Posted by: Jonathan
From Ubud we were transported by van an hour to the coast to catch a boat to Nusa Lembongan. The lack of docks always makes the "wet entry/exit" interesting. Mrs. G.M. is still getting the hang of them
From Ubud we were transported by van an hour to the coast to catch a boat to Nusa Lembongan. The lack of docks always makes the "wet entry/exit" interesting. Mrs. G.M. is still getting the hang of them
Once on the island, we settled into our newly opened poolside bungalows equipped with vaulted ceilings, AC, and outdoor showers.
We spent the afternoon lounging poolside, one of the many shifts we would pull in our four day stay.
That evening Jenn and I went exploring some foot trails along the rock cliffs that lined the coast. We sat and watched the waves smash into the rocks while the currents that swept around the island flowed out into the open ocean. Out of all the island destinations we have been, Indonesia magnifies the raw power of the ocean the most.
The next morning Mr. G.M. got caught with Montezuma's revenge, Balinese style, so Jenn, Mrs. G.M., and I donned our snorkel gear and swam out from the beach.
Not wanting to clock out for lunch during our daily poolside shift, we had lunch brought to us.
Dinner that night (and every other night during our stay) was eaten at a beach side restaurant boasting a ten page menu of tasty drinks and dishes.
The next morning we rented two motorbikes and the four of us set out to explore the outer reaches of the island. While riding around we passed a plethora of seaweed farms which look more interesting than they smell. Seaweed farming is second only to tourism in terms of the island's economy.
Our first planned stop was the mangrove forest on the northern tip of the island. The real draw card here wasn't the swampy looking tree, but the reef that lay beyond. We hired a local boat driver, PJ, to take us to two different snorkeling spots. Both were full of colorful coral, teeming with fish, and breezed by a cold swift ocean current.
Once back on dry land we remounted the hogs and headed south.
Mrs. G.M. passed the introduction to driving a motorbike course with only one near miss and a handful of scared locals in her wake.
We drove the bikes across a suspension bridge to Nusa Ceningan (neighboring island) where we followed a local on a trail (that could have been featured in the motocross Xgames) to a secluded cove.
Mr. G.M. showed off his gymnastic aptitude by introducing a new category to the jumping photos: The Toe Touch.
He also enrolled in Baby Stalling 101.
On our way back to our hotel we made a pit stop at Dream Beach to refuel.
The next morning we awoke early, warmed up our bikes, and headed back to the mangrove forested northern tip to meet back up with our local boat driver, PJ, from the day before. He drove us to the turbulent waters off Nusa Penida, a neighboring island home to giant manta rays. Within 30 seconds of entering the water we saw our fist manta ray glide by. It was awesome watching them swoop back and forth with their mouths gaping open filtering the nutrient rich waters.
As if that wasn't enough, PJ then fed us breakfast on a empty beach and took us to two other bays for snorkeling. These two stops ended up being some of the clearest water and most vibrant reef we have seen in our professional snorkeling careers. Well done PJ.
As we said our goodbyes to PJ, we were introduced to his two cute and cuddly kids.
PJ's neighbor also had a monkey but his was not so fond of affection. He was past using the mirror to look at himself, he was actually using it to keep an eye on people around him without actually turning to look at them.
We picked up lunch at an ocean front eatery that had views of the surfing breaks on nearby reefs backed by the volcano on Bali's mainland.
Watching the swell proved to be too much, so I convinced Jenn to accompany me out for a surf session. We rented a couple of boards and began a long paddle out to the laid back wave known as Playgrounds. Jenn quickly chose this break over its nearest neighbor aptly named Lacerations. It was a bit crowded for how inconsistent the wave was, but as the sun began to set the crowd thinned allowing us to paddle into a few more waves.
Jenn would like to add: I thought our surf sesh was so amazing! The water was so clear that when you caught a wave you could watch the reef and fishies go by under the board. I have never surfed in such clear water before and it was just spectacular!!!
Back to Jonathan: Bare with me for just a second as I would like to recap on the gloriousness of today: woke up and got dressed in board shorts and sandals, rode a motorbike, saw the sunrise against a volcano, rode on a boat, swam with manta rays, was served breakfast on an uninhabited beach, snorkeled in some of the clearest water to date, ate lunch on the beach gazing at a volcano, surfed til the sun set, swam in a pool for over thirty minutes (meaning I showered annnnnd did laundry), ate dinner on the beach listening to the waves crash, and stared at the stars between the swaying palm trees before slipping off to sleep. Annnnd to think I gave up a perfectly good cubical with a swiveling roller chair.