Nusa Lembongan

Mid-October brought a very welcome event for us - fall break!  We were so excited to have a week off and get out of the city.  Unfortunately, Matt wasn't able to join us for the entire week so the kids and I left a few days early to do some exploring on Nusa Lembongan.  First we flew into Bali, just a quick 1.5 hour hop to the next island.  Happy faces, even on a 7am flight!

From the airport at Denpasar, we took a taxi over to Sanur and boarded our ferry to Nusa Lembongan.  Flip flops are recommended!

After a 30-minute ride, we were on the beautiful shores of Nusa Lembongan, a tiny island at only 8 square kilometers.  It's much more laid back than Bali and not nearly as built up.  We couldn't wait to start exploring!

Baggage claim looks a little different here...

It's a pretty rustic and unspoiled island, which is part of its charm.  The roads were tiny!

Our hotel (like most others) was a collection of bungalows around a pool with a small restaurant.

Our bungalow was very cute and basic, but I guess I should have sold it to the kids as an air-conditioned cabin.  Ben was very unimpressed with the sunlight streaming through all the cracks.

It was a clean and sweet little place for 3 days.

The real adventure was getting around!  Most people rent motorbikes or hire guided trucks because there are very few cars on the island.  The roads had no names and were completely unmarked.

I opted to go with a golf cart, which was awesome!  I was much more comfortable with it and we had our independence to explore.  Ben was naturally obsessed with finding places he could safely drive.

The first beach we found was dream beach and it was so pretty that we camped out for the rest of the afternoon.

Hello, beautiful ocean!  So happy to see you again.

 

I love how these boys will play on the beach for hours because it's absolutely my happy place.

 

When the sun started going down and we got a little chilly, we finally pulled ourselves out of the sand and checked out Devil's Tear.  Instead of a blowhole, the waves get caught up under the cliff and blow spiraling mist out.

 

Alex had his turn behind the wheel a few times as well, although he's not nearly as obsessed as Ben.

 

Not a pretty selfie, but proof that I was there, too!

  

Sunset beach sounded like a place we needed to check out and it didn't disappoint.

 

On our second day, we headed out on a snorkeling tour.

 

 

 The scenery alone was worth the trip!  We passed some gorgeous cliffs, bridges, and natural pools.

Stop #1:  Open water near Nusa Penida to look for Manta rays.  Unfortunately, we only saw one Manta at a distance and Ben and I got a little green from the ocean swell.  We were happy to move on.

 

 Stop #2: A protected cove off Nusa Cenigan.  Alex and I got in the water but poor seasick Ben opted to stay on the boat.  About 10 minutes later, he was offering free chum to the fish over the side of the boat.

Alex was excited to get in the water see some fish up close.  The kids had snorkeled briefly in Hawaii but got cold so fast that they didn't remember much about what they saw.  This was their first trip to really spend time in the water.

 

So many fish of every color!

 

 Boat hair!

Ben had to get some rest but I was so proud that he rallied and got in the water at our next stop.

 

Stop #3: Wall Bay, with some impressively big fish.  I never understood what the guide called them but they were fascinating to watch.

 
 I was also happy that Ben was able to join us and enjoy!

Stop #4: The shallow waters of Mangrove Bay.  The coral was fantastic and there were fish everywhere.  It was the perfect place for the kids to enjoy.

 As much as we enjoyed our snorkeling, it was nice to be back on dry land when we were done.

We did a little more exploring around the island.  It's mostly Hindu but has some Muslims and Christians as well.  The architecture was very Balinese.

 A gorgeous overlook of the main town with Bali in the background.  We couldn't see the peak of Mt. Agung, but at the time it was at Level 4 alert and an eruption was considered imminent.  We were hoping the entire trip that it didn't spoil our vacation, even though we were safely out of the evacuation zone.

Are those nachos??  Why, yes, we happened to find the one restaurant that served Mexican food and we ordered seconds.  And possibly thirds.

Back on Dream Beach for another fun afternoon.  The kids agreed it had the best sand and waves.  Some parts of the island had no waves and others had no sand or very rough coral sand.

On our last morning, we enjoyed breakfast at our hotel before a last trip to the beach.

Any vacation where we can wear swimsuits all day is a win in my book.

Mushroom beach, just down the road from us, was amazing.  The water was warm and calm and perfect for swimming.

Finally, it was time to head back to the ferry office and catch our ride back to Bali.  But not before we met this adorable dog.

The seas were a *bit* rougher on the way back and we ended up in the front row of a smaller boat.  Someone was not happy!  I admit I yelled out a few times when the boat dropped like a carnival ride and I was glad to be done when we arrived at Bali.

The ferry company dropped us off at our hotel where we checked in and anxiously awaited Matt's arrival so we could spend the rest of the week together.