We pulled up to the pier and as the group walked to the entrance gate our cruise director Susana yelled for them to step back as everyone had walked to within 5ft of a dragon. No one had seen it and all of a sudden everyone jumped. We were all very excited and were able to get quite close to the sedate ten footer. That was also when the mozzies came out as half of us starting scratching uncontrollably. We walked to the ranger station and saw another big male laying on the low grass and again we didn’t see it until we were within tripping distance. There were 3 more conveniently outside the kitchen window. The dragons are so still, like Disneyland rocks, that you don’t take notice of them until they’re pointed out to you then you can’t figure out how you ever missed these menacing beasts. They’re rather evil looking lizards, even when they’re laying flat on their bellies. Their eyes look like they’re constantly following you. One month ago a local boy was mauled by one while relieving himself behind a tree and died soon after from all the rotting meat bacteria in the dragon’s saliva. Knowing this we kept our distance at first. Slowly we got braver with our proximity to them as they would at most lift their heads to follow us. At the end I was even brave/foolish enough to touch the big male on the tail. I thought that would be the peak of the excitement, silly me. On our way out we saw the dragon that met us at the gate had moved down the way around the rocky shore. Peter the Polish Canadian decided he wanted to toss some little fishies, 1 inch long, at the dragon to see if he could insight some reaction, any sign of life. Four of us inched to within 6ft of the ten foot long Komodo dragon. He had turned his head to regard us. One fish, two fish, three fish land right in front of his snout and he didn’t even blink. I turned off the video. Peter gives up and tosses the last one at the dragon. The dragon raises his head then feet and advances towards us. As someone had joking pointed out earlier, we didn’t have much of an exit path if the dragon decided to rush us. And he kept on coming, closing in on our cushion of safety. Knowing the dragons could run at 30mph we wasted no time to recognize we had dropped on the food chain and turned to bolt. I hobbled down the rocky shore imagining the dragon increasing its speed behind me. I looked back to see if it was still in pursuit and saw that he was advancing with his forked tongue leading the way. Steve had fallen off his precarious position, the water bottles were on the ground, and he was fumbling to get up. Granted he did stay behind the longest and got some good photos of the ‘attack’. I yelled for him to ‘leave the water!’ while I kept hopping over the rough rocks. One of my flip-flops broke and flew off, then the other so I continue on barefoot, ripping flesh off a big toe. At a safer distance I looked back over my shoulder and the dragon had stopped its pursuit and was glaring at us in his raised ready position. We hurried to the boat and every time we looked back the dragon was still on its feet watching us. Don’t worry we’re fine, and we’re sure to put the ‘Blair Witch’ style video of our chase online in the video library, eventually. It’s both lame and hysterical.
–Mary