The Komodo Dragon

I spent the last week living in a fantasy world. In my imagination we were sailing on the Dawn Treader, like great explorers discovering beasts of mythological proportions. This is what it’s like to vacation in the Flores Sea.

The islands in Flores are home to many creatures, the most famous of which is the Komodo dragon. Before traveling, I read that there are only 6,000 Komodos in the wild, and they all live on two or three islands in Flores. The word to emphasize would be only. That would be like saying “There are only 50 crocodiles in the pool in my backyard. I think I’ll go for a swim.” Seeing the dragons up close seemed a bit reckless to me. Yes, they have been known to bite and even to eat tourists.

The Komodo dragon has a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in its mouth, and one bite usually leads to death for its prey. The dragons feed on everything from smaller dragons to horses and water buffalo. According to the information at the welcome center, they hide in the grass along trails waiting for prey. Hiking in flip-flops, I became increasingly aware of my naked feet.

“No worries, mate,” the Aussie-influenced locals would say. The guides at Komodo National Park are quite capable. Granted, our guide was on his second day on the job. Having grown up on the island pretty much makes all of these guys experts in my mind, though. They also carry forked sticks to protect us.

All in all, we saw seven Komodos. Five were lounging around the guide posts, and two were actually out on the trails. In spite of their reputation, they seemed quite docile. We found out as we were leaving the island, though, that one tried to attack a woman that week. Thankfully, the guide held it off with his stick, and she came away unharmed. Danger is part of adventure’s enchantment. . .