The last few days in Bali – Amed, a day trip to Nusa Penida & Seminyak

These last few days in Bali were spent on beaches – first Amed, known for its amazing snorkelling, and then Seminyak, a much more developed well-known place in Bali, full of holidayers, party-goers, relaxation seekers and surfer learners. I did very little in both destinations.

Peaceful Amed

In Amed, I stayed at an amazing place with a fantastic restaurant. They had chairs on the beach I could use for free, and I would rent out snorkelling equipment to go swimming. The sunset views were incredible with Mount Agung as a backdrop. All I did was swimming, reading, eating and walking. Definitely a lovely place to spend a few quiet days, and if you stay at Sama Sama Amed you won’t regret it. I really really liked it.

This is also where I could observe closely another interesting cultural aspect of Bali – kites. As you travel the island, you will see them in the distance, usually with a single colour, sometimes just black. I asked one of the guides once and he told me it was for protection, but didn’t provide any more details. Thankfully there is the Internet. A Google search gave me a bit more detail about it – kites in Bali hold a deep cultural, spiritual and social significance. These are seen as a way to communicate with the gods and ancestors, and flying kites is often part of ceremonies to express gratitude and seek blessings. These can also be representative of nature, once again reflecting the island’s deep connection with nature. But kites are more than this – they also bring the community together. These are made by hand, and people come together to design and build them. There is even a Bali Kite Festival, which happens every year between July and August, when the winds are stronger.

Back home, kites are only recreational. As a kid, I never had one, but I remember spending time at the beach watching other kids launch them into the skies with the help of their parents – a bonding experience, a study of nature forces, in such a considered and innocent way.

After Amed, I stopped for another couple of days in Ubud and this was when I did a day trip to Nusa Penida.

A suffocating experience in Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is one of the three Nusa islands southeast of Bali and it’s become incredibly famous mostly due to social media, with places like Kelingkin Beach being a dramatic and dreamy backdrop for some of the photos found online. Other famous locations are Diamond Beach, Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong and finally Crystal Bay. When I was planning my trip, I had considered staying a few nights in Nusa Penida – and oh God, I am so glad I didn’t. I was absolutely shocked by what I witnessed. The advice I found online was to stay in Nusa Penida. If you don’t drive a scooter, you could hire a local driver to take you around to the main spots. Some of these posts mentioned how this was such a great alternative as you would be helping the local economy…. but from what I have seen, I wonder how this island and its Nature will survive. There are more than enough cars! The roads are treacherous, and I wouldn’t even call it roads… the kid that was driving us around (I don’t think he was older than 16 even though he kept reiterating that he was indeed older) had definitely mastered the art of driving in there, but my heart was on my mouth for most of the time. I was simply feeling suffocated the whole time I was there, finding it dangerous to visit places made off dramatic cliffs, where I felt I could easily be pushed over the edge by the crowds… and our driver, all he wanted to do was take photos of us that would look nice in our social media feeds. At some point, I saw a guy precariously balancing himself at the top of a tree to take the best photo. 

I was even more shocked when I found out there are plans in motion to build a lift to take people down to Kelingkin Beach, which will absolutely destroy it in my opinion… right now, not a lot of people go down the treacherous path (deaths have been reported) but once the lift is built and all you have to do is pay, I can see the beach being completely destroyed by tourism. In fact, I believe the island already has been compromised, and it would take absolute closure and tight controls to bring it back to its formal glory. 

There simply isn’t the infrastructure for any of this, and probably there shouldn’t be… this is a tiny island, where locals for centuries lived peacefully in harmony with nature. But that won’t continue if the smokes of cars, the misbehavior of tourists keeps going… 

It was really a tiring day, physically and emotionally, and I wish I hadn’t gone to Nusa Penida at all. I was aware it was going to be busy but had never expected to see what I saw. It was heartbreaking.

The last few days in Seminyak and visiting Uluwattu Temple

I then moved to Seminyak, my last destination in what would be a four-month long trip. Here I gave myself the luxury of staying in a more upscale hotel. It was amazing and also recommend it. My room was huge, with lounge, a balcony, a kitchenette and the bathroom was my definition of luxury. This was Kresna by the Sea, literally just a couple minutes away from the beach.

Seminyak beach is massive, and I went on long walks at sunset, but never to swim as the ocean here is rough – great for surfers though. In a way, it reminded me of beaches back in Portugal, from my hometown. 

I also perused through some shops, some beautiful galleries that I found in Seminyak. But soon enough it was time to pack for the last time, and head off to the airport, for a long flight – first with a stopover in Dubai, and then back to Lisbon. 

I finally also did a tour from Seminyak to visit the famous Uluwatu Temple. The tour was not great – I was picked up very early from my hotel, and he left me waiting at a random restaurant where the food was expensive (and I wasn’t hungry) cause it was too early to pick up the other guests. It was an entire afternoon that I lost, when he could have picked me up a lot later. Either way… the place itself, the temple, is wonderful.

Located on the edge of a 70-meter-high cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean, I’ve experienced a sense of serenity that was most needed after an afternoon of driving and waiting around. The visit took place at sunset, the best time to go really – not only isn’t as hot as going at any other time of the day, but the sunset views are magical, and it really adds to the already tranquil atmosphere of this location. The only thing you’ve got to be careful about are the monkeys, who own the place and are skilled in art of thievery – take off your glasses, your hats, ensure you’ve got everything well attached to your body. A lady had her glasses stolen but thankfully the guide was able to recover them – these were clearly prescription frames, and as someone who is mostly blind without glasses or contacts, I can only imagine her despair for losing such a needed possession whilst travelling.

The temple is believed to protect Bali from evil spirits coming from the sea, and I definitely could not imagine how evil could even exist when I was there, as I was so enraptured by it, almost as if a spell had been placed upon me.

After this, we saw the traditional Kecak Dance, a fire dance that narrates a tale of Ramayana, one of the most important epics of Hinduism. It was definitely really interesting to watch, but once again I have to lay a little criticism here – it was overbooked, and the crowds were immense and dense. I also have to criticise the behaviour of some tourists, who insist on recording the whole show on their phones, some of them even bringing tripods, covering my view and those of others. Please don’t be this person. Enjoy the moment, the show, whilst you are there. Take a quick photo, or a quick video, but then keep your phone away, and let yourself get immersed in the experience.

After this, I was only back at the hotel at around 10pm, and I was so tired, I was trying not to fall asleep in the car. A reason for this is the traffic – it was so, but so bad. A reminder once again of how Bali simply doesn’t have (and perhaps even shouldn’t need) the infrastructure for the influx of tourists that come to the island every year.

After four months, it was time to go back to “home”, a place that has been difficult for me to define for some time now. Home meant Portugal at least for some time. So on the 12th of May, I jumped on a flight from Denpasar, returning to Europe, but I wasn’t quite the same anymore. I carried with me so many new perspectives and learnings. And I will write about it 🙂

Love, Nic