Entering the new year of 2020 was exciting until the Wuhan/Covid-19 breaks. The news day by day was scary when almost most countries have it but luckily, Indonesia has no cases so far. Well, at least during the time of my visit to Bali.
The last time that I wanted to go to Bali was for our honeymoon in 2018 but got canceled due to the volcano eruption. AND NOW, the Covid-19 virus. Why oh why is this happening to me whenever I decided to go to Bali? I was worried at first but my determination doesn’t stop me from going there. We prepared ourselves surgical masks and hand sanitizer as one of the precaution steps for the viruses (not just for the covid-19).
Me, my husband and another couple (my friends) tag along which makes this a double date honeymoon. Well, they just got married and I considered planning this trip as a gift for them. We took the night flight on the 4th of February 2020 and landed in Bali midnight (I was wearing mask all the way). We checked in at Reddoorz Sanur for the night. A cheap hotel of less than RM100 per night per room.
SANUR – NUSA PENIDA (5/2/2020)
The next morning, we had to wake up at 7.00 a.m to catch the first speed boat of the day at 8.00 a.m. For Nusa Penida, we took a full 2 days package that covers all transportation including lunch with a total price of 1.1 million rupiah = RM367 per person.
You can definitely plan everything on your own and reduce the cost per person to less than RM300. Well, only IF you rent a bike. The speed boat can cost between 150K -180K rupiah (Less than RM60) for return ticket and about 30 minutes ride. You can opt for ferries but the prices were higher and the first ferry is at 11.00 a.m. If you are from Denpasar, then the terminal will be at Sanur and there is no issue for you to buy the tickets on the spot as there are plenty of options to choose from (our speed boat was S’gening Fast Boat). BUT just to be safe with your planning, buy your tickets early to avoid disappointment.
Upon arrival, we did not waste time and started our journey to Pasih Andus/ Smoke Beach. The roads in Nusa Penida are merely small and rocky, so be prepared to have bumpy rides along the way. The Village road to the Smoke beach will make you feel like you lost your way there. Make sure to ask people around or download offline google map first hand, as you will only get internet access at cafes, hotels, and restaurants. Local sim card won’t work there either. You will have to walk about 10-20 mins to reach the Smoke beach if your motorbike/scooter couldn’t make it through the sloppy road. The smoke beach is prettier during the high tides when you can see the splash of the ocean water through the rocks.
Our ride was the MPV which is better than a motorbike for the bumpy ride. If you are planning to ride a motorbike, the cost per day will be less than 100K rupiah (RM33) but not inclusive of petrol, etc. As for the MPV with a driver like the one we booked, the cost will be around 750K rupiah (RM250) per day with parking and petrol included. So if you are sharing with your friends, it will be way cheaper.
After we took enough pictures and videos, we went to Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach just 15 minutes from the Smoky Beach. Angel’s Billabong will also be pretty during the high tides which unfortunately we went during the low tides. It was mentioned that the highest tide was last year in November 2019. Just to remind you that swimming at the Angel’s Billabong can be dangerous during the high tide. Although the pictures are pretty, there were death cases from time to time. So, be careful.
Just a few minutes’ walks from Angel’s Billabong, Broken Beach is another place to see. You can opt to go down to the beach by boat but I’m not very sure about where and how can you get there. If you have seen my NUSA PENIDA BALI 2020 video, there were very few people who went down there to snorkel and it does look pleasant with the hot weather.
After only an hour at the Broken Beach, we went straight to Kelingking Beach, the signature of Nusa Penida. The 30 minutes ride was slightly more pleasant than the previous one. The roads are better and we could sleep along the way. It was an afternoon during our visit to the beach and you can imagine how hot it is. At first, we were planning to go all the way down to the beach but after a monkey stole our bottled water, we decided to go back up after 10 minutes down. Yes, there are a few monkeys when you go down the stairs, so be sure to put everything inside your bag otherwise, there will be no bottled water left for you. If you want to go down there, be sure to buy all the energy drinks that you can carry as it will take you between 2 – 3 hours to go down and up the Kelingking Beach.
