From Komodo Islands with Love
Hey, Explorers!
I hope the title of this newsletter doesn’t scare you off!
I went to Komodo National Park with a small group of friends from UAE. While there, I realized that I had almost forgotten what it felt like to live on board (LOB) in the National Park. Our group had last done the LOB and the Flores Overland trip in November 2019. The following year, as we all know, was marked by unprecedented events.
As a planner who works with vendors, I always feel grateful to see familiar faces again after a long time. It is great news to know that they have survived through the hard times and they are thriving.
Talking about thriving, the underwater life in Komodo National Park is equally as thriving! The reef is denser and more colourful than I remember from my last visit. Although the water was colder and we encountered multiple thermoclines while snorkelling, it didn’t stop us from enjoying what we saw underwater during our four days and three nights sailing around Komodo National Park.
The peak of our excitement was when we checked out Manta Point. It was quiet, with no signs of mantas below the surface. After waiting for quite a while, we decided to jump into the water and check out the reef instead.
I always set the mindset that if we see the manta ray, that’s awesome! If we don’t, it’s okay. They are in the wild, not in a zoo, and sightings are not guaranteed. Nevertheless, deep in my heart, I was hoping that at least we all would see one.
The water conditions at Manta Point are usually not calm, and most of the time, the sea bottom is sandy. We were drifting following the current. While I was watching the group and making sure no one was left behind, I suddenly heard a noise and one of us pointed so hard in excitement at one giant black creature gracefully passing below us.
In my mind, “Yay! There is ONE!”
As my head tilted, looking in the direction it was coming from, “Erh, NO! Not only one.”
I saw another four coming! Then, another two, then another bigger one! It was like we saw a lineup of manta rays crossing for a good few minutes. I lost count, but according to the group, there were more than twenty of them.
During our trip, we were lucky enough to spot not only Manta Rays, but also Marble Rays and Eagle Rays. Some were swimming while others were resting on the ocean floor. We also saw numerous sea turtles, as well as fish like Bumphead and Napoleon, both big and small. It was truly a fulfilling day for all of us.
And, of course, we couldn’t forget about the main attraction of the National Park – the Komodo Dragon! Well, they still prefer to roam on land, we spotted them while visiting the Komodo Village and the Loh Liang at Komodo Island. Sadly, the Komodo Dragons are endangered, with only about 1500 left on Komodo Island itself.
Lastly, if you are aware, one of our upcoming trips is to Taiwan where we plan to explore one of the trails in Hualian. Unfortunately, this area was recently affected by an earthquake, so we’ve had to rearrange our itinerary to avoid it.
Don’t worry though, we’ve made sure that our new itinerary is just as exciting and fun-filled as the previous one. You can keep an eye on the updated details through one of our platforms – Meetup Group, Facebook Group, or Eazycation website.
Also, should you have any ideas, questions, feedback, or just want to say “hi”, you know where to reach me! That’s all for now. I hope to see you next month!
