R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 23

Indonesia — Komodo; Dragon Mounds

Komodo — Land of Dragons

The Indonesian island of Komodo is home to a very special species of monitor lizard. Monitors are the native to Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Oceana clear down to Australia, although one the West African Nile monitor has gotten a foothold here in the U.S. due to irresponsible pet ownership.

A very special… and LARGE… monitor lizard

But out of the eighty or so species of monitors, one in particular stands out because of its immense size. Th...

Fun Photo Friday — Komodo Favorites 1

Not a Komodo dragon, but still searching for food

Today is the first of two Fun Photo Friday featuring favorites from the Indonesian island of Komodo:

A Mushroom Walked Into a Bar…

Q: What do you call a mushroom that buys everyone a round of drinks?

A: A fungi, of course.

A Palm A Not-a-Palm A Pinisi Plying Perfectly Placid Pools

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Indonesia — Komodo; Enjoying the Flora and Meeting the Dragon

Our tour guide from GoToKomodo.com

Only park personnel reside on Komodo, but there are many people from neighboring islands who work here. And that’s understandable on both counts. Who wouldn’t want to work on such a lush tropical paradise? And who in their right mind would want to sleep anywhere near one of these monstrous predators?

Komodo Dragons

Here’s another view of that Komodo dragon “sniffing” the air for potential prey by using its highly specialized tongue:

Komodo dragon usi...

Indonesia — Komodo Island; Arrival

Welcome to Komodo

We spent a day at sea between MS Volendam’s departure from Semarang and her arrival to the Indonesian island of Komodo. Komodo, one of 17,508 islands comprising Indonesia, lies in the Lesser Sundra Islands archipelago. This island is also part of the Komodo National Park, which includes Padar, Rinca, and twenty-six smaller islands.

MS Volendam and a pinisi (two masted inter-island cargo ship)

Our initial view of these islands left the deceptive impression of peace and t...

Fun Photo Friday — Semarang Favorites 2

Borobudur View

Time for one last Fun Photo Friday look at Central Java:

Borobudur Buddhas and Stupas Ursula Heading Back Down from Borobudur Borobudur Buddha MS Volendam Mooring Lines Borobudur Details

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Indonesia — Semarang, Pawon Buddhist Temple and Silver Filigree

Pawon Buddhist Temple, Central Java, Indonesia

As I mentioned in a preceding article, there are three Buddhist temples in this area. And if you take a map and connect them, you’ll get a straight line. Borobudur lies 1.09 miles/1.75km west. Mendut is east and lies slightly closer to the middle temple, .71 miles/1.15km. We did not visit Mendut, but we did travel from Borobudur to the middle temple, Pawon.

Borobudur, Pawon, and Mendut Buddhist Temples (Wikipedia)

As with Borobudur, Pawon is...

Indonesia — Semarang, Trying Kopi Luwak (civet poop coffee, a.k.a, Cat-Pooh-Chino)

Pawon Luwak Coffee — Cat-Pooh-Chino

Borobudur is not the only Buddhist temple in this area. There are two others, and together all three from a straight line on a map. With Borobudur anchoring the west end of this line and Mendut the east, there lies between those two a third — Pawon Temple. I’ll be showing that temple to you in Wednesday’s article. As for today, I’m going to present of Javan delicacy. That would be a cup of java. Or, to be more precise, a cup of Kopi Luwak from the nearby Pa...

Fun Photo Friday — Semarang Favorites 1

More Tourists Getting Touristy

Today is the first of two Fun Photo Friday’s featuring Central Java favorites. After next week we move on to visit some vicious dragons (the hint for the day).

Ursula Making the Trek

A photo gallery/slide show of Borobudur details:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Indonesia — Semarang, Borobadur Temple

And the answer to Monday’s question is… Borobudur Temple

South of Semarang, in Central Java’s Magelang Regency, lies a Marayana Buddhist temple. The name of this immense temple it Borobudur and it is believed to date back to the 9th century, possibly to the year 842. Borobudur is shrouded in mystery, as no one knows for sure exactly when it was built, when it was eventually abandoned, or why it was no longer used. The assumption is that it may have fallen into disuse following the rise in Ind...

Indonesia — Semarang, Our Tour Awaits

Holland America’s MS Volendam moored in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

Our next Southeast Asia destination on this cruise was Semarang, the capital of Central Java Provence, in the Republic of Indonesia. And as is often the case, Ursula had us lined up for a tour. But before I show you our minibus, let me introduce you to two people who were very instrumental in getting us back to our ship:

Java Police would come in VERY handy later in the tour

These two save our bacon, so to speak. W...