Nusa Dua has been created as a high end tourist resort around the long sandy beaches with waves perfect for surfing, especially for beginners like me. You enter this area through gates and it has beautifully manicured lawns, trees and designer roundabouts. I was staying in a cheap hotel just outside the gates! So needed to walk through it to get to the beach. Taxi’s toot you as they drive past as they want your custom and can’t believe that anyone would want to walk. I must admit it’s pretty damn hot and humid here (rainy season is the hottest and most humid time of the year apparently), and by the end of my twenty minute walk all I wanted was a cold shower.
Everything in this area is more expensive (although still cheap) and really doesn’t represent the ‘real’ Bali. My first day I did indulge myself with a meal for two people at Kekeb, and a drink which cost me 120,000 IDR (£6.50). I was so hungry and managed to eat most of it apart from a couple of kebabs. This was also the place I got my blessing.
I am still wearing the Tridatu bracelet from the blessing as you wear it until it falls off (which could be a very long time)! The red element symbolizes creativity and braveness, the black element symbolizes powerfulness and protects from bad spirits and the white element symbolizes spirituality and goodness. It is to remind us that life is not just one colour, but many colours.
Dreaming Out Loud
The other bracelets are the ‘Dreaming Out Loud’ pack from Pura Vida and of course for me symbolizes my vanlife. By buying from Pura Vida using the link below I earn a small commission and it also helps provide full-time jobs for artisans worldwide! There are Pura Vida charity bracelets for Cancer, Health issues, Environmental issues and more with 5% of the purchase price donated to the charities.
Pura Vida’s Charity Collection Use Code PURAVIDA10 to get 10% discount
Nusa Dua beaches – Surf vibe
In Nusa Dua a lot of the beaches are allocated to the hotels so if you are not staying in the resort you have to stick to the public beaches if you want to relax in the shade, but you are able to walk along them.
I only found this out, when after having a surf lesson, I was discreetly changing in the shade of a tree out of my wet bikini and mid process, whilst I was wrapped in my towel, a very polite security man told me I shouldn’t be on the beach. I smiled and said I would leave as soon as I had changed. There is a changing area but you have to pay for it, and I try to avoid having to pay for extras. You even have to pay to go on some beaches.
Water Blow
There was one particular natural attraction I really liked and that was the Water Blow and whilst I was there, although there is a manned ticket office I did not have to pay. The water blow is the outcome of the narrowing crag below the cliff face that channels a surge of water up to 30 meters high from its base following strong currents. This phenomenon results in giant, irregular splashes of wave that can reach several meters high.
You can see my video on my Bali instagram story highlights
http://www.instagram.com/suzimussell
Tree house Villa
One of the reasons why I was staying in Nusa Dua was to go to the immigration office in Jimbaran to extend my 30 day paid tourist visa to 60 days. My second week I decided to move to Tree House Villa as I was missing being in nature. Tree House is located on a hill, surrounded by trees and overlooks the water that separates Nusa Dua from Depensar. It was really just like staying in a tree house with a pool. I loved the view and the pool so much that I’m going back there for the last three days of my trip. The host Doddy is so lovely and friendly and even put on a Chinese New Year party with free food and beer.
However, best laid plans, never seem to work in Bali. Because of Chinese New Year the immigration office was shut for two days so I wasn’t able to go whilst I was in Nesa Dua and had to come back from Uluwatu the following week, a 40 minute drive away. Not only that I had to pay the extortionate taxi fare of 250,000 IDR as Uluwatu have a taxi ‘mafia’ and you can only use their taxis to leave. On the way there with Gojek it only cost me 70,000! Gojek is the No.1 app to have in Bali for taxi’s, scooter rides and food.
Uluwatu
Uluwatu – my favourite place in Bali so far because it is a small place with some lovely hidden beaches and a great vibe to it and not so much traffic. There is a free pool at Single Fin bar overlooking Uluwatu beach, which is perfect to swim in and watch the sunset and there is live music on a Sunday night until 1am so you can dance under the stars.
There are also lots of reasonably priced restaurants to eat and some have live music. District 6 was one of my favourite places, especially good for breakfast with free coffee. Yummy food. Pancakes seem to have become a favourite of mine whilst here.
Thomas Beach
I loved Thomas Beach, the original Padang Padang beach. There are a lot of steps to go down to get to it, as with Uluwatu beach, but it is worth it. There was only a handful of people there when I visited and if you go to the far end where the swing is you have it all to yourself.
Sunset Point
Sunset at Sunset point is beautiful and if you are not afraid of heights you can climb the tower (lighthouse). You also get a view of Uluwatu temple from here and the monkeys from there came to join us. This one had stolen someone’s packet of oreos.
Sunset from Uluwatu beach.
Tanah Lot
After I left Uluwatu heading to my new destination of Ubud I stopped off at ‘Tanah Lot’ temple. An ancient Hindu shrine perched on top of an outcrop amidst constantly crashing waves, except at low tide, when you can cross the causeway to the base of the temple and get a blessing from the priests.
It was high tide when I was there and it was fun watching the waves roll in crashing against the rocks. There is a video of this on my instagram Bali story highlights http://www.instagram.com/suzimussell
Apparently it is very beautiful at sunset, but this is when most people come.
An interesting fact about this temple is that a third of the present Tanah Lot is actually artificial rock after having been restored due to corrosion.
Ubud – Eat, Pray, Love
So now I am in Ubud for two weeks, where the 2010 Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts was filmed. I have to say I’ve not seen the film, so I probably need to remedy that whilst I am here. Let’s see what the fuss is all about and whether Ubud lives up to its reputation in my next blog.
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