Dragons Still Be Here — At Least That’s What I Hear

Day 52, 2025 Grand World Voyage

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025; Komodo Island, Indonesia.

Komodo Island — home of the largest lizard on earth, the Komodo Dragon, and the first of our two stops in Indonesia. It’s a bucket-list visit for many passengers. For some reason, the dragons have never enthralled me. I’ve seen them in a zoo, and that was enough.

So for the third visit in a row, I stayed on the ship.

2017 blog, titled “Here There Be Dragons”

“The reports from passengers returning to the ship from Komodo Island were consistent. ‘I don’t think I have ever been so hot.’ ‘The rain didn’t matter because I was soaked from sweat.’ ‘We walked so far in a huge circle only to see the Komodo dragons near where we started.’”

2018 blog, titled “There Be No Dragons Here for Me, Again”

“I have a confession to make. I have been misleading fellow passengers all day about seeing Komodo Dragons. When asked if I planned to go ashore after our noon arrival, I say, ‘No, I was here last year.’ That is technically true. It’s just that I didn’t go ashore last year either.”

Upon arrival early this morning, we sailed in past the single village to our anchorage in Slawi Bay, surrounded by a dozen or so of Indonesia’s 17,508 islands.

The dragons are not the only attraction on the island. It also has what is described as one of the few pink sand beaches in the world. I originally booked an independent tour with friends to the beach, perhaps forgetting that I burn easily, and I’m not keen on sitting on a beach that reportedly has just one tree for shade – especially on a five-hour tour. So I canceled it. I’m okay with enjoying this island from the ship – repeatedly.

Friends who went ashore came back with mixed reviews. Many raved about their day. Some found the walk longer and steeper than they expected, with several reports of passengers slipping and falling. Of course it was hot. A few people only saw a couple of lethargic dragons. But others reported a small one scurrying ahead as fast as its little short legs could take it on a foot bridge. My friend Deb generously shared her photos.

Most of the island is a national park, and only passengers with ship excursions or certified local tours can go ashore. Those on private tours had to submit proof of tour booking and passport numbers a few days in advance. In addition, it’s a tender port and the pier’s flight of narrow stone steps prohibit visits by those with mobility challenges.

Every tour group in the dragon area had guides forward and behind carrying forked sticks to make sure no one was in danger. And no, the dragons aren’t in the area of the pink sand beach, which offered excellent snorkeling, I hear.

I might not have seen a dragon, but I still managed to paint one. I’ve been using the time ashore to catch up on my small paintings, this time a dragon and a third Sydney watercolor.

Seven of us celebrated friend Aileen’s birthday in the dining room tonight. I last sailed with her and her sister Nancy on the 2020 world cruise, when Aileen’s birthday fell on Mardi Gras. It’s just one of several celebrations on board so far.

And the sunsets seem to get better and better.