Scallywags opens on Nusa Lembongan

Last Saturday July 17th saw the official opening of Scallywags Bar and Grill on Nusa Lembongan. The first night was a tremendous success with an unbelievable number of people turning up. The island has been crying out for an establishment of this nature and quality for a long time, and I am sure it will be an enduring success story.

Beachfront pool and lounging area

Scallywags is a name well known to those who have visited the Gili Islands, and the format which has been so successful with their two venues there has been repeated on Lembongan. It is located right on the beach at Sandy Bay in the southwest of the island.

Daily barbecue with fresh fish

Key offerings include a wonderful beachfront pool with a wooden deck and lots of loungers, a very long and smart bar serving ice cold beers and superb cocktails, the best wine cellar on anywhere on the island, a daily barbecue and well thought out a la carte menu.

Superb bar serving excellent cocktails and ice cold beer

Scallywags serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, opening at 8AM and closing around 11PM. Call 0828 97005656 for free transport from other parts of the island.

Pandanus - the walking trees of Nusa Lembongan

I have always been fascinated by those tall, spindly, almost cactus-like trees with spikey leaves that seem to thrive on Pacific-rim beaches. Those of you who have visited south-east Asia or the Pacific Islands will know what I mean. The Pandanus genus contains approximately 600 species and they can grow up to 20 metres in height.

Typical beach-side Pandanus tectorius trees on Nusa Lembongan.

In Nusa Lembongan, the local Pandanus (p. tectorius)species seems to very much enjoy the beach-side sandy soil and is certainly tolerant of salt spray from the ocean. There is something almost primeval about the way this tree clings to the earth and spreads its spikey canopy. The habit of dropping prop roots from existing branches has resulted in the locals calling this the walking tree. It certainly does sometimes look as if the trees are indeed 'walking'.

A spectacular tangle of Pandanus drop roots - the walking trees

Pandanus makes for a spectacular beach-side flora around the island but especially in the south-western quarter. There are excellent examples in the Devil's Tear, Dream Beach and Sunset Beach areas. The owners of recently completed villas here have tried wherever possible to keep the Pandanus trees - they really do make for a superb component of a landscaped garden on a tropical island.

Pandanus as part of a landscaped waterfront garden on Nusa Lembongan

A fruiting Pandanus tree on Nusa Lembongan

As well as their form, Pandanus trees can be appreciated for the beauty of their reddish orange fruit. I do not know of any human uses of the fruit or flowers but they are an attractive component of the tree and seem to be popular with fruit bats and squirrels. Thoughout Asia and the Pacific islands, the leaves of Pandanus species are widely used for weaving traditional mats and other products. The leaf extract from one particular species (now widely cultivated) is also used as an aromatic flavouring in both savoury and sweet cooking.

So when you visit Nusa Lembongan, take a few moments to appreciate those wonderful, primeval trees.

And perhaps Mr Tolkien was right about Ents after all?

Getting to Nusa Lembongan from Bali

It is a relatively short ride across the channel from Bali to Nusa Lembongan and there are several scheduled boat services now plying the route. It can be a little confusing for first timers and I hope this article proves useful in explaining the various transfer options available.


Most of the scheduled boat services (fast and slow) depart from Sanur beach in Bali at the end of Jalan Hangtuah. Most taxi drivers will know where this is. If in doubt, ask to go to Sanur Beach close to the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel. The prices and schedules given are correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We strongly recommend though that you check as these are subject to quite regular change.


Scoot Fast Boat

Tel: +62 (0) 361 285522. http://www.scootcruise.com

Leaves from Sanur beach. Scoot operates fast comfortable boats which take you to Jungut Batu for US$45.00 return (adults). Hotel vehicle transfers are included. The tickets can be bought from the Scoot office next to Dunkin' Donuts in Jalan Hangtuah, Sanur or on the beach near the departure point. The crossing is 30 to 40 minutes. The service departs Sanur daily at 9.30am, 1.30pm & 4.00 pm and departs from Nusa Lembongan at 8.30am, 11.30am & 3.00 pm.


Scoot is the service used most often by the writers of this blog.


Blue Water Safaris (BWS)

Tel: +62 (0) 361 723479. http://www.bwsbali.com


BWS operates a daily fast boat service out of Benoa Harbour (NOT Sanur) to Nusa Lembongan and also offers a very useful direct connection to the Gili Islands in neighbouring Lombok. The crossing to Lembongan takes about 30 minutes and costs IDR 325,000 one way including hotel transfers.


