September 2011
Indonesia
Ahoy!!!
Blaze is anchored in Labuan Bajo a small town on the west coast of Flores Island. Once again we are smothered in humidity as we walk through the market. We are here to do a bit of reprovsioning and then off to Komodo and Rinca Islands. The market is next to the crumbling wharf. Since 4am we have heard the boats coming across the bay. Locals from all over the islands come to bring their goods. The long boats are literally stuffed with families squeezing around all the fruits and vegetables. The fish and coconuts are packed on top of the canopy. The market is not only a monetary event it is social as well. The women sit on the ground with their goods on piece of cloth in front of them. The smaller children sit with mom or grandma. The women are clad in long woven skirt often with a loose blouse and a shawl over one shoulder.
Next morning we are off to explore the Flores Sea. We found a great spot west of Labuanbajo at Sabolo Besar. We dropped anchor and simply jumped off the back of Blaze to snorkel. 10 feet off our stern is a coral reef that runs a mile along the shore. The water was clear and the sights amazing. Connor took time here to reacquaint himself with the scuba gear we have on board. Each day we hit places like Golden Passage, Crystal Rock and Saboya. We spent one afternoon snorkeling The Cauldron. ( the locals call it Manta Soupa). Here manta rays come to clean themselves on the rock edges. The snorkel is a drift dive over white sand. We were initially disappointed there were no manta rays to be seen. A local came by in his small paddle boat obviously knowing what we were looking for. He pointed to the other side of the passage. We swam across searching the blue waters for signs of life. Suddenly Connor spotted a manta ray swimming up the middle of the passage. He was fluid in his motion and glided by effortlessly. His huge bat like body must have been 12 feet across. He was black on top with a smooth white underside. We swam toward him only to see him make a sudden dive below us. I looked behind and saw four more mantas approaching. Their wide oval shaped mouths looked like they could suck us up in seconds. I know they are plankton eaters and have no interest in me. It’s just disconcerting to have a monstrous vacuum heading your way! The adrenalin was pumping! These daunting creatures with fins like immense wings came right alongside us. It felt like he was checking us. The rays possess a graceful calm and seemed to have no fear, just a childlike curiosity. Connor reached over and touched the large black wing. The manta rolled left like an air plane and dropped below. We kept swimming as they deftly propelled themselves through the water. The longer we all “swam” together the more comfortable we were. Connor and I looked at each other in disbelief. It was an overwhelming sight and encounter. This went on for about 10 minutes but seemed like an hour! Connor and I were getting fatigued. The current in the pass had picked up and the manta rays were moving on. It was time to drift back and etch it all in our minds.
One afternoon we were heading toward Batu Balong another dive site. The waters were a bit confused and rolly. Skies were blue with a few puffy white clouds. We motored on due to no wind. Connor suddenly called out. He spotted a person bobbing up and down in the choppy water. There was no boat nearby and we were away from land. We immediately turned around and headed back. A woman in full scuba gear was clinging to her camera. She looked disoriented and confused. She never called out or waved out direction. I don’t think she realized the danger of her predicament. ( I would have been screaming and crying!). The lone diver had been swept away by the strong currents. She was a long way from any dive group. She was Japanese and spoke very little English. We came alongside and Connor pulled her up on deck tank and all. She did not know where the dive boat or where her group was located. Nor did she know the name of the boat. She had set off her Surface Signal ( a 6 foot high inflatable pole) This has a bright orange signal and should have been spotted by the chase boat. But with the sea so choppy it was never spotted it. As we were trying to communicate a power skiff came speeding in our direction. It was the man who sits in the boat and watches for the divers to surface). This diver had drifted back about a quarter of a mile! He never spotted her. We got her into the chase boat and off they went. Not a word exchange from the man in the boat. We wondered if her diving partner had also drifted off. Not a pleasant thought. Finding her adrift was a sobering experience.
Encounters on Komodo Island
One of the highlights in this area is Komodo Island. Home to the infamous Komodo Dragon. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I had done some reading about the dragons. They are actually a member of that ‘scaly’ lizard family. They have massive bodies, yellow forked tongues, powerful legs and the “usual” five clawed toes! (Yikes!). Their favorite meals are deer, wild pig and water buffalo. They have the unique talent of being able to swallow their prey (as large as a goat) in one delicious gulp! It gives me a new visual for the expression “down the hatch”! I was calmed to know that attacks on humans are rare. However if you do get bit don’t worry. The bite is seldom what kills you. Instead it is a horrific bacteria in their saliva that turns septic and result in a quick death. After my ‘research’ I was excited to get ashore and see the world’s largest lizards! We dropped anchor behind a small rock island in front of Komodo Island.
