Welcome to Part 2 of our trip around Bali!! Part 1 and Part 3 can be found here.
My favourite thing about travelling around Bali was all the travellers we met and how open they were with sharing their favourite parts of the country. We met this cool girl in Clear Cafe who recommended Nusa Penida because of the lack of tourists and its laid-back feel. It was like each place pushed us to a new and interesting place on our holiday. She also showed us pictures and it looked stunning so thanks to Lael's amazing research and our spontaneous attitude off we went the next day.
Day 4 - Nusa Penida!
So we were waiting outside 5:55 am because our pick-up to Sanur was 6am. You would think we were at the Dog Pound in Lady in the Tramp because the dogs were howling and harmonising like it was a Disney movie. We even heard a rooster too. So its 6:30 and no one is here. 6:45 and we were beginning to worry with Lael trying to call up but they kept hanging up. Luckily they came a bit before 7 and we were off to Sanur to catch our boat. We took a boat from Sanur to Nusa Penida at 8:30. The ride there was beautiful and as you can see from the photo on the left when we arrived at Nusa Penida instantly you could see the difference in the colour of the water.
Driving in Nusa Penida is something I haven't been experienced before which made me love it all the much more. There are a lot of potholes and uneven roads so a lot of the time it feels like you are on a mini roller coaster as you drive through. It all adds to the experience and made me more eager to travel around this untouched island.
Broken Beach - This is the first thing we saw at Nusa Penida. Instead of a beach its actually bridge and being so close to the cliff and the sea is mind-blowing! The emerald blue colour of the sea is beautiful and we spent a good amount of time just soaking up the views. After admiring the view we headed to Angel's Billabong.
Angel's Billabong - In order to get there you follow the path from Broken Beach. This was one of my favourite parts of the island. Getting close to the water was a struggle. We walked over a foundation that was mostly made up of sharp and jagged rocks. We didn't go inside the pool below the rocks because we were warned that a few people have died because they got pushed in the sea by the powerful tide. However it was still beautiful from our view. There was a couple who looked like they were on their honeymoon talking photos really close to the sea and they looked so happy.
Crystal Bay - This was our final location and it was one of the quietest beaches I've ever visited which I loved. We mostly chilled here and took a lot of pictures. The water is crystal clear and felt like the best way to end our amazing trip on this island. On our way back We left Nusa Penida around 3:30 and got back to Ubud around 5. I have to mention the bum
Riverside Cafe (Four Seasons Resort at Sayan) - We wanted to try something different so we ended the evening by eating at Riverside Cafe. It's so peaceful and serene eating by a river, I just remember the soothing sounds of the water, the beautiful lightning at the restaurant and the friendly staff. I also remember the expensive bill, so beware it is pricey here but really lovely if you are looking for a beautiful place to dine in the evening. I had some salmon and Lael has risotto. Worth a visit for the atmosphere alone.
Day 5 - Celuk Village
Starting at the Celuk Village was so interesting. We saw gold and silver jewellery being made which was fascinating to watch. The highlight of the morning though was visiting the next village. As you can see from the photos below we watched men and women make silk paintings using colour paint and wax. Most people know Bali for their beaches but would recommend checking out here because it was really interesting seeing this happen.
Bali Museum - Denpasar
This museum is beautiful with stunning gardens on your way in. It was really interesting learning about the history of of Bali especially their many battles with the Dutch. My favourite part of the museum were the exhibits which displayed the history of the country from pre-historic times to the present day. It actually inspired one of the projects I'm writing at the moment. After this we visited Nusa Dua for snorkelling. This was the first time I did this and I loved it! No pictures but I saw some of the most beautiful colours under the water.
Sunset at Uluwatu Temple - Pecatu
Out of all the places we visited I really wished we were for the whole day because it has everything I love in a place. Scenic views of the ocean, a magical atmosphere and beautiful natural scenery. Uluwatu Temple is perched on top of a steep magnificent cliff high above sea level overlooking the Indian Ocean. It's stunning and the views are incredible. Once we arrived we were given sarongs to cover our legs because we were entering a place of worship. We were warned about the monkeys in advance because apparently they love to take your belongings so beware! I had an incident with a monkey outside the Monkey Forest and I came out victorious (held on to my bag) so they haven't come after me since :P
Sunset at Jimbaran Bay
After everything we saw that day I didn't think we could see anything else more beautiful but watching the sun set on Jimbaran Bay made me certain that we left the best sight to last. While the sky turned from pink to black, we sat at a small table on the beach and listened to live musicians serenade each table with a song of their choice. The music ranged from Old school rock, Spanish lullabies and powerful pop ballads. When it came to eating I had a lot of food, a pound of fish alone, our meal consisted of fresh fish, rice and vegetables. Our eyes firmly fixated on the water we had a view that would upstage the biggest performance on stage. Definitely make a trip here if you're in Bali!
I hope you enjoyed Part 2 of our Bali Trip! Lael is writing the next part and trust me the next few days get even better!
~ Lou
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