Im on a Boat

We were both certain we would be making our way out to Flores to see the Komodo Dragons, we just didn’t know how we would get there. With our options being pretty limited, either an expensive flight or a four-day boat tour that would allow us to meet people and see some islands along the way, we opted for the boat tour. The itinerary didn`t sound bad: four days and nights sleeping on the deck of the boat, meals included, unlimited drinking water, stopovers at small islands for snorkling, hiking, waterfalls and tours of Komodo and Rinca islands, the only two islands in the world with Komodo dragons, and all this for $155. 

Days 1 & 2

On the first day we were driven to the port where we boarded our boat, met the crew, met our guide (Vick) and joined the other 16 passengers for our tour. We were very fortunate to have an amazing and very international group of people - 4 Americans, 4 French, 2 Dutch, 2 Italians, 2 Austalians, 2 Spanish and of course, 2 Canadians! This is the first time we saw our sleeping accommodations. 18 barely one inch mats lined up side by side to cover the entire top of the boat and tiny blankets made for 5 foot tall Indonesian people. We chose two mats at the front of the deck as there was a little more space for my feet to stick out (the mats weren't even 6 feet long and I didnt want to have my feet on top of someone elses head!). 

The tour started pretty slow; we sat in the port for 3 hours because our boat's battery was dead. They tried to figure something out, but finally told us we would not be seeing any islands on our first day (they explained it to us by saying the itinerary we were given was no longer up to date - this was all part of the program). Instead we would motor through the night to another island where they could get another battery - we got a boost from another boat so we could get there, but this meant our boat couldn`t stop until we got to the big island. Motoring through the night meant freezing wind, small gusts of water (for those of us lucky enough who chose to sleep in the front of the boat) and rough waters. And to describe sound of the motor, imagine a helicopter landing next to you, all night long. We didn`t step off the boat for our first 18 hours on the boat. When we told our guide the night was horrible, he said that was only «level 2», the rocking was level 1, the bad first nights sleep was level 2, and level 3 would be our second night, as Vick put it ``a nightmare, where you think you die, but you survive.`` He was right! The only good thing about this was that Vick was able to buy us some beer at this island as I has planned pretty poorly and didnt pick up any beer in advance.

NIght two was terrible! Neither of us felt well for the entire evening (about 18 hours lying down), we just lay upstairs on the deck and listened to music as the boat drove through rough waters from 5pm onward. During the night the boat was swaying from side to side, bags were flying across the top deck, people rolling on to each other, 4 of the girls were sick and at one point around 2am everyone was awake with their flashlights looking at each other thinking WTF is going on!?! We covered ourselves with towels to keep warm and tried our best to sleep through it.

I have to admit our American friends were strong enough to sit in the front of the boat and drink for most of the evening... as we sat on the top deck feeling naucious, all I could think was I wish my stomach was strong enough to let me be down there drinking with them! 

Days 3 & 4

Once days 3 & 4 came around, everything changed. The waters were calm, we snorkled everywhere, went hiking, on day 3 we made it to Komodo island and saw the Komodo dragons for the first time. On day 4 we made it to Rinca island to see more (and bigger) Komodo dragons. We docked for the nights and had smooth sailing all day. We finally had the strength to drink the 6 Bintang we bought after the first night. Wild dolphins swam beside our boat, flying fish were everywhere, we saw flying foxes at night (they're like giant bats). These two days made us forget the first two horrible days. 

Day 3 was Komodo island. We trecked on the island for 2 hours, but weren't lucky enough to see the Komodos in the wild, we only saw them at the cafeteria where the park rangers cook. They are drawn in by the food. Never the less, they were an amazing site. We also saw deer and wild boar on the island, the primary food sources of the Komodos. 

While the food on the boat was always good, this third night we were treated to fresh chicken. We know it was fresh, as they killed the four live chickens at the back of the boat. Unfortunately, they did this where they left us off the boat to go snorkling. AJ and I were snorkling through the water and we came across a floating chicken head! They throw all the waste into the water. 

We had an amazing time on this third day.  At the end of the day AJ and I were running low on beer, but fortunate for us we were ancored near an island. The local kids came out in canoes to try and sell us Komodo statues (the same ones we turned town on the island). 

One of the locals brought Bintang for sale. It was 4$ a bottle, but considering delivery in the middle of the ocean, it seemed pretty reasonable - we bought two. 

The last day brough us to Rinca island. This is a much larger island, with monkeys and water buffalo, and lots of Komodo dragons. When we arrived on the island, our park ranger gave us a quick briefing and asked if any of the girls were menstrating - Komodo dragons can smell blood from over a mile away so it would be dangerous to go hiking on the island if this were the case. Unfortunately for AJ and another girl, this was the case. They were told they had to stay at the lodge/cafeteria. I trecked off with the rest of the group for two hours and saw one baby Komodo and one water buffalo. 

AJ stayed at the lodge with Cybil. This is the same lodge where we ended up seeing the Komodo dragons as they just hang around where there is food. AJ and Cybil saw some monkeys around the lodge so they asked a ranger who was hanging around if they could walk around a little bit. He accompangied them as they walked towards the monkeys until a baby Komodo jumped from the roof of a building (only the babies can climb, once they are big  - 3 yrs old - they stay on the ground) and charged at them. The ranger was terrified as he fought off the Komodo. The baby dragon left, but only for a little while as he ran around the building and charged again. After a second fight with the dragon, AJ and Cybil gave up on the tour and went back to hide in the cafeteria. This proved to be the most adventure anyone on the boat would get while visiting the islands, and they didnt even have to walk two hours in the heat! 

All in all the boat tour was worth it because we saw some amazing things and met some amazing people. After Rinca island the boat was parked at the dock of the town where we would spend 3 nights. We chose to get the hell off the boat, book a hotel room and skip our last night on the boat (12 other people did the same thing!). The opportunity to have a shower for the first time in four days was too big to pass up! We hung out with our boat friends for two nights as our group dispersed. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see the Komodos, just don't go with Kencana Adventures!