Instead of dark volcanic rock and lush green vegetation, Komodo’s hillsides are brown and dry. There is a small Bugis fishing village at the waters’ edge. ( the Bugis people are from Sulawesi to the north). They live in “stilt homes” which sit about 10 feet above the water. The simple structures have plank floors and walls. No toilets, showers or running water. The village was busy with the sounds of chicken, goats, and children. Once our anchor was down a procession of curious paddle boats came by Blaze. We were greeted by children and fishermen and just about anyone who had nothing to do. (Unfortunately it seemed like most of the male population.) Everyone wanted to sell us something or asked to come aboard. . We had to be firm and tell them no, it was not allowed. But this did not stop some who would sit on the aft steps trying to work their way up. We took turns sitting on the back deck literally “shooing” them away. The teenagers floated around in their canoes yelling “Hello!, Hey lady! Hey Mista (mister) Hello!” It went on over an hour until the Komodo Park authorities arrived. They said something in Bhasa and the kids scattered off. They were here to collect our money to go ashore. I was a bit hesitant to pay these guys. They were in a beat up long boat and had extremely worn and dirty clothes. The head guy did have a faded cap that read Komodo National Park. I just wasn’t sure if we were being taken. Ann came to the rescue. She had prepaid all the fees in Labjuan Bajo. She started handing out receipts and the Ranger issued us passes.
The fact he had the tickets gave me relief. We were dealing with the right people. Fees were charged to go ashore to see the dragons, for our guide (mandatory), a conservation fee and another fee to take a camera ashore! The total was about $145,000 Rupiah. That works out to around $16 dollars! (1 US dollar is worth about $9,000 Rupiah). This was one of the few places in Indonesia that we felt a bit intimidated and concerned about our safety. The people were aggressive and persistent. We had not encountered this anywhere else in Indonesia. We decided to keep someone on board Blaze at all times. We went ashore the next day. A guide was assigned to us and off we went into the jungle. We came to a clearing and our guide pointed toward a watering hole. There on the edges were 4 Komodo Dragons. ( I was suddenly wishing there was a fence or even a zoo nearby!) This “up close and personal” experience is highly overrated! I felt so uneasy. Being at the mercy of their mood didn’t sit well with me. The dragons have long necks with black beady eyes in their small heads. We could see those huge claws and powerful legs. They just sat there frozen in position. Nearby were deer (ie dinner) casually sitting on the ground! The dragons usually bite there leg and just wait a week until they die. They also dine on frogs, birds, wild buffalo and wild boar. Our guide walked on giving us ‘fun’ facts about the Komodo’s. One point being if they charge you climb a tree. I looked around for the tallest tree. That sounded good until he told us the young dragons live in trees! And this is because the adult males eat their young! Such bad parenting skills. By the time we finished our trail walk I was ready to ‘walk’ on water to get to the boat. I will take a shark encounter over a Komodo Dragon any day.Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy.
Selaman Tinggal!
Instead of dark volcanic rock and lush green vegetation, Komodo’s hillsides are brown and dry. There is a small Bugis fishing village at the waters’ edge. ( the Bugis people are from Sulawesi to the north). They live in “stilt homes” which sit about 10 feet above the water. The simple structures have plank floors and walls. No toilets, showers or running water. The village was busy with the sounds of chicken, goats, and children. Once our anchor was down a procession of curious paddle boats came by Blaze. We were greeted by children and fishermen and just about anyone who had nothing to do. (Unfortunately it seemed like most of the male population.) Everyone wanted to sell us something or asked to come aboard. . We had to be firm and tell them no, it was not allowed. But this did not stop some who would sit on the aft steps trying to work their way up. We took turns sitting on the back deck literally “shooing” them away. The teenagers floated around in their canoes yelling “Hello!, Hey lady! Hey Mista (mister) Hello!” It went on over an hour until the Komodo Park authorities arrived. They said something in Bhasa and the kids scattered off. They were here to collect our money to go ashore. I was a bit hesitant to pay these guys. They were in a beat up long boat and had extremely worn and dirty clothes. The head guy did have a faded cap that read Komodo National Park. I just wasn’t sure if we were being taken. Ann came to the rescue. She had prepaid all the fees in Labjuan Bajo. She started handing out receipts and the Ranger issued us passes.
The fact he had the tickets gave me relief. We were dealing with the right people. Fees were charged to go ashore to see the dragons, for our guide (mandatory), a conservation fee and another fee to take a camera ashore! The total was about $145,000 Rupiah. That works out to around $16 dollars! (1 US dollar is worth about $9,000 Rupiah). This was one of the few places in Indonesia that we felt a bit intimidated and concerned about our safety. The people were aggressive and persistent. We had not encountered this anywhere else in Indonesia. We decided to keep someone on board Blaze at all times. We went ashore the next day. A guide was assigned to us and off we went into the jungle. We came to a clearing and our guide pointed toward a watering hole. There on the edges were 4 Komodo Dragons. ( I was suddenly wishing there was a fence or even a zoo nearby!) This “up close and personal” experience is highly overrated! I felt so uneasy. Being at the mercy of their mood didn’t sit well with me. The dragons have long necks with black beady eyes in their small heads. We could see those huge claws and powerful legs. They just sat there frozen in position. Nearby were deer (ie dinner) casually sitting on the ground! The dragons usually bite there leg and just wait a week until they die. They also dine on frogs, birds, wild buffalo and wild boar. Our guide walked on giving us ‘fun’ facts about the Komodo’s. One point being if they charge you climb a tree. I looked around for the tallest tree. That sounded good until he told us the young dragons live in trees! And this is because the adult males eat their young! Such bad parenting skills. By the time we finished our trail walk I was ready to ‘walk’ on water to get to the boat. I will take a shark encounter over a Komodo Dragon any day.Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy.
Selaman Tinggal!
Captain Molly & Swabbie Connor
