The boat departs; the crossing takes about 45 minutes. It’s a bumpy ride, but the view is beautiful. The view from the boat of the island we’re approaching is absolutely stunning. As soon as we arrive, loud music starts playing and the party begins.
As I walk up the pier, there’s already someone calling my name and waving at me. So that was the reason—as I mentioned earlier—why photos are being taken of you. That way, everyone knows what you look like, and it makes everything a lot easier.
The driver makes us wait because we’re heading out with a group of five in total. Two girls from China—one of whom speaks English and tells us she’s a flight attendant. The other doesn’t speak English, so everything is translated for her. The other couple is from Melbourne, as I find out later. A wildly attractive man—not—and his wife, who flew in from Thailand. “I got her from Thailand,” as he puts it.
As we continue on our way, following the driver, we see trash lying everywhere. It’s a huge garbage dump, and no one seems to care. Except for the woman from Thailand and me—we start a conversation about it. How bizarre it is that people treat their island this way. We get in, and the driver tells us we can call him Anton. I doubt that’s his real name. Anton says he speaks almost no English. So, unfortunately, we don’t get any information about the island.
Our first stop is at an ATM—the flight attendant doesn’t have any cash on her. That’s kind of strange—traveling all over the world without any money on you. But hey, anything’s possible. She’s wearing a long raincoat and a cap. As we drive on, I spot a big ice cream shop. It’s a silver trailer converted into a place where you can buy ice cream called Sugardaddy. Love it!
The road is bumpy, so it takes a long time to get anywhere. We’re traveling in a convoy of several minivans, and Anton says we’ll make four stops—that’s all we’ll be able to fit in today. Since I—and the rest of the van—have booked a one-day tour, several people are adding an overnight stay, but I won’t have time for that because I’m flying on tomorrow.
The first stop is at a beautiful lookout point. From the parking lot, it’s a short walk past market stalls, restaurants, and even some roller coaster seats. What are those doing here? You know, those seats used on roller coasters that let you go upside down. Weird, but there are four of them here out of nowhere. We continue on our way, and it’s hot! Bloody hot today! Here, too, there are suddenly monkeys everywhere. What a fun atmosphere. The same monkeys as at Monkey Forest. Here, too, they’re roaming freely and having the time of their lives.
We reach the edge, and the view is truly phenomenal! The sea is gorgeous—azure blue—you’d almost want to take a dip in it. Unfortunately, it’s too high up there, and we don’t have enough time to walk all the way down. I’m not exactly a mountain climber anyway—and that’s just as well, because you’d have to walk all the way back up again. I ask Anton if he’ll take some photos of me, and I hand him my phone. Strange—he’s also taking photos of me with his own phone. But then I notice he’s doing this with several people and is even recording videos. I wonder what those will turn out like!
We walk back, and on the way we pick up something to drink. Off to the next location.
We drive quite a distance, but we’re not making much progress because of the bad roads. The Australian couple and I have some nice conversations in the car, and time flies by. We’re getting closer to our next destination when the road gets even worse and we’re being tossed around. It’s a good thing I don’t get carsick, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had on these roads.
Right now, I feel just like a cocktail: shaken, not stirred.
From the parking lot, it’s a short walk to yet another stunning view. This time, it’s a natural bridge. The beach below is truly beautiful, but once again, we don’t have time to go to the beach—just a few photos and videos, and then we’re on our way. It feels like some kind of Instagram tour. Highlights, take some photos, and move on. We have to take the same road back, and once again it’s a full-on adventure, but good news! We’re going to enjoy a nice lunch and then head to our final destination, where we’ll swim, sunbathe, and relax.
I let the tour operator know in advance that I’m a vegetarian. I just hope they got the message.
There are a few buffet trays with food. There are some vegetables and a tray of noodles. The rest is full of meat and fish, and the flies are swarming all over it! Fortunately, you’re less likely to get food poisoning if you don’t eat meat or fish. But next to me, I hear some girls talking about “Bali Belly.” It seems to be quite common, but I haven’t had it yet. It’s mainly caused by drinking unsafe water and by food. The noodles taste delicious, by the way, and I resolve to just stay healthy. It would be a real bummer to get sick now, on an island, with a long drive and a full day’s itinerary still ahead. Not happening to me! Actually, I need to use the restroom, but I just heard people say it’s just a hole in the ground. I’ll try to hold it in a little longer.
