Intro
Embark on a captivating journey with me through the heart of Bali. Where every twist and turn unveils the island’s enduring charm. From the hustle and bustle of Ngurah Rai airport to the tranquil shores of Gili Air, this adventure is a celebration of Bali’s timeless allure. Navigating the vibrant streets of Canggu, diving into the depths of Gili Air, and immersing in the cultural tapestry of Uluwatu. Join me on a voyage that delves beyond the surface, uncovering the soul of this enchanting destination. Fasten your seatbelt as we ride through Bali’s paths, discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary.”
Arrival
After two long flights, I finally arrived in Bali, but it was in the middle of the night and nothing was booked. On top of that, my luggage was as much as I could carry. But I had been in this position before and I trusted my capabilities to find a safe place to rest. So, on faith, I stumbled down the escalators.
Down in the hallway of Ngurah Rai airport, I was confronted with an oversupply of shops offering mobile plans. All of them gave me “the best” offers. Unfortunately, I already took the worst offer straight after I got off the plane. Thinking that there might not be a lot of options available because it was midnight, I purchased a SIM card from the first stand that offered one to me. This was about 20% more expensive than the one I found 10 minutes later in the hallway. So I had to reject all of them. Pro tip: don’t stress about SIM cards, take your time, you have options, and inform yourself before you buy.
The first night
Having secured mobile data I could, at last, look for a place to sleep. Luckily I didn’t have to look very far as there is a 24-hour-a-day operated hostel in the airport itself. The place is called PassGo and offers sleeping pods to rest in, as well as storage for luggage and bathrooms. This was exactly what I was looking for and 12 hours later they woke me up.
I didn’t have any plans about what I would be doing with my time in Bali except that I would start the trip in Canggu as that is where an acquaintance of mine was living at the time. She’s also a travel agent, so I was hoping she could give me some useful tips. So, off I went, on the lookout for transportation to Canggu…
Canggu
Leaving the airport I was clamped on by dozens of taxi drivers all offering me the best deals. I tried to ignore most of them but in the end, I was still figuring out how I would get to Canggu. It was only 40 km away but it would still take up to 2 hours by car. And those taxi drivers could see that I didn’t have a clue. So in the end one of them came up to me and said he was a driver for “Grab” an Uber-like taxi service with an app. He showed me his app and the pay rates seemed correct. So I went with him, although I still felt like he was overcharging me a lot.
Once I arrived in Canggu I went looking for a hostel to spend the first night in. Which I quickly found. The next days were going to be all about relaxing, experiencing the area, and making a plan for my trip to Bali. Luckily I could meet up with my friend a few times and she was able to give me a few ideas. One of which was that a scooter was the best way to visit Bali…
New experiences
There is almost no public transportation in Bali, and if there were, it wouldn’t be very reliable. Hitch-hiking would be unsafe, driving a car in Bali wouldn’t get you very far because traffic there is like thick minestrone. One could use the taxi services available or book a complete private tour but that wouldn’t be very budget-friendly and would take away one’s freedom. The latter was one thing an adventurous soul like me wasn’t willing to lose. So I fixed my mind on using a scooter. The only problem was that I had never driven one before.
Since I was a kid I have been quite stubborn. This, sometimes, led me into trouble or stagnated my progress, as I was often unable to adapt to changing circumstances. But this also meant that once I had an idea or a plan, I usually pushed through, no matter what. So, this time, in Bali. this was no different. I was going to explore Bali by scooter. I asked a friend if I could try out her scooter first, and a bit reluctant, she agreed. Then after finding out I would need more practice, I hired an instructor for 2 hours the next day to properly teach me. It had cost me only 50 bucks and after two hours the instructor said I was ready to get on the road!
Planning ahead
With the obstacle of not knowing how to operate a small, two-wheeled, motorized vehicle out of the way I was able to focus on completing my itinerary for the Bali trip again.
As a young person travelling, I often came across other young travellers. And on the topic of planning trips, the opinions were sometimes divided. Some heralded things like “go with the flow”, “let life happen”, and “no plan is the plan” while others like to plan everything so they have certainty, no unexpected setbacks, and can get the cheapest deals. I’ve seen and experienced the pros and cons of both sides and I think it strongly depends on your situation.
