Indonesia: Lembongan → Ceningan → Nusa Penida

Lembongan, Ceningan, and Nusa Penida are three of the 17,000 islands that make up the Indonesian arpeggios. Located off the southeast coast of the island of Bali, they are an attraction to many visitors for their unique coasts, dramatic cliffs, and hidden beaches.

After wading ashore after the ferry ride over from the island of Bali, we sat on the

cobblestone wall on the edge of the northern beach of Lembongan and tried wiping most of the sand off our feet before putting our shoes back on.  We had reserved huts to stay in about 15 minutes away from the ferry port, and as it slowly began to rain we found a taxi driver to shuttle us and our gear.  We climbed in the back of a small pickup utility vehicle and sat on benches underneath a canvas canopy stretched tight over the top.

As we bounced along the narrow windy road, the thick jungle on either side of the road and the misty rain made it feel as if we were in some sort of guerrilla convoy. Scooters and motorcycles flew by and we could have been headed to some hidden military compound deep in the jungle or a beach vacation and we wouldn’t have been able to tell until we arrived.

Soon we were dropped off at our lodging and shown to our huts. Each hut surrounded a central pool with thick flora and paths winding between each one. The paths eventually meandered to either the pool or the main hut where there was a small restaurant and bar. We were each given a personal hut, each with one large room and a queen sized bed in the center. White linen sheets and a white comforter lay beneath a beautiful lace canopy that cascaded down in the form of a loose tent around the bed. Although the romantically billowing fabric was only installed because it was needed to keep mosquitoes away while you slept, it made the hut and the bed seem a special kind of luxurious. Outside the back of each hut was a large tiled shower, and as the sounds of birds and frogs poured out of the surrounding jungle, and the hot water poured over my head, the long flight over to Indonesia instantly felt worth it.

After getting cleaned up from traveling all day, we walked up the road to find a restaurant for dinner. It was dark by 6pm and we wandered down the street listening to the seemingly never ending variety of sounds emitting from the the thick trees all around us. Bird calls intermixed with the chirps of crickets and croaking frogs, lizards crawled up and down the walls of the houses, and we did our best to avoid the large ruts full of rain water in the street. It was so different than anything we were used to, but we felt right at home.

We stopped for dinner at a seafood BBQ restaurant, and as we sat down under a canopy, the rain began to drizzle again. Fish were freshly caught and then barbecued at a large central grill. The fish were good, the drinks were cheap, and we spent the rest of the evening planning out the next morning and our first full day on the islands.