept in check with long sticks carried by the guards. You will also see deer (the dragons' main source of food) as well as wild hogs and various species of birds. The tour concludes with a forced march through the souvenir stalls but what the heck, if you've come all the way here you gotta see the Dragons!

We're now on our way to Bali, the last port of our cruise. We'll have a guide to show us around all day Monday after we disembark, my last post about our experience will be from our hotel. Till then!

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