Komodo Dragon | Komodo National Park in Flores, Indonesia

Toothless.

Night Fury.

Dragon.

Those that know me well would know that I love dragon (not that I have own one, or seen one), but who wouldn’t right? I mean, have you seen How to train your dragon? Super cute right? Makes you wanna own one yourself. Or perhaps migrate to Norway in the hope that will fly offer itself to be your truly beloved pet (dragon).

I did not get carry away with this dragon thingy, I actually went to Slovenia as they said there are a dragon bridge there. Betul, tak tipu! Google lah.

So here I am, in Flores, hoping to catch a glimpse of an actual dragon. Yah yah yah… I know this so called Komodo dragon is basically a biawak or monitor lizard, and not those green coloured dragon that fly and breath fire (Owwww man… kinda disappointing kan) . Oh well, a monitor lizard a.k.a Komodo DRAGON is still better than nothing kan. So I say to console myself.

From day 1 itself or probably upon me confirming my trip, I have all this imagination of a Komodo dragon and how the picture, blog and social media entries be light. You can’t blame me right, it’s like a dream come true. I am actually going to be on Komodo Island seeing a K.O.M.O.D.O. Opkos lah excited giler… sampai jetty terloncat-loncat cam orang sewel.

Arriving at the jetty was already a spellbinding experience, when reaching the Komodo Island entrance with the word Komodo Island terpampang tuh…. Aish….. rasa nak ambek 30juta gambar kat situ ajer. As we walk to the ranger quarters, located approximately 30m from the arch, cutting across dried and dead leaves coupled with savanna-like vegetation, wah…. I feel like Indiana-Jones cum Lara Croft cum Steven Irwin all in one gitew. Strutting my way to the ranger hut for briefing (poyo tak hengat donia, macam lah orang kisah pun, Komodo dragon tuh pandang pun tak. If dragon tuh pandang pun atas sebab lapar bukan because my strut tuh sexy kea pa [read : perasan]).

This is what I gather - Komodo Dragon Fun Facts :

1. The largest lizard on Earth, Komodo Dragon is named after the island.

2. Komodo Island natives named them “ora," which means “land #crocodile”.

3. Lieutenant Steyn van Hensbroek, an official of the Dutch Colonial Administration in #Flores, planned a trip to Komodo Island to search for the giant lizard upon hearing from sailors.

4. The giant lizard was named Varanus Komodoensis. Realizing its significance as an endangered species, the Dutch government issued a regulation on the protection of the lizards on Komodo Island in 1915.

5. Komodo Dragon is the largest living species of lizard, it can grow to a maximum length of 3m and weighing up to approximately 70kg.

6. The lizard has venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw which secrete several toxic proteins.

7. Females Komodo Dragon can reproduce without having sex. The female lizard practices “parthenogenesis”; meaning in lieu of sperm, egg cells can fertilize each other.

8. They are protected under #Indonesian law, and a #nationalpark, Komodo National #Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.

9. Komodo Island has been included into the New 7 Wonders of Nature list since November 11, 2011.

10. Komodo dragon tak boleh terbang and tak breath fire (point yang ni pepandai add sebab nak cukup kan 10)

But I have to share you the fun (kinda) part, we dare not make noise when nearing the dragon, worried that it might trigger and excites it resulting to him jumping and striking us. We actually (like seriously) tip-toed behind it (with 2 rangers on standby to control the situation and to take our photos [obviously]). Jangan kata bercakap, bernapas pun takut. Giler besar Komodo dragon ni. Like really huge. And the best thing is, we don’t even know how our photos look like (clear ke, blur ke, buruk ke, herot ke….), we all just redho jer at that point of time. No one wants to die on a trip and got killed by a Komodo dragon. Confirm viral tak hengat donia. Rugi lah…. pemes tapi dah mati. Hahhahaaa….

There are 3 trekking path that the ranger can take you departing from Loh Liang ranger station, looking at the time and weather (it was about to rain), the ranger was against it and we all agreed.

• Short trek - Half hour, 1km
• Medium trek - One and half hours, 3km
• Long trek - Two and a half hours, 4.5km
• Adventure trek – Four hours

For you nature lover and outdoor enthusiasts, I highly recommend you experience one of the track with a ranger of course!

This trip is in collaboration with Ayuh Pelesiran and Be Borneo Tour. #AyoPelesiranXBeBorneo

UNESCO World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park – DONE

Achievement unlocked! (First UNESCO site visit for 2018)

Photos taken by Komodo National Park Ranger and @raninovariany

This trip was made possible by@beborneotour