In general, I’d recommend making a plan for shorter (< 3 weeks) trips and you can be more flexible with longer trips. If you’re traveling alone you, obviously, also have more flexibility than when you are traveling with someone else or with a group. Also, think about the purpose of the trip. Do you want to have a lot of experiences (culture, landscape, activities), or is it supposed to be more of a relaxing trip? Once you have decided on all of these variables you can decide whether it is worth making a detailed itinerary for your trip.
Notion
For this trip, I decided it was worth the effort. So, I started packing my bags and made arrangements to rent a scooter at Manik tourist information the next day. And while I did this, I made my itinerary with an app and website called Notion (no sponsor). It allows the user to take notes, as the name suggests, but also to make links between different notes, websites, and other pages as well as to add functions, make toggle lists or checklists, and much more which makes it a very versatile way to keep track of whatever you want to keep track of. I found out about this app through this video from Ali Abdaal, the YouTuber of whom I also featured a video on my About page.
Taking Off
The feeling that being able to pack my bags, hop onto the scooter, and shoot off into the distance gave me is hard to describe. It’s a mix of freedom, power, and capability to handle whatever comes my way. I know this is exaggerated but it was the feeling that I had. While I was leaving Canggu on my bike with my backpack full of essentials for a 12-day trip, I failed to suppress a wide smile on my face.
I planned to ride north to Sekumpul Falls then turn eastward and make a clockwise loop through the centre and around the east and south of Bali, staying 3 nights at Gili Air in between. It was a bit daunting at first to see how fast I was going to go, staying usually not more than one night in one place. But as I went, it worked out pretty fine for me. Of course, sometimes I had to adjust my plan and skip some places but I was still able to follow my plan for the most part.
Ubud
Next stop, Ubud. A city in the centre of Bali of which I probably heard the most. Mostly good things, but I had to see for myself. I booked only one night here, most people would say that this isn’t enough but I had a tight schedule. It’s a busy city in the middle of the jungle and has a different vibe than the coastal cities and towns I passed through. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed anywhere in Bali, but this was even more so for Ubud, and it wasn’t easy to find places to unwind for me. Places that one can usually find more rapidly in coastal areas. Because the sea usually has that calming effect on people, even in busy cities.
Upon arrival, I went straight to the Monkey Forrest or Mandala Suci Wenara Wana. I am sure it is what most tourists visiting Ubud do. But what am I? That’s right, a tourist. So I had no shame walking the same path, taking the same photos that many people had already taken before me.
Monkey Forest is a nature reserve in the middle of Ubud where monkeys can roam freely and safely. Without having to worry about the urbanisation of their habitat. I know, in the past it was probably better for them as all of Ubud must have been their habitat, but since then humans have taken over, like in so many places in the world. Since the 20th century, it has been recognised as a conservation area and the organisations involved have tried to raise awareness about its cultural environment and significance.
Sideman Rice terraces
Having visited the bustling city of Ubud very briefly I continued my journey. It was a bit sad for me to leave so soon after my arrival, but also exciting. Because more adventures were awaiting me. I packed my bags and hopped back on my scooter, drove past beautiful rice terraces, and beautiful villages over busy roads and rural pathways, taking in as much of the scenery as I possibly could. I had set my GoPro up, on my helmet and could remotely control it with my phone so that I could capture the scenery as I drove past it.
Rice terraces look really beautiful when viewed from a distance. The blue sky, the lush green rice plants, the mountains in the background and the square, water-filled terraces give a view like a painting. Rice terraces are a clever way to hydrate rice plantations. Rice, as you can see needs a lot of water. So, in order to keep the rice submerged the natural flow of water down the mountain (rivers, streams etc.) is diverted onto these artificially created terraces. They fill up with water and when they are full, the water flows over into a lower terrace. Eventually, at the bottom, they form a river again and the water flows away.
Lempuyang Temple
One of the milestones I wanted to visit was the Lempuyang temple. But what an experience this was! On social media, this place looks truly stunning. A gigantic split gate with, what looks like a lake in front of it. In reality, though it was a bit underwhelming. The temple was a bit smaller than expected and the “lake” in front of it was just some trickery done by the photographer using a black mirror or a phone screen creating a glass-like mirror effect of a completely still lake. It is easy to spot but I did not know this trick, so I was fooled.
