While we thoroughly enjoyed our cultural experience in Ubud,
after our first 2 destinations in Bali we were a bit worried that we were about
15 years too late and Indonesia’s true natural beauty had been spoiled by
tourism. Luckily, we had given ourselves a month to discover this country, and
rest assured that a little persistence in getting off the beaten path is well
worthwhile. We decided to head for 2 smaller islands, Nusa Lembongan and Gili
Air, which did not disappoint one bit! In Lembongan, we had the view of a
lifetime at our hillside cabin, overlooking a gorgeous turquoise bay with surf
at one end, seaweed farms on the other (the local seaweed farmers come out to
harvest their crops at low tide), and a volcano in the background. Our most
memorable experience (by far) was snorkeling with manta rays – sometimes 4 at a
time, each about 6-8 feet in diameter. Ace was so caught up in it all that he
ignored the schools of jellyfish surrounding him – or at least until he got out
of the water and it was too late!
We also loved Gili Air, a tiny island that you can jog
around in about 30 minutes (45 for Gen J),
with no motor vehicles and the only mode of transportation being ponies. Quite
a nice change! We enjoyed some of the most extraordinary sunrises and sunsets,
had fantastic food and drinks along all of the beachside bars and restaurants,
and went scuba diving in one of the most colorful coral reefs that we’ve ever
seen. The only downside to this place is the boat ride – it was so rough on the
way back that we stopped counting the number of people that got sea sick, and
they actually ran out of puke bags! Luckily, both of us seem to have strong
stomachs…
By this point we had been to Indonesia’s top tourist
destinations and seen some of its beautiful remote islands, but still hadn’t taken
advantage of one thing that Bali is renowned for: the surf! Bali is indeed a
world-class surf destination; we’ve never seen anything like it. The only
problem is that the size of the waves coupled with the sharp coral reefs makes
most breaks quite challenging (hence the very inviting names such as
“Lacerations”, “Killers” and “Impossibles”)! Fortunately, after a lot of
research we found a perfect beach break (Batu Bolong) in an expat town full of
character, called Canggu. We rented a motorbike and a little studio with a pool
in the rice fields, got up early every morning to surf (or at least one of us
did), relaxed during the day, practiced our yoga in the afternoon and enjoyed
the trendy restaurants and cafes at night. Our favorite spot was called Deus
Cafe, a custom surfboard / motorcycle shop with a Thai restaurant where they
had theme nights such as “taco and tatts Tuesdays” where you can get a free
tattoo after your meal. Although tempted, our bodies remain ink-free J.
After spending 10 days in Canggu, we almost cancelled our
flight and extended our stay. It was the piece of Bali that we had been
searching for, and we truly hope we can return to one day. But changing our
itinerary was too complicated, so off to Malaysia we go!
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