Komodo

497 days ago
	Ah, I am now in the last days of a great vacation and should really write a little about it before it becomes less lucid. So as I may have said previously my parents came over from Canada to visit me and go touring with Kiky and I. Our first day of touring took us through Bali on a stopover. We got to chill on the beach and enjoy the relaxed attitude you find in Bali. But after a few hours we were airborne again and this time heading to Labuan Bajo, a small village on the western end of Flores. The plane ride gave us a good idea of what we were to experience. For the two hour flight we saw nothing but beautiful volcanic peaks, surrounded by wonderful fringing reefs. The landing was a bit rough, but once there we quickly found accomadation at the Gardena Hotel, a common hangout for the tourists heading this way. The main reason to visit this area is to see Komodo and Rinca, two islands rife with wildlife. We chartered a boat and by the next morning were cruising the placid seas between the multitude of islands. Our first stop was on Rinca, where we got to see some Komodo dragons (locally called Oro), wild horses, deer, buffalo and of course some Monkeys. It was a great place to see how plentiful the nature was in this area. One of the largest Komodos we saw was next to the rangers office. It was lapping at the toilet run-off and looking wearily at us tourists. The next stop was to see the flying foxes come out at night, wherein the sky was filled with raven sized bats who hunt at night. Our second day on the charter was spent snorkelling and lounging on Pantai Merah, a beach which has a beautiful pink hue due to the red coral debris. Diving in Komodo was great too. The dive master said the currents can get as fast as 16 knots in this area, which is stronger than any of the local boat engines can cope with. Due to the fast currents, we saw loads of big fish, including giant trevally, Napoleon wrasses, and a few black tip reef sharks. But for the me the highlight of the marine fauna were the manta rays. There are roughly two hundred in one area and when we got there we jumped right in the middle of them. At first I saw nothing but then coming out of the blue were a bunch of rays, gliding through the water with a grace that is unparalleled. I went down to 10m with only my breath just in time to get caught in the middle of a fleet of these wondrous beasts and stayed down till I felt faint, such was the excitement of seeing so many of them at one time. The only thing that came close to their majestic form were the dolphins which would frequently play at the bow of the boat as we cruised water.