Sunday, August 18th to Thursday, August 22nd, 2024 - Nusa Ceningen - Respite on a Small Island off Bali

 

Sarah (left) and Robyn (right) Arrive in Sanur

When I signed up for the photography tour, I knew that I would need respite once it was finished, to catch up my energy and get time to process photos and write this blog. My older daughter, Sarah, lives in Bangkok, so I invited her to join me, with the proviso that we were to stay in one place and that I would not be in 'tourist' mode. Not only did she agree to join me with these terms, much to my delight, but she also located the small island off the coast of Bali, where we planned to stay. Hearing of our delightful plans, Robyn, my younger daughter, decided to join us also - so the three of us met in Sanur on the Saturday. 

Our destination is a little island, off the coast of Bali, called Nusa Ceningen (pronounced 'noosa cheningen').

We were told it takes 30 minutes to get there by boat, so I imagined a nice easy day - get to our AirBNB relatively early and then chill!

Sanur Harbor

We appreciated that our AirBNB hostess had made all the arrangements for us to be picked up from our hotel for the transfer, so Sunday morning saw us headed off. It seemed a little odd that we were picked up at noon for the 2 pm ferry - but one goes with the program of those that know better. It looked as if it would get us there pretty close to check in time.

A VERY Crowded Ferry Terminal

The taxi ride to the ferry terminal seemed to take at least 30 minutes, then we had to stop at the ticketing office to pay for everything. I could see now, why we needed that extra time! Once we actually got to the ferry terminal, it was mayhem inside, as you see from the photo above! It was awfully hard to figure out when one's boat was leaving - every time we went near the line the women beckoned us away - they could see from our wrist bands, is wasn't time yet.

Finally On Board! (Selfie by Robyn Lamp)

Finally, we were on board....let the thirty minutes begin! We'll be there soon!

First View of Nusa Ceningen

Ceningen is not highly developed, as this first glimpse revealed. It was low tide, and there was some type of lunar event happening that led to an extra low tide.

Nusa Lembongan Ferry Terminal

We knew we were to meet up with our AirBNB hostess at the 'Yellow Bridge', so it was puzzling that we were moored off this ferry terminal when we could see the yellow bridge further down the waterway.

Why Was This Boat Pulling Aside?

It soon became evident that the tide was too low for us to get to the terminal!, so we were to transfer into this smaller boat, which took several trips.

The Captain Looks Worried!

Once we were in our shuttle boat, things still didn't seem quite right. The engines were churning away, there was much water being kicked up by the outboard's propellers, but there wasn't much happening. We weren't moving!

The Crew Goes Over the Side!

In no time at all, we noticed that all the deck hands were over the side - not only lightening the load, but also pushing us to shore in the muddy water! They were my heroes - I had imagined that we would be invited to walk the rest of the way.

Now for the Luggage!

When we finally came to shore it was 3:40 pm. Our 30 minute ride had taken close to an hour and a half! But next, we had to wait for our luggage to be unloaded. The crew worked incredibly hard to make it happen, as you can see above.

Now, Taxi to the Yellow Bridge

We discovered the way we were to get to the yellow bridge was by taxi - this was finally accomplished by 4:30!

The Yellow Bridge

The heroine of the day was our airBNB hostess, Kumong. She met us here and helped us across to meet the next taxi, which took us to our lovely AirBNB. I am ashamed to say I did not get a photo of her - my regrets.

Villa Rindu (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

Finally, we arrived at our Villa Rindu about 5:15 pm. My first world imaginings that envisioned a 30 minute boat ride, was properly adjusted to the reality of the world we were in!

Sunset at Villa Rindu (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

Behind the doors and walls of our villa, the discomforts of the day melted away as we dipped into the pool and relished in the last rays of the sun. Ahhh!

This is How I Spent Most of My Time (Photo by Sarah Lamp) 

The villa was spacious, the temperature did not demand air conditioning, Kumong made breakfast for us each day and this is how I spent most of my time, other than dipping in the pool and going out to eat.

The villa was split level and had many internal steps, so it was challenging for me to get around - my walking pole was my constant companion, inside and out.

The Blue Lagoon (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

We did venture as far as the Blue Lagoon one evening and enjoyed watching the waves crashing on the rocks below. It was low tide, so we could only imagine how dramatic it could be when it was high. The island was quite steep - most likely a former volcanic plug - so getting around was demanding on my knees. Again, my walking pole was invaluable.

Secret Beach (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

Not far from the Blue Lagoon was another beach, called Secret Beach, with steep steps down to it. Finally, you can see Mount Agung in the background - the volcano that had been so elusive during our trip.

I Said 'No'! to the Steps (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

In spite of the lovely looking beach and the swings, I looked at those steep and high steps and said 'I've done enough steps and steep hills' and sat at the top while Robyn and Sarah explored.

A Lovely Cave (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

They found a lovely hole in the rock cliff on the ocean side - you can see why people come here to get a view of the sunset. 

The Swing Was Too Enticing! (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

Finally, my adventurous spirit talked back to me knees and I came down to the beach and enjoyed a rare swing in the setting sun. (Maybe decades since I've been on a swing!)

You might have noticed by now, that many of these images were not taken by me, but by Sarah. There were many days when I didn't even pick up my cell phone. Only once did I get out my DSLR camera.....

The Bat That Roosted in Our Living Room!

 .... and that was to get a close up of the bat that liked all the open doors and windows and decided one night that our ceiling would be a great place to hang out. It stayed there all the next day, until our heroine, Kumong chased it out at sunset with a tall broom!

 I knew my zoom would be the best way to get a photo - it was the only time during this respite that I used it! All else was with cell phone and photos taken by Sarah and Robyn.

Meeting Our Boat Captain (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

The highlight of our trip was a snorkeling trip we took to fulfil Robyn's hope to swim with the manta rays off the neighboring island, Nusa Penida. Kumong set up our taxi and boat and we headed out early one morning.

Under the Yellow Bridge (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

It was a beautiful, still morning.

Snorkel and Fins On! (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

A short, scenic drive took us to the location and over the side we went! The water had that initial cool shock, but was easy to adjust to. The bay where the manta rays were supposed to be, was exposed to the wider ocean of the Indian Ocean, but the swell was mild. However, we were not prepared for the tiny little jelly fish that floated around us. They were little and had a pointy luminescence within them - pink and blue. As they brushed past, there was a slight sting. We stayed in the water without seeing any rays for a short while and called 'time' pretty quickly, due to the discomfort. Happily the stings did not cause any issues - Sarah had a mild line of stings on one arm, but neither Robyn or I had any after effects.  

All Good at Turtle Beach (Photo by Our Boat Captain)

Happily, Robyn did not bemoan the lack of manta ray sightings, as our next stop was Turtle Beach. The water was clear, absent of jellyfish and we were the only ones in the bay.

Success - Turtles! (Photo by Our Boat Captain)

How thrilling it was to be floating close to these lovely creatures as they browsed on the sea bed below. It was delicious to share the swell with them - they lifted with the waves, as we did. It was just the three of us with the boat captain taking photos and video with his Go-Pro.

It was a most beautiful experience!

We started to notice other people off to the sides of our vision, and by the time we poked our heads up after a delicious length of time in the bay, we discovered it had filled with boats which had arrived from Bali, full of snorkelers and scuba divers. I was so pleased that we had beaten the traffic and had these quite moments of alone time here.

Following this, we spent time in another small bay just watching the colorful fish swimming around the coral.

I did Take Some Photos! (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

There was a large tide here and low tide revealed fields of algae below the waves, which were being actively tended. It was a green seaweed - according to Google it is probably a variety called green katoni.

Algae Farming

It was an industry started in the 1980's because of the lack of arable land here. Although Nusa Ceningen does get substantial rainfall in their summer months (this was their winter), the land is steep and rocky, so little can be here. However, the seaweed provided income and is mainly used in food additives and the cosmetics industry in Taiwan. Tourism is the other main source of income.

Pirate's Bay

It took us a while to figure out food. Kumong's breakfast gave us an easy start to the day, but we found the little convenience stores nearby severely lacking in anything fresh or nutritious, so lunch was spotty, at best! We cobbled together some sustenance, but nothing memorable. There were a number of restaurants within steep strolls, but because everything has to be brought from Bali, the menu choices were limited and generally the food was not good. Our first choice led to mild stomach issues for me and more severe for Robyn. Finally we found Pirate's Bay which offered the best selection and quality, so it became our spot!

Part of the issue was that all travel was done on motorbikes and we decided this was not for us.

This video of Robyn crossing the Yellow Bridge with Kumong, shows why! She was headed to an ATM on Nusa Lembongan, to get cash for us. Once again, Kumong came to our rescue. However, as you see, riding a bike could be very tricky, especially with other tourists with varying levels of skill and sobriety. Even the roads were as wide as one car, so they would need to pull to the side of the road to pass. As a result of being on foot, we were somewhat limited in the range of services and goods we could access. 

Our Villa View

Nevertheless, this space did meet the needs I had sought. It was quiet (mostly), beautiful (especially when the tide was high) and gave us plenty of room to chill. I was sorry when our time to move on arrived, but all good things must come to an end!

Sanur Harbor Ferry Terminal

The return trip to Bali was much less adventurous than our arrival - the tide was higher and it was much faster. 

Next destination? Singapore, so stay tuned!