I stayed in a nearby bed & breakfast the night before and asked the host for any info on the temple. She told me to leave as early as possible. And I’m glad I did. I left around 5.40 am so I could be at the temple by 6. After I bought my ticket a bus drove me up the mountain where the temple was. Arrived at the temple I exchanged the ticket for a number (125). This number indicated my turn to go to the photo booth. Then, I could go and pose in front of the temple and one of the guides would take some photos of me. I had no idea this was a thing before I got here and I thought it was kinda funny and a bit ridiculous. So I contemplated whether I should stay or go away…
The photo shoots
As I waited I spotted locals trying to capitalize on the crowd that was quickly growing. And who could blame them? I felt bored and like I was wasting my day. But I paid for the ticket so I might as well, right? Eventually, I was approached by one of the merchants trying to sell me more photos to be taken of me in other stunning locations. He looked at my number and said “That’s at least two hours more of waiting, you’ll be back here in 1 hour” (the person they just called off had number 25). After a bit of negotiating, I thought “Why not” So I paid him some money and he drove me to the other photo booths, because that’s what they are.
The guide took me to a truly stunning place only accessible if you paid the entry fee and drove 15 minutes up the mountain. The top of this mountain is a park called Lahangan Sweet and it is filled with platforms built for the sole purpose of tourists taking photos on them so they can later be posted on their socials. – Oh, how the world has changed. – There’s nothing less original, less authentic or even sometimes more cringe than this. Still, a lot of people, including me, do it. We get to see the nice locations, support the local community a little and if we don’t we might regret it. We’re on a holiday, meant to enjoy ourselves and our time, so I think the judgement of others is the last thing one should be worried about here.
There’s more…
If you thought, that was it for photo shoots, you were wrong! The guide dropped me back at the temple about 90 minutes after he first spoke to me. I had a look at which number they were at with their photo shoot over there. “58!!!?? Only 33 people have got their photo taken since I left?” This was taking way longer than the guide anticipated. But ok, no problem, I was going to go down the hill. Have a coffee and maybe some breakfast. The restaurant was on another mountainside with great views as well. And you know what else a great view can do than providing a good location for a restaurant? That’s right! A photo shoot!
On top of the restaurant were 3 artificial stands where people were waiting in line to get their photos taken. The entry fee for this was 50 rupees per person. Was I going to do it? Of course not…
… But 50 rupees is 50 rupees
The temple
Having my photos taken, coffee drank and food eaten I ran out of things to do and decided to go back to the temple and wait until it was my turn. I believe they were almost at 100 when I got back, so 25 to go. Now the place was packed with tourists, it was almost 10 am and the sun was heating the stonework fast. I found myself some shade decided to read a little and plan my trip further.
Eventually, at 10.45 am it was my turn! I waited/entertained myself for 4.5 hours. I was so glad I woke up early and felt sorry for the people who decided to have an easy morning and stroll in on their own time. Many of them didn’t get their photo taken I think. No way they could’ve taken as many photos as there were people in the time they had, at the pace they were going. Later, someone told me that in the afternoon the sky becomes cloudy and the photos won’t nearly be as nice.
Gili Air
After a few days of tiresome scootering my bum was hurting badly. So I was happy that I planned a short break from riding the scooter at Gilli Air where I would pick up my beloved hobby of scuba diving again. I stayed one night in Padangbai and arranged a spot where I could park my scooter “safely” for the time I was away, hopped onto the ferry, and was on my way to Gilli Air, Lombok.
The atmosphere at Gilli Air Differs a lot from the rest of Bali. There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island so it feels much calmer and there is little air pollution. The main means of transport are bicycle, horse carriage or foot. Most of the roads are sand and there are shops and nice cafes everywhere. I stayed in a hostel called H20 Yoga and Meditation Centre, a nice and calming place where one can practice yoga and meditate.
Deep under the sea
My main reason for going to Gili Air was scuba diving. It had been a while since I last dived, and definitely since I had been in tropical waters. So I was very excited about that. I also deemed the time right to do another course, so I booked a Nitrox course. This allows me to stay at depth for longer thus potentially making the dives more enjoyable as I can spend more time on the bottom without having to worry about decompression sickness.