After the long day of sweat, we decided to go back to our hotel and fresh up before going to Crystal Bay to watch the sunset. The place that we stayed at was Bintang Penida Resort, 10 minutes from the Crystal Bay (by car). The Crystal Bay Beach was not as pretty as the rest of the beaches that we went to but relaxing enough to lay on the bean bag and watch the sunset. We then enjoyed the rest of our night listening to the live band at the hotel’s cafe.
During our visit, the places we visited aren’t as crowded as what people always write about. Maybe because of the virus spread all over the world that scares people away. Our guide mentioned that one of the top countries that visit Bali is China. So, that makes sense when the covid-19 breaks, the number of tourists visited Bali dropped significantly.
NUSA PENIDA – UBUD (6/2/2020)
The next day, we started our trip to Tembeling Beach & Forest. This place is not as famous as the places we visited yesterday. The road to Tembeling Beach & Forest is further away from the main attractions, which explains the reason why it is less touristy than the others. The drive will take about 40 minutes to reach from our hotel. The entrance fee to Tembeling Beach & Forest was 50K rupiah (RM17) per person which includes the motorbike ride down and up the entrance. There will be riders standby to take you there, and you don’t need to worry about riding the motorbike. Although, I need to remind you that if your weight is more or less 80kg, there will be some difficulties for the riders to bring you back up the steep hills. So, be prepared to trek a little.
Once we reached the entrance, we need to go down the stairs about 10 minutes to the spring water. Going down isn’t tiring enough, but going back up? that is another story. When we arrived, there was no one there except for our riders and us. We had the place to ourselves and it was so serene. After two hours of swimming in the spring pools and strolling around the beach, we decided to climb back up. As I mentioned, riding back up with the motorbike was more challenging than going down. My husband fell during the trial of riding up the steep hills and yes, his weight was 80++ Kg. He ended up having to hike the hills instead. BUT everything was fine. Good thing my friend brought the first aid kit then.
Moving on, we went to Diamond Beach as our last and final place to visit before going back to Sanur. The duration was an hour and we happened to had a good sleep along the way. At Diamond Beach, there is no entrance fee. They only request a donation to keep the beach clean and for the development of the area. To be honest, going down to Diamond Beach is much easier than Kelingking Beach. The steps are less but tricky at the end. It took us about 15 minutes to reach down to the swing area.
I was planning to go for the swing so, I brought my lengthy clothes along with me to get the perfect picture. I am afraid of heights and I’m challenging myself by doing this. The fee has gone up from 100k rupiah (RM33) to 200k rupiah (RM66) from a year ago. The price was insane but I understand that they need to have insurance for this. So, once in a lifetime experience should be worth it.
During the swing, I just can’t stop screaming every time they push me harder and further away from the land. I couldn’t move my hand or my leg at first, just stiff. BUT after a few swings, I’m starting to get used to it and letting go of my hand a couple of times. My dress wasn’t long enough to get a pretty instagrammable picture. So, I would suggest you wear a red or yellow long dress rather than blue or green as the color will pop-out even more. After spending a few hours, we decided to climb up as my husband was waiting. He did not go all the way down with us, knowing that climbing back up can be a nightmare for him. I have to admit, it was exhausting enough for me to be able to finish 3 bottled water along the way.
At 3.00 p.m, we had our lunch before going to the terminal. Our boat will be at 5.00 p.m to Sanur. OH! One thing I forgot to mention, dogs love me at Nusa Penida. My blouse got bitten by a dog so as my hat, as when I’m running away from them (sigh). So that’s it about my 2 days 1 night at Nusa Penida. I will continue the rest 4 days of my Bali trip in my next post. Don’t forget to check it out! Thank you for reading. See you in my next post!