Lovina was just so empty. While this was what I had been looking for, after a few days in a busy Ubud, I was astonished. There were so many restaurants, and homestays. So many taxi drivers waiting for business. It gave it an eeriness I was not expecting.
To dolphin watch, to not dolphin watch…
Lovina is known for its black sand beaches and the one activity that seems to drive tourists there, including me – Dolphin watching. I hadn’t booked anything, because I was looking to find out more about these tours – how ethical were they really? Online, I found mixed reviews – some people claimed if we went one hour later than most other boats, it was a much better experience. But this made me wander – a better experience for whom? for the tourist? Was the well-being and safety of the Doplhins being considered at all? Others claimed that if the dolphins weren’t happy with it, they, being the intelligent creatures they are, would just stop coming to this place. I also know dolphins usually enjoy interacting with humans, and are themselves show offs. But still, I was unsure… and had a nagging gut feeling that something was amiss about this when I couldn’t find any companies online claiming to be ethical and sustainable…
I had been very careful with my choice of tour operators until then, but realised how difficult it can be when there is little information and when you are in countries that have not made much progress in protecting their Nature and respecting wildlife. I had read the tours were operated mostly by local fishermen, who of course know the waters and are familiar with the dolphins’ habits. But after talking to some people, I was told the experience was quite horrific – as tons of boats rush to the same place at the same time, chasing the dolphins, with people going into the water to interact with them. It made my skin crawl just hearing about this, and so I decided not to participate in this activity. I love dolphins too much to impose my presence on them. And honestly, I don’t regret it.
I was privileged to see dolphins before in their natural habitat in 2019, in my trip to Mexico, but the company was a responsible one – there was no chasing. Once we spotted the dolphins (which wasn’t guaranteed) the boat stopped and we were just floating in silence for some time seeing the dolphins going on with their acrobatic water jumps. That is the kind of tourism I stand by. Nothing else. I will never forget the words of the tours guide, something in the lines of “while we drive cars, motorbikes, and get our food in the shop, these animals need their energy for every single thing, including hunting and going back to their families at the end of the day… if they are spending energy running from us whilst we chase them, this means they might no longer be able to hunt anymore, feed their offspring”.
Luckily, I was staying in a lovely place, with a nice garden and swimming pool, where they also offered massages, so I decided to just spend the time relaxing and reading. One of the travellers I had met in the Philippines, during my Buhay Isla adventure, was also staying there, so we went for sunset drinks and dinner together, making it much nicer.
The beach wasn’t as nice as I had read online either, so I was glad to have a pool mostly for myself during my time in Lovina. If you go to Lovina, I can definitely recommend staying at Balinda Rooms and Villas. Breakfast was included and simply delish.
A strange accommodation in Munduk
After this short stay, I headed to Munduk. Also out of most travellers’ itineraries, I was looking forward to going to the mountains and enjoying a bit of cooler air. The views were stunning, and my accommodation had some great views – but the room was probably one of the worst I stayed in, so I won’t link it here. The place had amazing reviews on both Booking.com and Google, so either I was very unlucky with the room, or with my experience. They also had a restaurant, but the food wasn’t good. The bedroom was dark, humid, and infested with insects, to the point that I could see slugs on the walls, and so many mosquitoes. The whole time during the day, when I wasn’t out and about, I was staying outside, in the little chair I had, reading because the room was just giving me the creeps. And on my last morning there, a gigantic spider appeared. An involuntary scream came out of my mouth, as I was a bit of an arachnophobic. Usually, I don’t have issues if I am outdoors and see spiders, but I react strongly when I find myself in the same confined space with an eight-legged creature. I grabbed my backpack, skipped brushing my teeth, and got the hell out of there, so, but so joyful it was my last morning there.
Breakfast was included. On my second morning there I asked for the traditional Balinese Pancakes. The plate came to the table looking delicious, but when I started to dive my fork into the coconut, I realised there were ants in there. Alive. High on sugar. Horrified, I called the guy, who was the owner of the place, hoping he would take my plate back and bring me something else. To my surprise, he just shrugged “It’s sweet, and ants are attracted to it”. And that was it – he didn’t apologise, didn’t offer something else. Was he expecting me to just eat it like that? Disgusted, I lost my appetite and left without eating.
Waterfalls, rice fields, mountains…
In Munduk, there are two things you can do on your own without hiring a guide – there is the waterfalls itinerary which my host was surprised I did on my own, and then a rice field you can check it out. For the rice field, it’s a very short walk, but hilly, so I was drenched in sweat very quickly. Still worth it – some people just drove there, and I think some of them looked at me as if I was crazy for walking, but it really isn’t that hard.
The waterfall itinerary I did with the help of an app called AllTrails. It was recommended to me by the other solo traveller I had been hanging out Lovina, who had previously been to Munduk. Not going to lie, it was daunting to do it on my own, and I was afraid of getting lost. Sometimes the path was almost covered in vegetation and I wasn’t sure if I was going in the right way. But I am proud to say I always found my footing. There are four waterfalls to visit, and usually you do have to pay a fee for all of them – on the first one, as it was early, no one was there, so I got away without paying… but not for the remaining. This itinerary was one of my favourite things to do in Bali, and as I could do it on my own, it gave me extra pleasure.
For my last day in Munduk, I splurged on another tour, which was of course private, as group tours aren’t even a thing. It was very nice though, and I will link it here to recommend. It involved a hike in the jungle, which you can’t do without a guide, a boat trip across the lake, another waterfall and finally a lunch at a local family place. I had gone with the no lunch option when booking the tour, but then I decided to go for it – and I’m glad I did it, as the family was so nice adn the food absolutely delicious. Plus I paid a lot less whenbuing it directly from them, than if I had gotten it with the tour.
Munduk is a lovely place to go for some nature, and I recommend it. Just be sure to choose the right accommodation for a good night’s sleep after so much hiking and exploration.
Love, Nic
The Winged Bone 