THE THOUSAND-ISLAND ARCHIPELAGO OF WON DER
We were on foot in search of dragons. Not much stirred in the bright morning light as our group walked single file along a dusty trail on Rinca Island in Indonesia. The air was dry and the vegetation a toasted brown. Two cockatoos screeched in a tree high above. With sweat dripping off us, we followed our guide who carried a long stick for protection. Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. They have skin like chainmail armour, eat their young, have serrated teeth and are venomous. Somehow a stick didn’t seem like it would count for much should we need to slay a dragon.
Despite their brutal nature, dangerous encounters are unlikely. There’s a story they tell on Komodo Island, just north of Rinca, about the Dragon Princess. A long time ago, she
