Two of the world's great creatures I saw for the first time today. The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard and the manta ray is the world's largest ray with, respectively, a longer body and longer wingspan than that of humans. Last night I booked a trip with Cruise Komodo on a speedboat to Komodo National Park, which is the only home of these giant lizards. A slower boat would have been cheaper but it would have taken three hours to reach Komodo. After being picked up this morning I needed to withdraw some money but I wanted to find an ATM that would allow a withdrawal of more than 1,000,000 rupiah (about US$67) since each withdrawal costs $5 regardless of the amount withdrawn, so I was pointed to an ATM that allowed me to withdraw 2,500,000 rupiah; this amount of cash should have been enough before reaching Bali. Before seeing the dragons, we would first stop at the island of Padar. Deer that you'd expect to find in the mountains of Idaho or New Zealand laze beautifully on the beaches of Padar.
Padar is one of those many places where I can scream "WOW!" Just like at Kelimutu, I was mesmerized as I admired the view.
On my 4th trip to Indonesia, I've found two of the most gorgeous places. Kelimutu and Padar have both really knocked my socks off. Whilst there's a geocache at the summit of Padar, I couldn't go sign it since that part of the trail was closed. This is one of those extraordinary places where I might be content if I never went anywhere else.
It's still difficult to imagine deer on a beach.
Such a fun trip it was early on as tea, coffee, and fresh fruit were passed around. Pink Beach was up next. Aptly named due to a very slight hint of pink, the colour is caused by foraminifera. Both Komodo and Padar have a "Pink Beach," so we went to the one on Padar. As beautiful as the scenery and creatures are ladies. Amie posed majestically for me.
Although drones officially aren't allowed in the national park without a permit, I was given approval to soar Juliett for a quick flight. A boxed lunch came out delicious as I feasted on chicken and rice. Leaving Pink Beach behind, it was come for the region's piece de resistance: the mighty Komodo dragons. Locally known as ora, these giant lizards don't breathe fire but grow up to three metres.
They appear as if they're straight out of Jurassic Park. Park rangers are strict at ensuring that people don't get too close to the dragons. Although I travel fearlessly, the Komodo dragon has been known to attack humans. From this angle it appears as if I'm standing on the back of the dragon.
Young Komodo dragons live in trees to avoid becoming a meal for cannibalistic adults. As we set out earlier, the park entry fee of 400,000 rupiah was collected. The Indonesian government has attempted a few times to raise the entry fee to 3,750,000 rupiah (about US$250) but many locals have complained each time stating that it would keep visitors away. They have a valid point as a large chunk of visitors to the country are backpackers and modest-budget travellers. People travel from around the world to go on a safari in Tanzania or to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda but rather few do the same to Komodo to see the dragons. Whilst I couldn't sign the geocache on the summit of Padar Island, the park ranger allowed me to climb a small hill grab both a cache and a nice view.
In all, I saw four Komodo dragons. After walking past all the souvenir stalls with all things dragon-related it was time to go from land to sea in search of another majestic creature: the manta ray. Only once have I seen a manta ray, and that was when I saw one jump out of the water in Nicaragua. Two different places we went, and in the first spot we saw only one ray but where we went next there were dozens of them around! What magnificent creatures they are as they glide gracefully through the water. As filter feeders, they feed mostly on plankton. I don't know why I haven't invested in a GoPro, as I would have been able to get photos of the manta rays. After swimming with rays we would have one final stop at Kanawa Island where it'd be a chance to grab a Bintang and put our feet in the water. The price for the trip at first I felt was rather steep at 1,400,000 rupiah but it was worth it for sure! As we made our way back to Badjo I noted the harbour looked like something out of a fishing village in Norway. Such a fabulous day I had, and it was five minutes after stepping off the boat that this day would turn from one of the best in my life into one of the worst...
My brother-in-law (future brother-in-law, since he and my sister are getting married in September), Juan sent me a message telling me that I needed to call my brother Sean straight away. The only thing I could think of is that perhaps he needed to discuss something related to their wedding, so I called him. Sean asked if I was gonna be home soon or if I had a bit of time to talk and I said "I can sit down for a few minutes, what's going on?" and he went silent for a few seconds and said "Dad had a stroke." My thought was "NO!!!". Trying to calm myself, I ordered some beef satay and called my Mom. She could immediately tell that I was upset, and actually thought I was in jail for a second. Sean had asked me not to tell her but she was going to know eventually, and I broke the news to her.
The status for the rest of this journey is unclear at this point, but I'm gonna try to sleep as best I can and then weigh my options tomorrow.
