Bali - Lovina to Gilimanuk

Leaving Lovina, we headed to Pemuteran where we planned to stay two nights so we could go on a snorkelling trip to Menjangan Island, part of the West Bali National Park, and known for its pristine coral reefs. We were excited to have the opportunity to see more of Bali’s underwater life.

The road was quiet and it shadowed the coast, twisting around bends and giving us glimpses of the multiple shades of sea blue - turquoise, aquamarine and cerulean. Large white clouds formed of cumulonimbus stretched high into the sky, flattening out at the top and darkening with the promise of a thunder storm.
Cycling along, I found my mind wandering and think about how I was feeling about travel and Indonesia, so far…

As mentioned previously, I had been struggling a little with homesickness on our arrival here. I found the culture shock akin to a big slap in the face.
My usual cultural norms had no reference and getting used to the new country along with its heat, humidity, food and language required some adjustment.
This proved challenging for me and it significantly affected my mood, resulting in swings between highs and lows. A challenge also for poor Amanda, who had to pick me up and know how to deal with my frame of mind, especially as I confessed some uncertainty about how long I wanted to continue, having a strong feeling of wanting to go home.
Amanda and I had some frank conversations to unpick why I felt like this. We agreed that being honest in our feelings was best and to take it one day at a time and keep checking in with one another.
Receiving some kind and sage like words of wisdom from our friends helped the realisation that much of what I was experiencing was normal. This feeling of being outside one’s comfort zone is natural and part of the trip, part of the journey that is going on internally, while the physical body travels by bicycle. Hopefully, it will build resilience and allow me to have some perspective, a better understanding, and and enjoy being slightly uncomfortable in the moment.
I have realised that travelling makes me appreciate home more - my friends, family, our home, our city, the countryside, nature and our freedoms, and to keep an open mind about future possibilities. It puts a perspective on many things, including how lucky we are to be able to do what we are doing. I also think of my parents and how they gave me the gift of curiosity and exploration and that these things are precious. Take advantage of them whilst you can as things may change in later life.

Turning into a quiet lane off the main road, the homestay we booked was closely partnered with a dive company, whose office was next door. We had done a bit of research to avoid the affair where loads of people are packed onto a boat for snorkelling en-masse. Like in Nusa Penida we chose the Biorock Homestay and Dive Centre as they mainly take divers, with snorkellers making up the numbers.
This is often more enjoyable as the divers go off with their dive master and we get to snorkel in a smaller group, while they are down in the depths. Biorock also promote Pemuteran Biorock Reef Conservation. It was initiated in collaboration with local communities, marine biologists, and environmentalists to develop innovative reef restoration techniques. This encompasses the creation of artificial reefs to allow coral and its cascade of marine life to become established and allow sustainable tourism, educational outreach programs, and hope to create a lasting impact on marine conservation efforts.

Our group consisted of the boat skipper, a dive master, our snorkel guide, Amanda and I and three Spaniards who were divers and had been travelling in the region for a month to dive in different spots.
This turned out to be perfect. A small group and we were the only ones snorkelling.
We grabbed our kit, climbed into the small boat for the 45 minute ride to Mejangan Island.
The sea was flat and we enjoyed views of the high hills of Bali inland and off far away to the mountain volcanos of Java, with their cloaks of thunderous cloud giving them an air of foreboding.
The sea has the most vivid spectrum of blue and what you would expect in a tropical paradise. We arrived at the dive spot on the far side of the island. Not many boats at all and only one or two small groups in the water and all quite spread out. 👍
The flat island’s shallow waters are home to a reef which then drops off, the reef wall descending to the deeper water, tens of metres below.
Jumping into the warm sea (no wet suit this time) was like getting into a warm bath.
I have never experienced water so clear. Entering the world beneath the surface did not disappoint. Never seen so many fish!
Shoals of small ones with purple metallic markings, other with stripes. Long thin pointy fish, almost translucent and hard to spot and ones with strange fins and cranial bumps. Even ‘Nemo’ made an appearance - an actual clown fish, clowning around in the tentacles of a large anemone!
It was like staring into an aquarium. Stopping from looking down for a moment, I looked across and through the water just below the surface and saw hundreds and hundreds of fish. They floated around us and broke formation as we passed through them. David Attenborough’s voice was narrating in my head. Amanda calls him ‘God’ and this was a very spiritual moment.

Heading across the shallower warm water, clear and buzzing with life, we swam to the edge of the drop off. The reef wall plummeted down to the sea bottom, hidden by water gradually getting more opaque, the suns rays failing to breach far into the depth of dark blue. Silhouettes of fish appeared and then disappeared as they melded back into the milky haze like ghostly apparitions. Looking below, the sensation of having no visible bottom was strange, humbling, and a bit scary, but exhilarating.
Coral fans swayed as the cooler current pushed up the wall to chill me for a moment. Tubes of coral projected from their rocky holds, playing a fanfare to the ocean. Brain corals looked like actual brains. Large fish started to appear, weaving through the sun beams that shimmered into the depths.
Our guide spotted a green turtle which was sleeping and had lodged itself beneath a rock, its head and a flipper comically sticking out. A sanctuary of protection for its underwater siesta.
Another turtle emerged from the gloom and made for the surface to take in some air. Lovely to bear witness to these fantastic creatures.
With our time up, we returned to the boat and made for the island to have a break.
We sheltered from the sun beneath a covered shelter and ate our lunch.
The small island was a wildlife reserve and home to several species, one being the Mejangan, a deer that the island is named after. They swim across to the island and are not at all timid. They have learned to associate visitors with food and came right up to our group, politely, doing its best Bambi impersonation, in hope to receive titbits. Despite signs saying (in both written and picture format) to not feed them, some tourists did: another example of how we have an impact on the natural way of things.
We returned to Pemuteran happy after a very special experience and one that I will never forget.
We rounded off the day by eating in a local family run restaurant hidden up a dark lane off the main road. A small open area with a few tables set out and hatch to the kitchen. We each chose Nasi Campur, a traditional meal of vegetables served in a banana leaf with rice. Simple and one of the tastiest meals we’ve had in Indonesia so far.

We left early next day to catch a ferry from Gilmanuk, to hop across the channel to Ketapang on Java. The short cycle was accompanied by surprised troupes of monkeys sitting by the side of the road, staring at us with their wide eyes, perplexed at what kind of creature we were, human but with wheels! We reached Gilmanuk in about an hour and a half.

Endless ticket booths lined the main road to the ferry port. As we had stopped at a store to grab a drink we called at the ticket booth in front. A smiling and helpful chap showed us the tariffs and we paid the price - 40,000 IDR (£1.80) - for two people and two bikes. Arriving at the port entry to present our tickets, a sign advised the retail ticket price - 22,000 IDR - half the amount we had paid. As you can’t buy the advised tickets at the port, you have to buy from the ticket agents and are at their mercy somewhat. It was super cheap so we couldn’t complain but were a bit annoyed at ourselves for being rubbish at shopping around.

We waited by the docking bay until the boat arrived. On the ferry, jaunty music blared from the ferry sound system on the outer decks. To avoid the noise I dozed most of the way inside. The crossing of 45 minutes took a generous hour and a half as we waited for a free place for the boat to dock, bobbing about for a half hour.
Waiting for all the vehicles to disembark the fumes of revving engines mixed with boat engine exhaust made the wait seem longer.
It will be interesting to see how Java is compared to Bali and also how the place may have an effect on us and our journey onward.
We saddled up and cycled away for the port and made for the town of Banyuwangi where we planned to stay for a couple of nights.Læs mere