Pinch me, I must be dreaming.
Have you ever had a day so magical that you’re not even sure it was real? Today, I saw so many things that I’ve only seen before on a screen, and I’m still not entirely convinced what I saw was real.
My day started on the island of Nusa Penida, a small, remote island just east of Bali. We arrived the day before by a packed 45-minute ferry and a grueling trek that involved me dragging my almost 30kg luggage through a very rocky “path.”
At 7:30 am, Zane and I met with our fellow divers at Pure Dive’s meeting point to meet our guides, put on our wetsuits, and hop on our dive boat.
It was my first diving experience, and man, did I hit the jackpot. The two 45-minute dives I enjoyed were better than some divers will ever experience in a lifetime.
It took 45 minutes on extremely rough ocean waters to get to our first dive destination – Manta Point. We were told that it wasn’t guaranteed to see the infamous manta ray, but I was feeling lucky.
I strapped on my dive equipment, which weighed almost as much as me (probably not, but it felt like it on my small frame), and I fell back first into the water. I was hesitant to try diving because I’m not the calmest when it comes to the ocean. With the 6+ foot waves, I was hesitant to get in the water, but I had already come this far, and I wasn’t going to back out.
Once in the water, I focused on continuous, calm breaths and followed my instructor down to my allowed depth of 12 meters. The current was strong but manageable, and within minutes, the clicking of my instructor’s clasp notified me to look up.
I looked up, and there she was. The infamous, majestic, and gigantic Manta Ray. I say she because of how beautifully and magically she gracefully danced through the water. About 13ft wing to wing, she glided right over me. I was completely in awe of her and humbled by her presence.
As we continued our first dive, we were lucky enough to be in the presence of a few more gentle giants, and each one left me feeling more grateful and small than the last.
Our next dive was closer to our start point and was in the most beautiful reef I’ve ever seen. The color and vastness of the coral reef were beyond words. I saw a sea turtle, a sea snake, starfish bigger than my torso, and fish I can’t even begin to name.
Again, I heard the click of my instructor’s clasp signaling me to look into the depths of the ocean, and I see this giant mass. It was a Mola Mola! A very rare sighting, and again, I was left speechless.
To be surrounded by seemingly endless ocean and gentle giants makes you feel so small.
Like I said before, my first diving experience was a lucky one, one that’s going to be hard to beat, and for that, I am grateful.
When the dive tour ended, Zane and I hopped on our rented motorbike and joined a new friend for a cruise around the island.
As a “passenger princess,” I got to experience Nusa Penida in all her glory. We drove the main coastal road with the ocean on one side and lush jungle on the other, passing through small picturesque villages. As we went from dense jungle to village, Zane and I laughed about how it felt like we were in the game Temple Run, and each new village seemed like an unlocked level to our game.
Our first destination on our island tour was Diamond Beach. As we arrived, we paid 5,000 rupiah to park and 35,000 to enter – a little over $2 USD. We started walking up the hill and were presented with two options – a beach to the right and to the left.
We started with the left and decided to make the dangerous trek from the viewpoint down to the beach.
As we passed the “enter at your own risk” signs, we made the steep descent down carved stairs into the vast cliff.
Some parts were so steep that our only safety was a rope that we used to vertically descend.
It was an incredibly dangerous descent, and we watched other naïve tourists make the trek in very unconventional and frankly stupid ways.
We carefully descended to the bottom where we noticed the tide was high, and we would have to time the waves to avoid being crushed by the ocean into the rocks.
We watched a wave begin to roll back, jumped to the sand, and sprinted 30 feet to “safe” ground and enjoyed the view while avoiding getting in the water because we would have been instantly swept into the vast unknown.
The climb back up the cliff was comical. As I wore Birkenstocks down, I decided to tie them to my bag for the trek up. I practiced my “grounding” as I scaled the rocks and used ropes to pull me up the steep stairs—taking care not to look down.
Once we arrived at the top, we took one last look at the view below, in awe once again of what we had just experienced.
The next beach was a bit of an easier hike. The stairs were more regular, and there weren’t any ropes.
This beach had vendors and locals trying to sell us on laying on their beach chairs. We opted to just lay our bags in the sand and decided to run into the ocean.
Floating on my back, carried by the waves, I looked at the shore and up the vast mountain we had climbed down.
The water was warm and much saltier than I expected. Like yes, the ocean is obviously salty, but this was like putting salt straight in your mouth.
We swam, we laughed, and we enjoyed our little moments on this beach before hiking back up and hopping on our bike to continue our journey across the island.
Back on the roads that were half paved and only the width of one car but somehow fit the space for both directions of traffic, we beeped to pass other motorbikes and swiftly avoided collisions with large vans, passing through little villages and “unlocking new levels.”
We stopped by Teletubbies Hill and ran through the rolling green hills, then continued on our way to the infamous Kelingking Beach.
Kelingking Beach, to me, was the start of Instagram. It was the first notable place I saw so many years ago and when looking on my screen I said, “holy shit.”
Today I saw it with my own eyes.
We had to avoid the mischievous monkeys (honestly, they’re assholes) that attempted to grab our glasses, food, phones, hats, or anything they could as we followed a train of people down the very very VERY steep descent.
We only made it down about halfway before deciding getting to the main beach wasn’t going to be possible for us because the sun was setting, and we were not going to attempt that treacherous ascent in the dark.
We went back to the top, and I hesitated to fly my drone as I’m not the most experienced drone pilot, and my battery was low, but luckily Zane gave me the push I needed to say “fuck it” and power that baby on.
I flew it, got THE shot, avoided the monkeys, and returned the drone to my feet with ease.
I’m glad I did it because that alone will be a core memory for me. We watched the sunset over one of the most picturesque settings imaginable. I saw it with my own eyes, but it still doesn’t feel real.
Today was the best day. It was a day I will always remember, and Nusa Penida will always hold a special place in my heart.
I’ll remember it for seeing the prettiest landscapes I have yet to experience. I’ll remember it for laughing with my friend in an unknown island that felt like it had no rules. I’ll remember being on the back of a motorbike, leveling up as we got to each new village.
Today was a day to remember.
Pinch me, I must be dreaming.