Perama

http://www.peramatour.com

Perama is a local transport operator aimed at the budget traveller. It has almost cult status amongst back-packer visitors to Indonesia, plying it services across the vast archipelago for very reasonable prices. There is no same day return option to Nusa Lembongan. Fare is IDR 100,000 one way and there is a network of connecting bus-links from around Bali. Boat departures daily at 10.30am from Sanur Beach. The ride across is approximately 90 minutes. The office of Perama in Sanur can be found at Warung Pojok in Jalan Hangtuah.


Public Boats

Tel: +62 0361 7432344

These depart daily from Sanur beach at 08.00am in front of the Ananda Hotel or near the Grand Inna Bali Beach Hotel. The boats can be a little worrying at times (!) and are usually very crowded. There is no same day return. The ride across is approximately 90 minutes and the current fare is IDR 75,000 each way. To be frank, we would not recommend doing this unless you are on a really tight budget!


Day Cruise Operators

There are a number of day cruise operators who run services out of Benoa Harbour in Bali to Nusa Lembongan. These normally involve a package of some sort including meals, water sport activities on Lembongan and a day return fare. Not really recommended as an option for those wishing to reach the island and stay there, but if you are on a tight time schedule in Bali and just wish to see Lembongan very briefly then these could work for you.

Options include:

Sail Sensations http://www.sailsensations.com

Bali Hai Cruises http://www.balihaicruises.com

Bounty Cruises http://www.bountycruises.com

Bali Blue Ocean Cruises: http://www.balioceaneabiru.com


Air Bali Helicopter Charters

Tel: +62 (0) 361 767 466 http://www.airbali.com

For those wanting a truly adventurous experience! Air Bali is Bali’s leading helicopter operator and would be delighted to arrange a charter to Nusa Lembongan which could even be combined with an aerial tour of Bali and neigbouring islands.



I hope you find this article helpful and whichever transfer option you choose, I am sure you will have a great time visiting this most wonderful of Tropical Islands.

One of my favourite Nusa Lembongan photos

Sometimes a photo just grabs you. It might not be the best shot technically but it encompasses a memory perfectly. The latter is certainly the case with the photo reproduced below.



This photo was taken by my dear friend's brother on his first visit to Indonesia earlier this year. He is neither a professional photographer nor even a keen amateur but has produced here a picture which means so much to me. It shows the view of east Bali from the north facing coast of the tiny neighbouring island of Nusa Lembongan. My own understanding of the spirit and atmosphere of Lembongan and Bali are both captured perfectly by this image.

The highest peak in the photo is Bali's fabled Mount Agung. To the Hindu Balinese this volcano represents 3,142 metres of pure sacred energy - the home of the Gods on the Island of the Gods; a replica of Mount Meru, the spiritual axis of the universe.

From the extraordinary crystal clear blue seas with rolling surf to the small fishing boats in Lembongan's Jungut Batu bay and then the undeniable majesty of Mount Agung, this photograph represents perfectly to me the image and atmosphere on Nusa Lembongan when looking back at Bali.

A Weekend in Paradise

My husband and I spent last weekend on Nusa Lembongan – I had been there once before but this was the first time for my husband. It is hard to describe this beautiful island. Wild waves crash over rocks sending huge white plumes of water everywhere, yet there are charming, quiet bays where one can snorkel and swim in safety. It seems to be years behind the times in so many ways – no cars, no supermarkets, no boutique shops, no easy way on and off – yet there are many modern speed boats in the busy harbour pulling shrieking tourists on every floating toy known to man, resorts and bars and a few beautiful villas perched on top of the cliffs. Without question though, the untamed beauty of the island, the people and their way of life all seem to be a flashback to another time when things were more simple and natural.

Our weekend started with a half hour speed boat (and the captain did indeed believe in speed!) ride from Bali to Lembongan. We landed in picturesque Mushroom Bay where we were met by one of the only four wheeled vehicles on the island – an old small truck set up with two benches in the box at the back (felt a bit like being in the back of a tiny cattle truck!). But we all – 5 adults and one large dog – gamely clambered into the back of the truck with our luggage, our food, and most importantly our wine! Then we set out on a bumpy but interesting drive to Sunset Beach where our friends have a delightful cottage set on one of the most beautiful bays we have ever seen. The surf crashes on the rocks day and night and the colour of the water has to be seen to be believed – I kept removing my sunglasses to see if they were distorting the colour it was so unusual.

After unpacking we explored this exquisite bay and then had a fantastic dinner complete with coq au vin, cheese cake and wine with our friends and a lovely couple they had also invited. We soon discovered that this couple had both given up successful teaching careers at a fine international school in Jakarta to move to Nusa Lembongan in order to fulfil a dream to own and run a dive school. Having lived many years in Jakarta, I can only imagine the culture shock they suffered coming from the busy, overpopulated, smoggy and constantly traffic jammed city of Jakarta to this quiet island! Hard to imagine on the one hand but hard not to envy on the other!

The next morning the “boys” went out fishing while we “girls” enjoyed the sun and read our books. Although they didn’t catch any fish, the fact that at one point they had 8 (they said 12, but we all know fishermen lie!) huge manta rays surrounding their boat was worth much more than a few extra fish for dinner! We then joined the men and took a boat tour of the island culminating in a picnic lunch on the boat in the middle of an incredible mangrove forest where some of the largest mangrove trees in the world shaded us from the sun. And, of course, we then had to stop off for a drink at one of the local bar & restaurants nestled at the edge of the mangroves where I had a drink that had so much rum in it that I couldn’t drink it – yikes, when did this happen that I began to dislike a strong drink? Next we walked up to a neighbour’s villa for a swim in his pool. His villa has one of the most spectacular clifftop views anywhere in the world – it is breathtaking indeed! Then back to the cottage for a barby – is that how the Aussies spell it? Or is that the doll? Anyway, we had tender juicy steaks not leggy dolls – but sadly no fish!

On Sunday morning we all piled back into the miniature cattle truck for a tour of the island. On the way, we saw a house being built where the “architect” seems not to have noticed that a very important electrical cable crossed the land so he just cut a hole in the walls both front and back and the cable runs right through the house – great ingenuity, much better than moving the wire! Highlights of the tour included seaweed farms and seaweed drying on every possible flat surface (including the road in some places), tiny homes built from recycled materials and gorgeous villas perched on the cliffs and many people swimming, snorkelling, fishing, cycling, walking and just generally enjoying their day. When we arrived back to the cottage, we walked to a nearby warung where we sat right at beachfront and enjoyed a delicious lunch.

Following this, we did a bit more exploring and visiting and then packed our gear in preparation for the trip back to Bali. This time the captain still believed that full speed was best but at least the sea was reasonably calm so we all arrived back safe and sound and already missing the pounding surf and the wonderful sea air!

kindly written and provided by Jane and posted by Sunset.

All about Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan is an unspoilt tropical paradise, with very little traffic and no pollution. The smiling and friendly locals will welcome you to their idyllic surrounds, to their rich and diverse culture, beaches, quaint villages, and hindu temples. This eight square kilometre island paradise is a world away from the pollution, hassles and hectic pace of Bali. There are no hawkers, no traffic, magnificent scenery and it is the perfect place to put your feet up and relax.

Located 12km off the coast of Sanur and just 8 square km in size, Nusa Lembongan offers some of the best diving and snorkelling in Indonesia as well as several popular surf breaks. Fishing, mountain biking, hiking and a variety of water sports are also available.

Just 30 minutes by fast boat or 10 minutes via a scenic helicopter ride. Lembongan is in a group of three islands - Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida lie to the south - and is the only island of the group with tourist accommodation and facilities.

Two towns are located on the island which has a local population of only 5,000. Jungut Batu is the one that first attracted surfers some 20 years ago. This is the main bay where the majority of tourist activity is based and accommodation ranges from basic huts to luxurious resorts.

Mushroom Bay, a smaller and very pretty bay, is home to the established Nusa Lembongan Resort. This is a great swimming bay with calm waters and little alfresco cafes along the beach to while away lazy afternoons. Visitors wishing to get away from the busier Jungut Batu and discover the rugged untamed coastline of the west coast will generally arrange to come into Mushroom Bay by boat.

The purpose of this blog is to publish just about anything about Nusa Lembongan. It could be news, travel tips, travel guide information, write-ups of experiences from the world class diving and surfing sites on the island.... let's see where it takes us.