a mysterious water monitor poked out its elongated neck through the lush vegetation while looking at an erupting anak krakatau, or might be pissed off at me for blocking the view, either way it befuddles me to this day. the sole scavenging species of pulau sertung, numbering in hundreds and closely related to the common monitor lizard, albeit a bit more slender and arguably uglier, showed no fear towards the visiting humans that we were the ones who needed constant vigilance from being mobbed, much to the delight of our local guides. january 2011.

the location: