The Laconic Lure Of lembongan
(Originally published in Bali & Beyond and Singapore Airlines Kris Flyer magazine 2017)
My day begins with a mighty sea journey across the Bandung Strait on a sizeable boat driven along by five, 250 horse powered engines. It whisks you away from the Sanur shoreline and, for the next thirty five minutes you find yourself on one of the most remarkable and deepest stretches of ocean anywhere in the world.
I always get a magical feeling of mystery as we traverse the Java trench and then cross the Wallace Line with all of their unknowns that lurk 3000 meters under the craft. (However, that’s a story for another time.)
There is a point, exactly in the middle of the trench where the waves follow no discernable pattern due to the convergence of trench’s powerful currents that swirl beneath. The skipper, accustomed as he is to the vagrancies of the " disturbed seas' navigates his way through often huge swells with the usual casual aplomb while many of the passengers hold on for dear life.
Suddenly the sea flattens as we round the point of Nusa Penida.
This seldom spoken about island just twenty miles off the coast of Bali is perhaps considered the poorest cousin in the chain of islands that abound in these waters. Underdeveloped and lacking a reliable water source it looks slightly dry and withered with an altogether different variety of flora, We have definitely crossed the Wallace line that separates the globe into two distinct hemispheres. ( a story on the Wallace line will be posted soon!)
What Nusa Penida does do however is shelter its small sister island Nusa Lembongan, wrapping itself around her like the arms of a protective mother, sheltering it from the worst of the wet seasons storms.
We round the cliffs at the far western edge of the island where the surf, the colour of creaming soda, beats itself against the rocks sending huge plumes of spray high into a cloudless sky before falling back on itself and heading inland to the aptly named Dream Beach where tourists frolic on a beach with sand so white it is as if snow has fallen.
The water suddenly becomes shallow and a kaleidoscope of colours appear on the ocean floor of the most exquisite blue, green and topaz hues with living coral waving as if in welcome to the new arrivals.
Lembongan’s coastline slowly drifts by, her salacious curves wooing us with her beauty. Beneath us the seaweed farms, from which the locals derive a meager living drift by. The farms here are in serious trouble as the seaweed lately has refused to grow. It is thought that the run off from the newly built villas that cling to the hillside like limpets coupled with the spillage from the myriad of tourist boats that now ply these waters, impedes its growth.
Tourism, as always, has its downside.
The boat eventually drifts onto the beach at Jungut Batu, its white sand an infinity stretching east to the famous surfing break aptly named Shipwrecks.
There to meet me is Kecho and his naughty sidekick Hendra friends from long ago who manage the house where I usually stay. Their genuine happiness at seeing me again is accompanied by much back- slapping and hugs all round.... In a way, it’s a little like coming home. Once settled on the deck of the house with views across the water to the mighty Mt Agung on Bali will make even the most hardened cynic weep.
To truly 'discover' this small island, a motorcycle is the best way to see the lembongan in its entirety for it is possible to circumnavigate the entire island in just over an hour. However beware as, on these road, prison rules apply where it’s everyone for them self and God for us all!. Although not the chaotic, exhaust filled experience of riding a bike in other parts of Indonesia this is an entirely different road trip. Potholes, connected by thin strips of bitumen means it can feel like one is a participant in the Dakar Rally!
Lembonganites, ever friendly, wave and children cry out cheerfully as I weave my way around the inland past the mangroves and into the "interior" I stop at a small school to have a peek and am welcomed by the children and teachers alike as if I were a visiting rock star. There is no sense that I have intruded on their day.
In essence the ride is easy and allows rider and pillion passenger the opportunity to visit the wonders of Mushroom and Coconut Bay, where white sand and warm surf awaits.
Drinks at sunset, at one of the myriad of bars and restaurants that line the beach, are a must. If surfing is your thing, paddle out from Coconut Beach to the perfect barrels of Lacerations (yup, you are right on top of the coral!) or, for the more experienced, Shipwrecks might be for you, with its larger breaks.
For the less adventurous ask for the boatman, Pingy, a third generation fisherman and guide who will take you to some of the most spectacular snorkeling spots in all of Indonesia. The Wall, Crystal Bay or the warm waters off the mangroves, team with multi coloured fish and coral. It’s literally like being dropped into a tropical fish tank. During the months from September to February it is possible to swim with the mighty mantas off the point of penida.
Jungat Batu has some of the better restaurants that line the boardwalk or the beach, they are all pretty good so take your pick, you won’t be disappointed.
Accommodation is, as always varied, from 5 stars to basic backpacker, so there is something for everyone. Nusa Lembongan is a place that can make your soul dance and your heart sing, a place where time has not too much relevance as, being ensnared in her clutches, time simply loses its meaning.
Photographs copyright Paul v Walters & E.J. Lenahan
