Beaches and cliffs

When everyone was gone, I went to Sanur on Monday afternoon because that's where the boats leave for Nusa Pendiga. When I arrived there, I walked along the incredibly long beach and saw a lot of joggers on the promenade. I thought I should try that too. So the next day I got up at 5:30 am and went to the beach. It wasn't really a sporty achievement and I walked more than I ran, but the sunrise was still beautiful.

After breakfast, I took the fast boat to Nusa Penida. The island can be described in two words: beaches and cliffs. But they're impressive.

When I arrived there, I had to rent a scooter. I thought I'd reject all offers at the harbor and go to the main street to find something more reliable and cheaper. Well, after 20 minutes of wandering around without finding anything, I finally rented one from a guy on the street. The speedometer was broken, the fuel gauge was broken, and the engine noises had more in common with a vacuum cleaner than a scooter. When I asked for a helmet, I only got a dubious look, so all in all, it was a great deal. Of course, there were no vehicle papers, but he said that if the police stopped me, I should call him and he would come and knock out the police officers. :D Trustworthy guy - 10/10. But it's fine for a few days.

I was warned several times that the roads on Nusa Penida are supposed to be bad, but I thought it wouldn't be that bad. Now I can say: Compared to some of the roads there, the Erzberg is an autobahn. The paths to the cliffs were sometimes more like hiking trails than roads.

On the first day, I didn't have much time, so I only went to Diamond Beach. When I arrived there, I was speechless at the sight. To get to the beach, you had to climb down stairs, but it wasn't a big deal. Because I was there so late, I almost had the beach to myself.

On the second day, I got up at 7 am to be at Kelingking Beach before the tourist rush. By noon, you can expect to wait 30 minutes for a photo from the best spot. But when I arrived there, there was hardly anyone there yet, so I managed to take some nice photos. Even though I have seen this place countless times on social media, I was still thrilled. There were also a few manta rays swimming off the coast.

The path down to the beach looked a bit different from the previous day, but I was prepared and put on my hiking shoes. 30 minutes of climbing and you will be rewarded with an incredibly beautiful beach.

At the beach, I set up my hammock and simply enjoyed the surroundings. I received some pretty jealous looks for that :D Then it was time to go back up.

During the ascent, I met some Germans who had the same plan for the rest of the day as I did, so I joined them. The next stop was a waterfall. But of course, you first had to climb down the about 200-meter high cliff. Those who know me know that I love athletic challenges, but halfway there, I even turned around because it was just suicidal.

A about 40 cm wide 'path', which is mostly climbing, and the only thing that separates you from the 100-meter high cliff is a needy wooden fence. The waterfall can't be that good that I would go down there.

So off to Angel's Billabong (natural infinity pool) and Broken Beach. But these two sights were so overcrowded with tourists that we only stayed there for a few minutes.

The last stop of the day was Crystal Beach for the sunset.

On the way back home, my scooter kindly reminded me that my fuel gauge was broken, so I was stranded in the middle of the forest with an empty tank. Luckily, the Germans were still behind me, so we could go and get fuel together.

On the third day, I had planned to visit a place with natural pools in the middle of the jungle and a beach. Not as spectacular as expected, but still beautiful.

Since it was nearby, I decided to also visit Saren Cliff Point. I was already used to bad roads, but this topped everything. But there were hardly any people there and the view was incredible.

Back on a paved road, I realized that my scooter was riding strangely - flat tire - but I don't blame anyone, that was to be expected with the places I've been driving around in the past few days. :D That's how I was allowed to donate a new rear wheel shortly before returning the scooter.

Currently, I am on Nusa Lembongan, a small island next to Nusa Penida, where I already took a dive in the Blue Lagoon today. I will spend another half day here tomorrow and then head back to Bali.

Join me for my last few days.

Martin