We were tired when we left Gubuk Ndéso Homestay – getting up in the middle of the night is not something we usually do, and by now we had done it twice over a few days. That day, the only plan was to get to the last stop-over before the ferry to Bali, and then to relax.
The further east Dendy took us, the greener our surroundings, and we passed lots of coffee plantations and several trucks carrying sugar canes.
Finally, in the early afternoon, we took a turn down a small, bumpy road in the city of Kalibaru, and found our accomodation for the night, Rumah Kita, near the end.
Behind the walls was the prettiest house and garden with the kindest staff, and seriously the most beautiful little villa that held two spacious rooms, one for the girls, and one for Mads and myself.
The place was dreamy, and would have loved to stay there longer, and I would recommend this place warmly to anyone with business in the area. However, as planned, the next morning after breakfast, Dendy took us the last bit of our journey in Java to the ferry, and before long we had said goodbye to him, and found ourselves on the short ferry-ride to Bali.
The Menjangan Resort
We would spend the following four nights in the West Bali National Park, staying at the Menjangan Resort. The moment we stepped out of the car, we were welcomed with lemongrass ice tea and an altogether relaxed vibe. After check-in, we were taken to our rooms at the Monsoon Lodge on the open top of a car which is how you get around the resort’s property in general.
The hotel is located inside the national park, and going from the lodge to either of the two restaurants or the beach, also means going through the park, where you can see monkeys, deer, and lizards – among others.
It is quite a luxurious experience, and the staff are all really kind and helpful – and at the same time it’s a quiet place in the middle of nature, which gave us all the opportunity needed to unwind. We had great food – the breakfast is amazing – and the days were all about enjoying.
Diving in the West Bali National Park
Mads and I had a day of diving while there, and it was a really good day – even though I had a cold (weirdly, in temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius), and struggled a bit with equalizing pressure in my ears. It was only us on the boat along with our very nice Canadian dive guide Jenny and the captain of the boat. That day we had three dives near the Menjangan Island – Eel Garden, Dream Wall, and Coral Garden. We saw lots of beautiful soft corals, a variety of fascinating marine life, and even a few sea turtles.
The four of us snorkled from the jetty by the beach as well. Many corals close to land have suffered badly due to two El Niños, but the corals and marine animals were starting to come back to the reef, and there was still lots of interesting life to see.
One of the days there, the girls went horseback riding on their own with a guide, through the national park and out to the beach. Mads and I didn’t go with them, but we hear they had a great trip.
Due to the tide, there was a huge difference between water levels in the morning and in the evenings – from regular beach in the morning to mangrove with breathing roots in the evening. You don’t want to fall on that.
We had a wonderful at The Menjangan, and quite a luxurious experience. The staff put the flowers in the picture above in our hair when welcoming us to the restaurant one of the nights.
After this 4-day stay, we were loaded with energy for the coming adventures in Munduk.
