Komodo Island Tuesday 13 June

 We awake to a bright sunny day and 26 degrees. We are anchored in a bay off Komodo Island. After an early breakfast (7.15) we move to our meeting point. We are scheduled to meet at 8.15 and we are called to our tender about 8.30. It is about a 20 minute tender ride and the bay is smooth. At the meeting point we are split into two groups of ten each.  Our guide tells us to call him Adam. There is a set trail everyone takes, Adam is in front with a stout stick that has a Y shape at the end. This is to keep the dragons away if they get too aggressive, another guide follows behind, but his stick looks a little flimsy. 

We had not moved far when Adam calls a halt, he has spotted a dragon just some 20 metres away. It is slowly walking towards us. He gets us in a group so we can have a better view. About 10 metres from us the dragon decides to lay down. They look slow but powerful. When they wish to charge they can get to almost 20 kms per hour, although this is only for a short distance. Adam asks if anyone wants a picture with it, no one else volunteers so I do. He takes my camera and walks slowly across the front of the dragon, then I follow the guide so that the dragon is between me and Adam, I am probably about 12 feet away from the dragon. There are a number of larger groups of people walking along the trails and these would be the ship tours.  We come across a young dragon - two to three years old - and then there is a deer and a dragon.appearing to stalk it. It gets to within 15 feet when the deer jumps away. The dragon then heads towards us and the other tourists. The guides are yelling at everyone to give it space and do not block its path. It stops at a clearing and then lays down to rest.we continue our walk and see a number of a dragons. Adam also points out a bee hive quite high up in the trees. The bite from the dragon contains 50 different types of bacteria and it is this that will kill their prey. Not immediately but certainly within 24 to 48 hours. I am not sure how they relocate the body nor whether they are able to claim exclusivity. The walk finishes back at the beach and there is a souvenir market that has to be experienced before you can get to the pier. It is quite warm and humid and we are looking forward to getting back to the boat.