Just reunited and the day after
Nyepi
it's already time to say bye bye Canggu. Again just for a short time, because due to the holiday we didn't really have the chance to show Felix and Moritz why we fell in love with this place.
Our destination: the two neighboring Nusa islands. You might still remember my post about Nusa Lembongan, which I explored with Toby because I was afraid of missing out on seeing it. Well, what can I say. Now I get to see it twice. But that's how it is with traveling. You never know exactly how things will turn out.
Another pleasant surprise is the reunion with Matilda. The sweet Swede left a few days ago to explore the Philippines together with her travel buddy Jack and quickly realized that she doesn't like it there. We can't believe it, as we have only heard really positive things so far and are already looking forward to our time there. But she seems downright depressed and just wants to go back to Indonesia. Who can blame her. I would miss us too.
To reach Nusa Penida - our first destination and the larger of the two Nusa islands - we first have to get from the west to the east coast by land. Arriving in the harbor town of Sanur, we first pick up Matilda, who comes directly from the airport, and get a ticket for the next speedboat. The journey takes about two hours and the sea is a bit rough on this day. Felix and Moritz in particular are visibly struggling with it. In the end, we reach the island without any unwanted bodily fluids being lost - except for a lot of sweat maybe.
Here is a small map of Bali including the two neighboring islands to give you a better idea, although the arrow mistakenly points only to the main island of Nusa Penida. Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan are the two small islands located directly northwest of Nusa Penida.
Nusa Penida
If I had to summarize our time in Nusa Penida in three statements, they would be as follows: incredibly long scooter rides, the most breathtaking views so far, and predominantly extremely bad food.
Regarding point three, we may have focused too much on getting Western food. So we struggled several times with pizza, which had more resemblance to a flimsy flatbread with ketchup instead of a crispy pizza base with tomato sauce. But even the local food didn't taste like much and only filled our stomachs. Maybe that could still be tolerable if you hadn't just come back from what seemed like an endless scooter ride - with no food options and half starving.
This brings us to point one of the statements. Nusa Penida has tons of beautiful beaches and cliff views of the open sea that literally take your breath away. The problem is that in order to get there, you have to travel quite long distances on the scooter. This is because there are only three relatively well-paved roads that stretch across the entire island. Two of them are in the inland and the last one runs along the east coast. The city including the harbor and thus the place where everything happens with restaurants, guesthouses, etc. is located in the north of the islands. However, all the top spots to see are scattered along the west coast or in the far south of the island. To get there, you constantly have to leave the good 'main road' and drive west on very rough gravel roads to reach the coast. This takes time and so you have to calculate at least an hour of travel time per spot.
Here is another map for better understanding. There you can see the harbor area marked. As well as our accommodation and the distances that need to be covered to reach the top spots.
If there is one thing you need on the island, it's a really good seat cushion.
Unfortunately, we were not aware of this beforehand. So now we have to make a decision on the spot as to which of the most worth seeing spots we prefer and which ones we have to skip. Because time on the island is limited.
And that leads us to point three of the statements. We quickly realize that you can't make the wrong choice on this island. Because no matter which spot we ultimately visit, it literally takes our breath away.
So our tour takes us first to a beach in the south of the island - Atuh Beach. We need a whole 80 minutes to reach our destination. But just driving there on the scooter would be too easy, of course. In order to actually put your feet in the fine white sand and dive headfirst into the crystal clear water, you first have to descend a small steep path into the bay where the beach is located. Easier said than done in these temperatures. Especially when you keep in mind that you have to return the same way to get back to your scooter. The fact that you have to descend to the beach gives us a fantastic view of the bay when we arrive with the scooter. And it lives up to its promise.
After cooling off in the sea and drying off on the beach, our next stop is a waterfall on the coast. So we get back on the scooter and drive another 40 minutes on bad gravel roads. The research beforehand has shown that it requires a short hike to reach the waterfall.
Once there, however, it turns out that it is rather an endless series of very improvised steps that directly lead you down the 200-meter-high cliff towards the sea. If the view wasn't so overwhelming, we would probably have given up halfway. Upon reaching the waterfall, we find that it is not particularly impressive itself. However, there are several holy springs and two natural pools cut into the rocks waiting for us. Sweating profusely, we gladly accept the invitation and find ourselves in one of the pools a short while later, from where we can watch the waves break with full force on the cliffs. We are speechless and for a few moments we can forget about having to climb all those steps back up. And honestly folks... how much can a person sweat?!
This takes more time and energy than expected, so we once again have to decide which of the sights we absolutely want to see. Our choice falls on the most famous one on the island - the Kelingking Beach. The beach is located in a bay framed by a protrusion that, when viewed from above, looks like a dinosaur. You can make your way down to the beach by using wooden ladders and several climbing passages. However, we've already had enough of strenuous hikes for today and are perfectly satisfied with the amazing view from above.
Nusa Lembongan
The next morning, we cross the small distance between the two islands Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan by a small wooden local boat. Considerably smaller than its sister, the island doesn't actually have as much to offer in terms of sights. However, it is perfect for relaxing for a few days. On site, our group is joined by Bene, a friend of Lisa, Felix, and Moritz, for the next few days. Since I already know the island from my last visit with Toby, I am quickly chosen as the tour guide. So we visit all the highlights of my last visit in two days. After the 'food disaster' on Nusa Penida, that means delicious food in the beach club and the forbidden good sushi that I had with Toby. We have a wild ride on the banana boat at Mushroom Beach and explore the area on the scooter. Eventually, we end up at the Blue Lagoon, where this time I finally dare to cliff jump ten meters high directly into the sea. Matilda, Felix, and Bene also overcome their fears. The day ends with us sitting together in our hostel with a handful of locals, drinking a typical Indonesian drink, and communicating with hands, feet, and broken English. A perfect ending before we head back to Canggu.
Canggu
Since Canggu is our last stop before everyone in our group goes their separate ways, we treat ourselves and book a villa as accommodation. And if our expectations were high, they were still exceeded by far. For only $20 per night and room, we actually get a huge accommodation with a private garden and pool, a kitchen with a dining area, and three luxurious rooms, each with its own terrace and open-air bathroom. From there, we take day trips to Seminyak and Uluwatu and spend a few beautiful days with good food, cheap massages, and cozy evenings at Old Man's. Just the way we like our Canggu.
And then it's time to say goodbye. I'm the first in the group to set off for Bangkok, Thailand, to meet Max there. After me, Bene is going back to Germany. Felix and Lisa will also fly to Thailand a few days later. Matilda and Moritz will stay in Bali for now.
