We have spent three days at sea and finally arrived at Rinka Island to see the Komodo dragons. The air was heavy with humidity, sunny and about 85°. The surrounding islands were absolutely beautiful with the lovely turquoise waters. All I wanted to do was jump in that beautiful water, but instead we jumped into the pool.
We have been to Komodo island three times previously to see the dragons and did not feel it was necessary to do it again. This time the ship stopped at Rinka Island where they have developed a visitor center, that happens to be air-conditioned, to give details about the dragons. But what is different here is that they have an elevated walkway for you to go and see them in person. From what people said they were small, not like the ones that we saw on Komodo island. Some people were very disappointed not to see the very large ones that can grow up to 10 feet in length.
When our granddaughter, Isabelle, was about five or six years old or so, I told her we saw dragons. Well, what’s a dragon without fire? So I sent her this picture and she said to me, “Grammy, that’s not a dragon!” And I asked her why is that not a dragon? And she replied, “It’s not pink!” Duh, how could I not know! Disney dragons are pink or purple!!!
They are the largest living lizards on earth, and can grow to 10 feet and weigh up to 200 pounds. Here is a link to give detailed information on these prehistoric creatures. It’s very fascinating to read about them. https://www.treehugger.com/surprising-facts-about-komodo-dragons-4864224We were very fortunate to get up very close and personal on our first visit. We had a guide whose only weapon was a long forked stick. We were walking on the trail looking for the lizards when the guide noticed there was one trailing behind us, a very big one! He asked us to quietly step off of the path, and as we did so a huge Komodo Dragon just sauntered on by us.
Since we didn’t get off the ship, we decided to spend the day at the pool. We went to the main pool, got in and holy cow, it was warmer than a hot tub. We asked one of the deck people if they could put some cold water in to cool it down which they did, but it wasn’t enough. So we moved to the aft infinity pool, and the water was much cooler. We then had lunch, got back in the pool, and Michael lasted about an hour and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool just chatting with people who got in and out.
We had dinner with Melinda and Duncan and Jenny. We talked about bridge, of course, but also about all the people that are getting off the ship due to the fact that the itinerary change impacted their decision. People did not sign up to go around Africa. Since they could get credit for the rest of the world cruise, they could use this credit for other trips that they would rather take. At this point, we have no idea how many people are getting off, but we do know that we’re losing a lot of our bridge players and knitters.
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On a sad note, our dear friend Carol Orazetti passed away February 27. We have known Rick and Carol for almost 40 years. We have traveled together many times over the years. Carol was always up for going on a cruise somewhere, anywhere. She love playing bridge and knitting, and was an excellent cook. Carol, may you have calm seas and fair winds on your final journey. We send our love to Rick.
