Dear Marina and Ryan,

You may be asking yourself:  Why would anyone put themselves through a 28 hour bus ride like that?  And I have a good reason for you: 

LEEEEEEEEZARDS!!!!!

We finally made it to Flores in the heat of the afternoon (well over 100F) and I booked myself into a $3 bedroom to catch up on some of the sleep I never got defending myself against the rambutan ant brigade on the bus the day before.  Before heading for bed however, we ran into a hodgepodge group of fellow travellers (Canadian/Dutch/Chinese/American) who had similarly come to Flores for its close proximity to Komodo.  Before the end of the evening, we had chartered a boat, complete with chef, for the next 2 days and I went off to bed with hopes of catching a glimpse of a real Komodo Dragon in the wild.  Little did I know...

As we docked the next day on one of the three islands in the world which house these massive dragons (Leezards!), I was shocked to find that there were no guard rails, no electric fences, just a path and a couple guides with long sticks.  At this point I figured: considering the lack of attention to safety measures the likelihood of my coming across one of these things was probably pretty low and if all they use for defense is this stick...they surely can't be THAT big.  This is what I thought, until I looked directly below the staircase I was standing on to find an 8 foot monster staring back.

Cue the heeby-jeebies.  It is hard to explain how ridiculously massive and intimidating these creatures really are.  Perhaps it would help to add that the water buffalo, komodo deer and wild horses that live on the island are all helpless against their deadly saliva.  (yes, I did say saliva.  They actually don't produce venom, but rather have the most bacteria infested mouths of any animal on earth).  This one, decided it was a good idea to crawl directly toward me while grunting (apparently a sign of aggression. super.): 

 

Please note the death saliva dripping from the corner of its mouth.  After a few hours exploring Rinca and Komodo I really started to become more at ease with the beasts, stopping here and there for a few photo shoots:

After a hard day of dragon-hunting, we anchored our boat in one of the bays on Komodo, had a big feast, and watched the flying foxes (giant bats) fly over our heads as the sun fell behind the horizon. And that was just day 1!  (Or Day 52 of my trip...if you're keeping track)

The next morning, as we sailed through the islands, we caught a glimpse of a splash in the distance.  The captain (who tended to steer the boat with his feet) jumped to, and started a course directly toward the splash.  "Manta! Manta!" some of the crew shouted, and I raced up to the top deck, hoping to get a glimpse of one before they dove down.  However within minutes, we were surrounded by enormous shadows in the water.  Giant 15-20 foot flapping bat-shaped silhouettes surrounded our boat, and I couldn't believe what incredible luck I was having.  In fact, I was so shocked, that I almost failed to notice the captain and crew staring at me in wonder as to why I wasn't throwing on my snorkel and mask like everybody else...  You mean...I could actually go IN the water with these?  You didn't have to tell me twice.  

Thanks to Peter and Kim for this great footage

So there you have it: Komodo National Park.  Where foxes fly, bats swim and dragons walk the earth.  Sounds a bit like somewhere out of one of Ryan's sci-fi novels, no?  From Komodo, we embarked on a trans-Flores tour which included some incredible views, unique opportunities to see some relatively traditional villages, and yet another sunrise hike to tri-colored lakes at the top of Kelimutu in Eastern Flores.

And while we were feeling pretty comfortable in our air-conditioned 4-wheel drive, I think these kids really had the right idea on mountain road travel in Indonesia:

After a series of layovers in West Timor, Bali and Kuala Lumpur I will be on my way to Australia...but not without having been thoroughly influenced by this "dangerously beautiful" country.