But our goal tonight is the restaurant Mediterraneo, a diver’s hangout just as lively and noisy as a trattoria in Trastevere in Rome. The waiters run around like they’re on fire, everybody’s shouting, and guests come and go all the time.
Next morning we’re in the harbour waiting for a boat that will take us to the Komodo national park, just west of Flores. It consists of a handful of islands where You can spot the impressive and terrifying Komodo monitor, the world’s greatest lizard.
We land on Rinca, where we see several of them, particularly around the park guard’s kitchen, where they’re attracted by the food smells.
We are advised to always keep a distance of a couple of meters to the monitors, because they have a nasty bite that could kill you. The guards have only a wood stick to defend us with.