We had a crew of 4 men who knew the seas like the back of their hand. In fact, there were no compass or radio on board and when we asked how they knew we were going in the right direction, the captain said "We use the stars to guide us." Kevin, Alex and I first hit up a grocery store for a few essentials. The caption took a survey of how many beers we would like. I think we had 4 cases of Bintang between us; after all, we would be confined to a boat for the next several days and we don't want to be stuck without our Bintang!
There were about 12 other people on board so we all piled into a beat-up hippy van and headed towards the dock. We had only seen a tiny picture of the boat we would be sailing on so we were all a little curious about the accommodations. Along the way, our driver stopped to pick up a few essentials for the trip; we made a ice run at an ice factory, loaded up about 20 cases of Bintang on top of the van, and picked up two chickens for our eating pleasure. We had a great group. There were several Belgiums, some Slovakians, and an adorable British family. David and his family are traveling for 14 months and had visited New Zealand, India, and most of Southeast Asia. Charlotte is 9 years old and Adam is 7.
We had a blast hanging out with them and hearing about all of their amazing adventures. It just goes to show ya that just because you have children doesn't mean that you can't travel. The kids remember ever detail of their travels. They learned much more this year that they ever could in a classroom. They truly are an inspiration. Day one was fantastic!! We sailed off into the horizon as the sun set behind us. We had an incredible view of the vast sea. The temperature was comfortable and the company was friendly. At meal times we would all gather around the bottom deck and sit indian style around the food.
There was always plenty to go around. We slept on the top deck of the boat with the sea air brushing our faces as we sailed through the early morning hours.
We awoke to the sun rising as we peered out over the edge of our ship.
There were small deserted islands to the left and right of us. We anchored in a cove and swam to shore to visit a waterfall, swimming hole and snorkel around the island. 
We encountered a huge school of jellyfish on the swim over which came as a bit of a surprise. We sat out on the bow of the boat to watch the sun set and counted the shooting stars overhead. That night was sailed through the darkness. We went through several straights and the water was very, VERY rough. At some points I think we were all terrified. The boat was rocking violently from side to side and it was completely pitch black. We had no radio or compass but the crew was confident that they knew these waters well. We had to trust them. The stars were bright that night.
Day two we stopped at a small island and trekked up to the top of a mountain. At the top there is an incredible 360 degree panoramic view of Komodo Island (where the Komodo Dragons live).
Our group were the only people on the island and we couldn't see any other boats in any direction. Talk about getting off of the beaten path! We were able to snorkel again at a secluded area. Snorkeling is almost as good as diving because the sea life is so abundant and diverse due to the water currents of the Indian and Pacific Ocean that come together. The water is crystal clear and a beautiful shade of turquoise blue. 
Later that afternoon we trekked around Komodo Island in hopes to see Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat. It was the beginning of mating season so the dragons were being a little shy. Our guide took us to the camp kitchen were 2 dragons were patiently waiting for leftovers from the staff.
We were amazed at their size. These were small at about 8 feet. They really are descendants of dinosaurs of so many millions of years ago. They are very lackadaisical and sun themselves in the afternoon however they can run very fast when attempting to catch their prey. The saliva in their tongues is very poisonous and there is no cure for the bite. The Australian couple told us that when they were there about a week before, a water buffalo had been bitten. We were hoping to see the poor fellow but he was too far from where we were. The dragons bite their prey and then wait several weeks for the infection to set in before going back to feast. The next morning we visited Rinca Island which is right next to Komodo. Dragons also live there and we were able to see about 15 of the prehistoric creatures in the wild. Adam and Charlotte took a running count of each dragon that we encountered. When we first arrived at the dock, there was a baby Komodo on the pier to greet us. There were several more at the camp site and they were not bothered by us one bit. We were fortunate enough to see them mating which apparently is very rare.
A TV crew from BBC's Planet Earth was also arriving to film mating season. We can't wait to see the episode and remember that we were there that day! On the boat trip into Flores island, we were informed about a group of divers that were lost at sea. They were all dive masters from Europe and had not taken a local guide with them. They got swept out in a strong current and drifted for 8 hours in the sea with no drinking water or food. Eventually they floated to shore on Rinca but had to fight off Komodo Dragons with rocks. They ate clams and mussels while they waited two days to be rescued. They were all ok, just a little shaken up by the whole experience.
We landed on Flores in the late afternoon and were ready to find a shower and bed. We hadn't had any fresh water on the boat and were sleeping on thin mats on the deck. We will probably soon forget the uncomfortable conditions of the boat but will never, ever forget the magnificent beauty of the open sea and Komodo Dragons and Indonesian Islands.
