My final few days in Indonesia were spent back in Bali, with just a quick stay to see some new things and relax. I opted to head to Nusa Lembongan, one of three islands located a short boat ride east from the mainland and known to be much quieter, alongside Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida.
I arrived late from Komodo and spent one night in Sanur, a hopping tourist town close to the port, and in the morning took the fast ferry about a half hour to the island. It was a professional operation but a bit janky, with men hoisting luggage onto the roof and no real pier to speak of in Nusa Lembongan’s Mushroom Bay, just a small ramp onto the white sand beach. The return boat was even more chaotic as passengers had to take a dinghy with luggage and then transfer to the boat in the middle of the open sea, including moving luggage between boats. I was a little nervous about this part of the trip but it all worked out. I even paid someone to carry my suitcase the 2 minute walk through the sand and uphill to my hotel.
I was greeted in Lembongan (Nusa means “island”) by so much unassuming relaxation. My small hotel property featured two swimming pools, on-site massages, and a large private standalone hut, not to mention the beautiful clear beach next door. With just two full days to explore, I started with a long walk, seeing half the island in a few hours. It was very different from other parts of Indonesia and Bali, giving a feel of rural island life with some scooters going around but otherwise quiet streets. Local warungs and some western-style restaurants were scattered about to cater to tourists, all outdoors, and some right on the beach. Dogs roamed freely and would often watch me eat in hopes of a treat.
I used Google Maps to identify some destinations, including a stop at “Dream Beach,” an enclosed cove with rough waves which was completely empty when I arrived. I sat and read and stared into space for a while, before continuing on to something called “Devil’s Tears.” I had to pay about a dollar for entry, but I figured why not since I saw a few other people around. It ended up being incredible, a coastal walk showing off jagged cliffs that waves crashed into, forming insane splashes and wooshing noises and then small waterfalls as the waves receded (hence the “tears”). I spent a long time there in the midday heat enjoying the views of powerful nature do its thing. Later in the day I walked to “Sunset Point,” which was a similar experience but free.
On my second day I booked an adventurous day trip to the nearby Nusa Penida, which is further out, larger, and frequented by many day-trippers from mainland Bali. I hired a private driver for the day, but first had to figure out how to meet him on the island. I got someone working at my hotel to drive me on his motorbike the 15 minutes to the Lembongan port next to the yellow bridge to Ceningan, where I bought a ferry ticket at the cash-only operation, workers smoking and hanging out casually. When enough people arrived they walked us across the sand to board the small boat directly from the beach. From there it was just a short 15-minute ride to the Penida port, where the boat also stopped in the sand and we had to hop out into the ankle-deep water.
My driver Nata was easy to find thanks to WhatsApp texting and a little sign he had for me. He drove me along severely potholed roads on the green but dry island to four great spots for views and strolls. Along the way we chatted a lot and I learned a ton about local life, talking about family, the government, and how people are named in Bali (boys are all named as the number they are born as, like “first, second, third” etc.). He shared about a 3-day ferry ride he took once to visit family in another part of Indonesia, and was shocked that coffee was so expensive on the boat at 25,000 IDR a cup (about $1.25 USD). When I told him I was traveling for 6 months he started giggling uncontrollably.
First up, we stopped at the famous Klingking beach, also known as T-Rex beach because the shape of the land mass looks a bit like a dinosaur. The beach itself isn’t easily accessible, so it’s mostly a viewpoint unless you want to do a dangerous steep hike all the way down, and some travelers had warned me about this in advance. Being there I found I wanted to do the hike, even seeing the people sweating in the heat coming back up, but I wasn’t prepared. The viewpoint was amazing on its own, with lots of wild monkeys hanging around. The movie “Ticket to Paradise” was filmed down at that beach. There is also an abandoned massive elevator structure on the nearby cliff, which was very controversial and seems to have been left to rot without being completed.
Next up were two spots next to each other: Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach. The first was a little underwhelming, it was meant to be a coastal wave crashing/tide pool situation but it was low tide; and the later was a great view of a massive arch over an inaccessible beach. Our final stop was Crystal Beach, so-named for the sparkly sand, where I was left to swim in the ocean and have a chill beachfront lunch. On the way back it took a while for the ferry boat to fill up, but I didn’t mind waiting on the beautiful beach with a book. It was a nice day and I was glad to have gone through the challenge of figuring out the transport.
Throughout the tour, my brain was aware that it was my last day of my month in Indonesia, and I tried to be reflective while still experiencing my time in the peaceful and beautiful Nusa islands. What a diverse country and wildly different experiences I had in Indonesia! I saw and did so much! I had intense reactions to all the places I visited! I didn’t like smoggy Jakarta and struggled to adjust to cultural differences in Yogyakarta; I saw amazing nature but was crabby about my tour in East Java; I totally zenned out in Bali; I saw epic nature in Komodo.
Still, what I’ve been finding is that there is little time, if any, to process and reflect on and absorb my travel experiences. Time moves along, and it can be difficult to look back while also mentally preparing for the next destination on my journey, not to mention the administrative tasks of confirming visas and booking activities.
This all led to a light sense of homesickness for the first real time. I miss the boring days where I would sit on my couch, do laundry, and watch tv in between running errands. The monotony of not thinking too hard for a while. Of course, many of those days were excruciating for me, because there were too many of them, and I sought to move around more. The grass is always greener on the other side, I suppose. I’m thrilled about the next part of my journey. But I sort of wish I had a few days at home to chill in between.
For now, I’ll just send a big thank you to Indonesia for all of the incredible experiences and memories, and put out an intention to remain present and focused on the next leg of my journey.
