Prologue: The Bali Off-Grid

The smell of the ocean still lingers vividly and before it completely disappear from my memory, here goes the long awaited stories from the Maldives of Bali by Yours Truly.  It was a quick decision and through a successful luring from my travel buddy, i was already booking a flight to Bali. Alhamdullilah, it was a safe flight. I landed in Denpasar in the early hours and headed straight to Sanur Beach. I was desperate for fresh air so there was no need of sight seeing in Bali yet.

I waited at the holding area at the beachfront while the workers pile our luggage up the ferry and our footwear were put into a basket. The ferry cost me 500K return (with my expired student pass), 550K normal price. We boarded the Sri Rejeki Ferry - barefooted, bound to a beautiful paradise. The ride was choppy, water were splashing into the ferry, life jacket in sight which is a good thing & the sound of traditional Balinese instrumentals can be heard against the sound of angry waves. It felt so peaceful that I almost fell asleep.

20 minutes after what felt like a long bumpy ride across the Bali sea, i arrived safely at Nusa Lembongan. The water is unusually murky, compared to the 7 islands and around Phi Phi Island. There's no grand signage that says, "Welcome to Nusa Lembongan" nor a proper jetty - it was raw as hell. Nusa Lembongan served as my main medium between the other 2 island and mainland throughout the trip. The ferry docked at Junggutbatu beach and all the passengers depart.

We were all greeted with our feet touching the sea as we walked up to the holding bay for our backpacks. Classy. We were then sorted by the region we are staying across the island before the driver send us to our accommodation. What was i feeling right then? Fresh air, cold water, strong wind, sunny island. I'm ready for isolation!

Shortly after, i have safely reached my accommodation at Mushroom Beach. A beautiful hut overlooking the blue sea. Lumbung Bali Hut was my choice of stay and i never regret it despite the pros and cons of staying here. Sleeping here was peaceful for me, the sound of waves crashing the shore, the birds pecking on the hut and the coolness during the night. It felt like a momentary bliss in abyss - well for me. While my travel partner is scared to her death with all the weird sounds, i on the other hand, zoned out like a log.

I have to commend the food they served here is amazing especially their seafood spread. A deliciously looking Grill Station is set up every night, luring quite a number of other travelers into the in-house restaurant. Their fresh grilled prawns is amazing and cheap, it is a must try! Well, all of it sounds too good to be true, though i do hate one thing about the hut which is the toilet. It is an open top toilet and we had to climb up and down the ladder with our half covered ass with a towel is seemingly troublesome. It felt like i was a robber in my own room sneaking into the toilet.

After we are all settled in, i came down to socialize with the staff and that is where i met Pak Ketut. Pak Ketut helped us in terms of transportation and places to go in and around the island. We decided to not waste our precious time and start exploring. Well, i'm about to tell you how we escaped death in the next one.

Stay tuned for more stories in Bali.