We continue our drive, and it turns out Anton is a big fan of Bruno Mars. We’ve already listened to the whole CD several times by now; it’ll be a nice memento if I happen to hear one of his songs on the radio again once I’m back in the Netherlands.
Our last stop is at a lovely beach, Coconut Beach. We have two hours here before we have to head back to the boat. It’s wonderfully relaxing here. It’s scorching hot, and I find the water pretty cold, but it feels so good to cool off. Our Chinese couple has been taking photos for an hour and a half by now, and they’re finally done. They must be influencers or aspiring to that kind of career. Unfortunately, our island adventure has come to an end. It was a fun day—we saw a lot, met some great people, and my new friend Anton is sending us all the photos and videos. I’ll have to wait until I’m back at the hotel and have Wi-Fi to download and view everything at my leisure.
We have to wait a little while for the boat to leave. We’re all given colored tags to wear, which we have to turn in before boarding. After all, you want to make sure you end up at the right port. Even though it looks pretty chaotic, it’s actually quite well-organized, and everything does indeed go smoothly. The crossing is quite a bit rougher than the trip there, which makes it even more fun. When we arrive at the port of Sanur, the driver is already waiting for me. We have to wait a little while for a few others to arrive so the car is full, and then we can continue our drive back to Ubud.
I hope I’m the first one to be dropped off, because I’m starting to get pretty hungry and I’m looking forward to going back to my favorite little restaurant, Zest. It’s a fantastic restaurant. It’s vegetarian, with live music every time you go, a serene atmosphere, and a place where you’re asked to take off your shoes before entering. The food is really high quality, the drinks are quite unique, and the prices are lower than in the Netherlands.
I recognize the street we’re driving down (the Universe is once again aligning with my wishes!) and ask the driver if he’d drop me off in front of the restaurant. I’ll just have to stay in my beach outfit—no one will mind anyway. With sand all over me, I take a seat and enjoy my meal, a delicious mushroom coffee, and live music. I almost fall asleep. Quickly back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, I can still enjoy a nice breakfast; I’ve ordered a Grab—it’s kind of like Uber—for 10:45, which is easy to do. My suitcase is packed, I’ve had a delicious breakfast in the sun, and I’m popping over to my favorite coffee shop for an iced coffee. When I place my order there at 10:26, I see that the Grab is already around the corner. People here are unbelievably early. I order my coffee and walk back to the front desk. Luckily, I’ve already paid and checked out, so I can get in right away. Saying goodbye isn’t fun—the girls here are genuinely sweet. They help me with my luggage, and the friendly driver gets ready to leave. I ask him how long the ride will take, and he estimates about 1.5 hours. Luckily, I’ve set aside enough time to get to the airport. Because even though my hotel is only 23 kilometers from the airport, the trip can easily take an hour and a half. After 45 minutes, the driver seems to be heading toward a store. And sure enough! He says he needs to pop out for a moment and will be back in 5 minutes. Anything goes here. He’s back quickly and stops for some food and an iced coffee. So sweet—he even brought me an iced coffee, but I politely decline. I just finished eating. The people here are so genuinely friendly and hospitable!
The traffic is total chaos, but everything’s going well. People carry all sorts of things on their motorcycles: animals, surfboards, cargo, and multiple passengers. I’m not sure about the helmet rules. It doesn’t really seem like there are any rules for that here. Some ride without helmets; others have only the driver wearing one while the rest don’t, or they wear them loosely. Along the road, I see hundreds of statue workshops; I even see how they make them—by hand! It’s all handcrafted, and they seem to be using a stone- or concrete-like mixture. They all have the same light gray color, though.
Traffic is slowing down, and I can hear music everywhere. Where is it coming from? We’re now driving at a snail’s pace, and I see people in traditional dress. We’re being led onto a road, and in the distance I see a procession. I ask the driver what it is, and he tells me it’s a ceremony for the dead. What a unique experience!
I’ll arrive at the airport 15 minutes late, but I know I still have plenty of time. I pay the driver and walk to the departure area. The time has finally come—in a few hours, I’ll be back with my family in Perth!
