Nusa Lembongan

Getting burnt on the roof of a canoe

We caught the ferry from Padangbai, well, it wasn't really a ferry, more like a giant wooden canor with three 20hp outboards on the back. I think boats go to Nusa Lembongan twice a day, in the morning and evening. as well as Padangbai you can also get the boat from Sanur. It cost about 70,000- 100,000 for a one way ticket which wasnt too bad but I think we got ripped off on the way as we let the taxi man buy it and I think he he charged us. We had the option to pay for a porter to load out bags onto the boat, it was pretty rough so was probably a good idea but I had to show off to the girls so I did it myself and got very wet. The journey to Nusa Lembongan took about two hours but time passed pretty quick as we climbed onto the roof and sunbathed the whole way!

Mainski

The boat rocked up on Jungutbatu Beach of Nusa Lembongan and we were greeted by locals trying to take us to their hotels. They are not very pushy so it wasnt too stressful. We found a place to stay in the Mainski resort (its hardly a resort) and left our bags and headed to the bar for a Bintang. It suddenly hit us how amazing this little island was. It was what I had imagined an island paradise would be like.

Henry and Pheebs raggin' it

We hired mopeds for a few days, and after bartering for about 10mins we managed to get them for about 50,000 per day each. we later found out it was way cheaper to hire for a few days at a time... meh. We found a map of the island and went for an explore, it is fairly small so we pretty much went abound the whole thing in a day. Helmets wernt even ofered but there are no cars on the island so it is very safe to drive. We drove to some mangroves, had a look around some Hindu mans caves, went for a swim at Dream beach and went over the rickety bridge onto the smaller island next to Nusa Lembongan called Nusa Ceningan.

Nusa Lambongan is great for surfing. There are a few spots of the main beach (all next to each other) but the break called playgrounds was best suited for me being a beginner to the Indo waves. It took about 20mins to paddel out to the reef but it was cool to looking over the seaweed farms below. On Henry's 21st we decided to be lazy and get a boat out to the reef, im pretty sure we paid the guy to pick us up, but he never showed. It was hardly any money though. On a few of the days the tide was well strong (nothing I couldn't paddle against :p) and getting in took quite a while but I just follow the other people who seamed to know the best way in. There was a  small beach near playgrounds which I found out on the last day which meant the swim in could have been way quicker.

Rosie desided to do her beginner Padi course and whilst she was on the course Pheebs, Chris and I secided to go on a snorkelling trip to Toyapacka. It was amazing! just as good as the Red Sea! Later on in the week I decided to join Rosie on a few dives. The Scuba diving was amazing! I think we did a dive trip with Bali Diving Academy or World Dive (they both have offices at their own hotels on the main beach). We met a really cool dive instructor called Aurellie (think she was French) and we organised to do our PADI advanced course the next week in Tulumben back on the main land with her.

Money was a pretty big issue on the island as there were no cash machines, there was a money dealer who took a small cut. We definatly should have taken more out on the main land!

Balangan and the South

The south peninsular of Bali was amazing! We first set up camp in Balangan which was a great little spot on the north west side of the peninsular, there are warungs (surf shacks) on the beach but there are nice. We lived with the family but it is still like a hotel. On the beach there is a great hotel at the far end of the beach (farthest south) which cost about Rp 20,000 a night. The surf is good here and reef boots are a must!

We met some cool Americans staying in the warung at the same time as us. One of them played his Ukulele the whole time as the surf wasn't great. On one of the evenings we went to a local open mic night which was pretty fun. The highlight was some crazy guy called Captain Roscoe Darling singing and playing the guitar. Then the American had a go and was good. Got a free CD.

Uluwatu temple is defiantly worth a visit, the temple sits 70m above the roaring Indian ocean. The entrance fee is Rp 6,000 and they give you a sarong and sash which you have to wear.  There are loads of wild monkeys running about in the temple which you are free to walk around at your leisure.

I had my sunglasses on my head and I got attacked by two monkeys trying to steal them off me. We saw a Chinese man get his sunglasses nicked  by a monkey but one of the guides induced the monkey with some fruit to give it back.

There is a show in the evening; I think it is about 7.00pm and cost about Rp 20,000. The show was a Hindu story I think, well worth a watch.

Kuta

It is defiantly worth having a look around Kuta. It is pretty much a party city and is alive with Australians all night. There are some great bars and an awesome reggae bar called Apache. We paid about Rp 70,000 a night for a room for two.

We met an old man in one of the hotels in Poppies 2 who was a Kuta veteran and he told us how much Bali had changed over the last 10 years. The pretty much said that we were visiting at about the right time because in the near future it will look a very different place than it does now.

Kuta beach was quite nice,we hired surfboards and the girls learnt to surf. It a pretty good place to learn as the beach is so sandy which is quite hard to find in Bali as the majority of the shore is reef.

You can get anywhere in Bali from Kuta and this is a place where you have to barging hard for a taxi. Start by quartering the price they suggest, they will play around with you for a bit but you will get the hang of it after a while. It can be quite fun (if you’re not tired).

Kuta is the place to buy all the tourist tat, again barter hard so you dont get ripped off. Invest in a Bintang Beater.

Denpasar Airport

We landed at Densasar Airport in the evening and flew through immegration. Denpasar Airport is located in southern Bali, 13km south of Denpasar. The airport is actually called 'Ngurah Rai International Aiport', it is named after an Indonesian national hero who died in a fight to the death in 1946.

After leaving the airport we tried to barter for a taxi but I think there is a monopoly here so paid about Rp50,000 to Kuta.