I completed six dives at Gili Air with Gili Air Divers a very professional dive shop with experienced and enthusiastic divers to guide you. Of those six dives, two were educational dives I had to do for my Nitrox course with Emma being my instructor. All the dives were extraordinary, the visibility was sublime (up to 30 meters), the water was warm and the fish were plenty.
If you want to see more footage from this dive trip or others go to my Instagram page about diving, Rutger In The Water. There’s not much on there yet, but it will grow, I promise!
Scuba diving at Nusa Penida
After having a really good time at Gili Air I returned to Bali and picked up the road trip where I left off. I picked up the scooter at Padangbai and continued southward to Sanur. I would be diving at Nusa Penida with Nico Dives Cool Bali, one of the most professional dive shops I have been with so far. Perfectly maintained diving gear, staff and dive guides with years or decades of diving experience.
I booked a triple dive with them, the conditions were OK, but not great. It was a bit cloudy, with some rain and the sea was rather choppy. And so was the trip, the circumstances of trips like this are out of anyone’s control and sometimes you just have to roll with it.
The Dives
Firstly, we had to change the intended first dive to another location because the sea was rough and it was too crowded where we planned to go first, so we did a drift dive a bit further away. This dive was really good, although it was a ripping current, so no time to hang around and investigate but rather relax and enjoy the ride.
Second, we went to where we tried to go first at Crystal Bay, the sea was much calmer now and there were fewer boats. It was a cliff/slope dive with the deepest point going way below 30 meters. We didn’t go that deep obviously, but it was at this point that if one is lucky, the ocean sunfish or Mola Mola can be spotted. A very curious-looking fish which I would’ve loved to see. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side that day. Maybe the rough sea conditions had something to do with that. Also during this dive, I reached my no decompression limit (NDL) very fast because of the depth of the previous dive and the limited surface time. So this dive was a bit shallower.
Thirdly, we went to Manta Point. And guess what! There are manta rays here! And not just the little ones, but big oceanic ones as well. Also here the conditions were not that great. The sea was choppy, the water murky and cold. But I have dived in worse conditions so I extended my surface time a bit by entering the water lastly so I could dive a bit longer this time. And I do not regret it. Two manta rays were playing in the swell and investigating this human life that just came along to join them, truly majestic.
Uluwatu
After diving into two different locations and a lot of driving with my scooter the fatigue was getting to me. I still had to go a bit further to complete my trip but I chose to cut out a part of southern Bali and opted for a more relaxed remainder of the trip. From Sanur, I drove straight to Poera Oeloewatoe, a Hindu temple where monkeys reign in the region of Uluwatu. I had a relaxing lunch there and I entered the temple.
One of the first things I saw was a monkey with a Samsung, ready to fight anyone who tried to take it from him. The importance of keeping my bags shut and my valuables close was made clear to me very quickly. The walk around the temple wasn’t very long but I enjoyed looking at the ancient stonework and experiencing the views over the ocean.
Trip back to Canggu
Having most of the places that I had put in my itinerary checked off I could at last return to Canggu. I drove via a city called Seminyak and stayed there for one night. It is a bathing place, very popular amongst Australian tourists. I honestly wouldn’t return here if I ever was going to come back to Bali. It is very touristy and not so pretty in my opinion. But I took a very good surfing lesson here so I don’t regret passing through.
The next day was one to relax as it was the last one before I had to return to the airport. I booked a bed at Nyaman Hostel. This is one of the best hostels I have stayed in thus far. There’s a beautiful pool, a restaurant/bar, very private bunk beds with a reading lamp, a power outlet, a locker, and shades that block 99 % of the light. I wish I could’ve stayed here a bit longer, but I had to get to catch my flight to Brisbane. Luckily I could stay and relax at the hostel for as long as I wanted.
outro
As the wheels of my scooter come to a gentle halt, I reflect on the kaleidoscope of experiences Bali unfolded before me. From mastering scooter rides to the depths of Nusa Penida’s waters, this journey has been one of discovery. As I bid adieu to the Island of Gods, I carry not just photographs but a tapestry of memories etched in my heart. To Bali, terima kasih for the adventures. Until we meet again, may your roads continue to weave stories for those who dare to explore.
Thanks for making it to the end. Below are some of the other things I wrote:
Until next time!