Day 38 - At Sea

The weather today was mostly cloudy, but Glenda found a little sun after a brief morning shower. I read for a while before going down to work on my Komodo Dragon entry for the blog. Glenda won a game at bingo and split the prize and got $16. The theme for dinner was Indonesian and the dining room was all decorated and the waiters were in traditional costumes. After dinner, we went to see the comedian/magician Bob Brizendine, with whom we had drinks last night with Larry. We think that we had seen him on a previous cruise as well. We sat on the front row and I got to give him a $20 bill to use in the transfer from the envelope to the grapefruit trick. A lady from the audience is the only person to handle the bill and when he had her open the envelope, the bill was missing and he had her cut open the grapefruit and there in the middle was a rolled up $20 bill which matched the serial number she had written on the envelope. I got back a rather soggy $20. Then he called Glenda up on stage for a trick that I think the picture tell all. She was truly surprised. Then it was off to bed for our early tour to Borobudur Temple tomorrow.

Day 37 - Komodo Island, Indonesia

This morning we anchored off Komodo Island about 7:30 am. The island was a beautiful green as this is the rainy season. No one was allowed to go ashore unless they had booked a tour with the ship, as each group must be escorted at all times and as it was, they had to bring in guides and park rangers from other locations to accommodate us. No one with an open wound was allowed due the fact that the dragons can smell blood from up to a mile away. We were the second group to go ashore and our group was split up into 3 smaller groups of around 25 to 30. Each group had a ranger and one or two helpers with forked wooden rods. We walked through the forest for about 20 minutes before we got to a water hole where 2 large male dragons were resting. The larger one was said to be about 10 and a half feet long and weighed in at around 300 pounds. The one on the right was only slightly smaller. We took lots of photos and were about to move on when several of the native men tried to move the smaller one back toward the pond for the next group. They were prodding him on the neck and hind quarter with their forked rods and apparently the dragon did not like it as he swiftly turned on them and charged toward them and we were in the path. They yelled "get back, get back" and one of the men passengers tripped as he was backing away and fell on our guest celebrity chef, Paulette Mitchell. Neither was hurt and the guides quickly pulled them back up and out of the way. The dragon tried to go off into the woods, but the guides grabbed his tail and used their rods to try and turn him back to the water hole. Apparently they were successful, since all of the other groups got to see them, but our group, the famous group #5, were the only ones who got this kind of action. When the excitement settled down and our hearts had slowed, I looked for Glenda, but she was very far back and had decided that I was on my own or I was dragon bait. The two that had fallen were noted to have small abrasions on their legs and people appeared suddenly with a first aid kit to cover them with Band-Aids even though they were not really bleeding. Later I realized that in the confusion, I had failed to take a picture of the men holding the tail or of the charge, since I was busy retreating. Paula's son was videoing the entire event and didn't realize that his mother was one of the people who had fallen until later. He is supposed to be a professional photographer, so I assume the video will turn up somewhere. We continued our trek through the forest and saw some insects and then climbed up a steep trail for a great view of the bay then back to the port where we bought a few things. It rained a bit around noon while we were on the pool deck and then the sun returned. We did not win at bingo again. After dinner we went to the show which featured two performers, one of which was Larry Lincoln and we made plans to meet him after the show for a drink. While waiting for Larry, we visited with Mannfred and Sabine, a couple from Berlin, and had a very nice time. We had about given up on Larry around midnight, and then he showed up with a couple of other performers and we stayed for a drink and talked with them until around 1:10 am. Luckily, we got to set the clocks back an hour.

I am also including some pictures from Mardi Gras night that I forgot yesterday.

Day 36 - Lembar, Lombok, Indonesia

We got up this morning in time for a sunrise over Lombok. The tender operation was running late when we got to the Queen's Lounge to meet for our 7:30 tour. It started about 45 minutes late. The tender ride was about 15 minutes. Once on board the air-conditioned bus, we set out for Mataram, the capital city. Our first stop was at the Nussa Teggara Barat Museum. Outside were lots of vendors trying to sell you any and everything. Next we went to the Sayang Art Market, where we bought a few souvenirs. The vendors kept up with us at each stop, hopping on their scooters and getting there before our bus. Next was a pearl shop, where Glenda's favorite was, surprisingly, the most expensive. We did not buy anything. Then we went to Lingsar, a large temple complex built in 1714. There were sections for Hindu, Buddhist, and Islam worship. It was very hot and humid, but with a nice breeze. When we got to the dock to wait on a tender back to the ship, it started raining, which cooled it off a bit. Back on board, we went up for the sail away and missed bingo. Then we went back to the cabin to get ready for Mardi Gras night. The dining room was decorated and the waiters were in costume. There were beads for us on the table and the food had a New Orleans theme. After dinner, we went up to the Crow's Nest where the party was from 10 to 11. Lots of decorations and costumes. Tomorrow we go to see the Komodo dragons.