The sea was smooth as a mill pond when we cruised toward Komodo Island early on Monday morning.
Our ship was accompanied by a dolphin and surrounded by swarms of fish, swirling with their fins in the air.
Even at 6.30am the humidity was oppressive. But there were real-life dragons to be seen, so we donned our hats, slathered on our sunscreen and trekked off on a guided tour.
Visitors are not allowed to enter the national park without a guide because it’s so dangerous. Two rangers accompanied each group, carrying forked sticks to ward off attacks.
While attacks on humans are rare, Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards and can be lethal.
They have very sharp teeth and powerful claws, which can cause severe blood loss and shock. Their bite delivers a mix of venom that prevents blood clotting and bacteria, which can lead to severe infection.
They can also run at speeds of up to 20km an hour in pursuit of their prey.
I felt a little nervous for myself and also for the wild boars and deer we spotted during our guided walk.
But this photo us posing with a dragon makes me giggle … the look of utter disdain and disinterest in his eye …
We were lucky enough to see komodo dragons of all shapes and sizes on our walk, including babies who normally hide in the trees to avoid being eaten by their mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles.
The dragon in the pic above was chosen for photo ops because he had recently been fed and was too busy digesting to hunt us down.
We also stumbled across a female dragon fighting a male to protect her nest. After an initial scuffle, the pair chose to make love not war … on the path in front of us. As Komodo sex can last for hours, we took lots of photos and then detoured around them through the scrub.
After lunch, the ship repositioned to a remote location for our final snorkelling experience of the cruise.
The zodiacs were lowered to take us to a deserted beach on the island Gili Lawalaut.
Back on board, it was gala farewell dinner time, followed by a staff talent night, which I found quite emotional. It was amazing to see the staff that work on the ship show a different side to themselves, singing and dancing on stage.
Ten out of 10 loved it. Hugs all round.
Today kicks off with a stretch class, followed by the promise of a surprise activity for the last day of our cruise.
I will advise if the expedition team deliver something magical. There are no guarantees when wildlife are involved.
Song of the day: Imagine Dragons “Believer”
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