Indonesia / Malaysia

Hopping off the ferry, brakes squeaky and the chain rusty from the endless belts of spray thrown over deck from the ocean's voyage, I carefully carry my cargo off the boat onto the island of Nusa Penida. There is a quiet benefit to the misfortune of the bike; the squeakness of my brakes now act as my own personal sound horn as I roll between the large crowds gathered by the wharf.

Nusa Penida, a quaint island off the coast from Bali persists with a low-key hustle, Hindu inspired culture of a developing island. It could may well be reminiscent of what Bali might have been before the insane age of tourism which makes Denpasar much busier than the current island goers prefer. Across the island there are many beaches, cliffs, resort areas and warungs one could consume their time at by choice.

From the morning I woke up today, I set off with no gear on my bike and no shoes to my feet. I didn't really know what I was thinking. I wasn't really - I had just started my day riding out of sheer impulse. I took myself over the back hills of the island, through the narrow roads and quaint villages with all their temples. I passed restaurants, villas and roadside shops, barely making a stop for any of them.

This might have been just my best day on the bike. I felt free out there. Freer than I've ever been at any point of this trip. It was just me and the road stretching before me as I continued to plod along.

My main purpose for coming to Nusa Penida is to dive with the Mantas. Nusa Penida has a reputation for seeing Mantas as they are known to be based here this time of year as part of their migration path.

Tomorrow if the conditions allow, I'll be out on the water in full SCUBA kit surrounded by Manta, at Manta Point. After lunch, I'll bike over to Crystal Bay with my snorkel I'd bought for $200K back on Gili Air to spend the rest of the day doing that. On the next day, I'll take the ferry back to Bali, find myself a bike box and sit down on a plane. Before I know it, this will all be over and I'll find myself back in NZ.

What a trip it's been! I may hope to backdate more of the stories but only if time allows. At the point of which updating the blog of the trip became work, I gave up on the blog and decided to enjoy myself instead. I am in fact on holiday, and I now occasionally consider it worthwhile to show how good of a time I'm having here. But in reality, I'd prefer to tell you all in person instead :)

Anyways, for those who kept up, thanks for following! I'll maybe look to put a trip recap together. 🤙Læs mere