Indonesia

 Komodo Island

Heading south-west from Papua New Guinea, we cruised through the Torres Strait (which required having a pilot onboard, as the Strait is fairly narrow), then through the Arafura Sea, passing East Timor and many other small islands before reaching Komodo Island.  Strict rules dictate that you are not permitted ashore unless you are on an organized trip.  Komodo Island is largely a National Park.

The jetty here is not deep enough for big cruise ships – hence we were anchored in the bay and our lifeboats ‘tendered’ us ashore.  We were led in groups (the nightmare of cruising hits again!) by our local guides along the very long jetty and into the ‘dry’ jungle. 

We were delighted to see a lot of GREEN thanks to it being rainy season, though we were lucky enough to have a dry day.  Several carefully constructed paths meant that we didn’t all follow the same route.  However, we were all THRILLED to encounter several Komodo Dragons roaming in the jungle.  Despite huge numbers of gawking tourists, they were making their way to a watering hole – trained rangers who each carried a long-forked stick (would they have really done the job, I asked myself?) – made sure that we were moved away if they were heading in our direction.  Three thousand of these creatures live on two or three of the islands – they don’t like the water but will swim if necessary.  They are carnivorous and live on wild horses, deer, snakes, monkeys, and water buffalo all of which live and breed on the islands.  I should add that we were given stern instructions NOT to wear red, and NOT to visit at all if we had any open wounds.  The dragons can smell blood from a good distance!  They have a snake-like tongue which darts out of their mouths as they move  and they can move quite fast to catch their prey. 

They certainly wouldn’t win any beauty competitions, but to see these beasts in the wild was a privilege.  They dig holes in the ground to lay their eggs.  Rather like turtles, the hatchlings must look after themselves once born.  An adult dragon would eat them, so they spend their first three years of life up in the trees.  The adults get too big to climb trees, so it is left to mother nature to prepare them for adulthood. 

They can live for up to 60 years, can grow up to three metres in length and weigh an average of 70 kg.  They are quite agile, have sturdy legs, strong necks and long tails.  We were intrigued by a couple of deer who were grazing happily very near the huts and markets on the beach  – they were clever enough to have worked out that they would be safe being that close to the community  – the rangers would keep the dragons well away from the little children. 

Pink Beach, on Komodo Island

We left the dragons in peace and then had to run the gauntlet of the local market stalls – every stall sold the same T shirts and cheap pearl necklaces, and every stall holder was ‘in your face’ – NOT a pleasant experience!

The next adventure began as we were loaded (literally!) – bottoms first and man-handled!! onto very dodgy wooden boats where most of us had to sit on the floor! (thank goodness for yoga!)  The ship provided us with a packed lunch which we tucked into during our half hour trip across the bay where we were delivered onto a gorgeous beach.

We were blessed with no rain (despite heavy grey clouds) and enjoyed snorkelling just yards from the beach over more coral reef – loads of colourful fish delighted us, and there was time for a bit of “bronzy-bronzy” on the beach. (UV rays are strong in this part of the world) . The sand itself appeared white until you looked closely.  – Enlarge the photo below and you will see the tiny particles of pink coral. 

Leaving the island in the late afternoon, was a real pinch me moment.  To be in such a remote part of the world, and so far from home, where we were able to relish the beautiful landscapes and experience the local cultures was a joy. 

The Island of Lombok

A night of rough seas (yes, again!) made us slightly late arriving into Lombok.  This did not diminish the enthusiasm of the traditional musicians as they performed for us on the jetty.

The modern cruise ship terminal gave a false impression of what we were about to see.  An hour’s coach journey through the city of Lembar, and then into the countryside brought us to a local village.  Sadly the roadsides were full of filth and rubbish.  Ditches full of muddy water (with rubbish floating in them) did nothing to improve the dilapidated shacks that most people live in – corrugated iron walls and roofs – barely any windows  (it’s always hot and humid). 

The majority of people get around by motorbike – helmets are supposed to be worn in the city but this is quite obviously not enforced.  The population is 85% Muslim and there are more than 1000 mosques!  The mosques and government buildings are all modern and well built.  This simply makes the levels of poverty even more obvious.  Our guide, dressed in the traditional costume, did his best to convince us that his country was ‘good’. 

Every family has a rice paddy – varying sizes depending on what they’ve inherited and how many children they have.  Back yards are used to grow whatever they need – the warm, wet climate means they often harvest rice three times a year.  The rice is not exported – in this part of the world, they eat rice with all three meals per day (our Philippine crew onboard eat the same)

Notwithstanding their hardship, the locals had big smiles on their faces, were happy to be photographed and appeared to be ‘happy with their lot’.  The children stole our hearts – so contented and loved.  We visited on the day before Ramadan began.  Oh, my goodness, we have SO MUCH to be grateful for!

We were ALL so thankful to be back on the ship and to have a hot shower.  Local dancers came onboard once we were all aboard and performed for us in their exquisite costumes.  A pleasant end to another humbling day.