October
04, 2002
'Ere
be Dragons
We had
a very short agenda when we set off to sail around the world. We deliberately
kept it that way as we were exiting a life of planning and schedules
and moving into one of spontaneity and freedom from restrictions.
However, there were a couple of things that we wanted to do, and set
them as goals, no matter how long they took us to achieve them. One
was to visit the Galapagos (which we did in 1999) and another was
to visit the Komodo dragons. Last week we ticked off goal number two
and it has been one of the high points of our cruising life.
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It
must have been 15 or 20 years ago that we first heard about the dragons
(large monitor lizards found only on the islands around Komodo) and
they captured our imagination because of their remoteness and because
they seemed to be a relic of a different world. Having spent a week
in the presence of these extraordinary creatures we can confirm the
first reason but not the second--these are not simple prehistoric reptiles
but highly complex, well-adapted creatures, and all the more fascinating
for it.
Remote
they certainly are. We have not seen another yacht in the 5 weeks we
have cruised this area (Thursday Island in Australia to Komodo and Rinja
in Indonesia). We have visited two of the park ranger stations and have
been the only visitors, having a ranger to ourselves to escort us on
walks through the bush and over the island's arid hills in search of
dragons. The rangers are extremely well informed and of course know
the most likely places to spot dragons, as well as identifying the myriad
of birds, wild orchids, land snails and more.
On
Rinja we were fortunate to happen upon a site where a water buffalo
had been killed by the dragons, who were then feasting on it. Later
we anchored in a bay on the west side of the island, and watched 20
to 30 monkeys playing on the beach, ever-vigilant as dragons prowled
the low water mark in search of food. Wary deer tiptoed across the reef
also in search of food.
On
Komodo island we hiked inland and found a dragon's lair. A crater 12
feet across forms the nest in which the female dragon lays 20 to 30
eggs. The incubation period is nine months and the baby dragons are
30 cm long when hatched. That is, if they survive being dug up by the
wild boar on the island.
As if the
thrill of the wildlife was not sufficient reward for visiting this area,
the scenery is stunning. Spiky mountains form unlikely peaks and the
powdery blue hues of submerged reefs make a bead around the stark coastline.
Tidal currents run at 5 knots, creating whirlpools and tidal rips on
an otherwise flat sea, giving substance to the notion that 'ere be dragons.
Many
of the places we have visited while cruising could be enjoyed by anyone
with the time and finances to travel, in some areas even on a yacht
as the charter industry extends its range in safe easy cruising areas.
But there are other places where we have gained significantly by being
on our own boat, not just in terms of accessibility but also because
the depth and quality of the experience has been enhanced. Komodo is
one of those places, and it has, without doubt, earned its place on
our very small agenda.
