Nusa Lembongan. The home of evil spirits and paper straws that dissolve before you have the chance to finish your drink. Would this analogy be a coincidence? I don’t think so.

Here’s a random raw thought to digest: Do you think the evil spirits are no longer present on an island where all the demons have been exiled, and the related mythologies and legends are kept alive to this day? Do you think they have no effect on you when you step into their land and don’t take (unconsciously) a piece of them with you when you leave? Does this sound too abstract or spiritual? Or maybe your thinking is just not open enough and receptive to the energies (spirits) flowing here.

The only time I visited Nusa Lembongan was in September 2017, on my third week in Indonesia. Back then, I was intrigued and thirsty to learn more about the local religion and culture, and I absorbed all the knowledge. Lembongan lived in my memory as the place where I first immersed into Balinese Hinduism, kinda unexpectedly.. but there are no coincidences here, right?! I had my first conversation on the subject with a local guy (born, raised, and lived in Lembongan) who just talked and talked about rituals, ceremonies, and spirits. It took me an hour to realize that this man was missing one arm and one leg. And after about 2 hours, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted from all the information he pounded on me. The whole experience was creepy but damn interesting.

At this time, I didn’t drive a scooter (that only happened a few days later in Penida), so I was walking everywhere. It was hot and sweaty, and despite being amazed by the details and shape of the puras, something felt deeply off. During my visit (only two nights), I couldn’t sleep, I was super edgy and irritated for no particular reason, and everything felt heavy. I couldn’t word why, but I also didn’t check out too many sights and was happy to leave. I didn’t even think about this island.. until recently.

For the past two years, I’ve been busy exploring far-flung islands and corners of Indonesia. However, since my last trip to Timor, I haven’t felt like travelling. (I mean long distances, of course.) Then, a random Wednesday idea hit me: let’s go to Lembongan. From my perspective, nothing has changed; maybe it just got worse(?). If I were to rate the islands, this one would get one star with the comments #boring, #exaggerated, and #overpriced. From a tourist perspective, it feels like a combination of Penida and the Gilis, just not the crème de la crème. It’s a compact holiday island of Kuta and Canggu people (if you know, you know).

Although we visited during the New Moon, and I also ran into a cremation, the importance of the religious activity seems to have diminished (at least compared to 2017). Instead, everything is about tourism. My favourite spot was Devil’s Tears, but it breaks my heart to see the results of the so-called development (the raw cliff became paved and landscaped and now looks terrible).

After this strong intro, let me share some more practical (tangible and mundane) details.

TRANSPORTATION

Getting to the Nusa island is simple: go to Sanur and pick a boat. Check out Penidago for timetables and tickets; buying your ticket in advance can be a wise move as the harbour is getting crazy busy, and if you randomly show up, you may not have a seat.

I recommend arriving at Jungutbatu – rather than Mushroom Bay – because it is the center of the island. (When you buy your ticket, you will be asked for the destination port.) The price for one way is 150k IDR, but they will (try to) scam you with 200k. Pay if you want, but know the actual price.

Also, don’t pay more than 50k IDR/day for a scooter on the island. A higher price is a scam and not worth it, especially as they don’t give AF about maintenance. The rental guys will wait for you upon arrival, or you can find scooters on the streets. Good advice: Before renting one, please sit on it and check the brakes – that will save you some skin damage.

ACCOMMODATION

Literally, the entire coastline is accommodation; pick the one you like. Since the reopening, prices are rising, and the service is not necessarily in tune with them, but that’s hard to influence. Deal with it.

SIGHTSEEING

Once you are sorted with a vehicle, visit the famous cliffs of the West Coast, the mangroves of the East end, and the even smaller neighbour island, Nusa Ceningan. Cross the emblematic Yellow Bridge, chill at the Song Tepo Beach, sip a cocktail at Klyf Club overlooking the Blue Lagoon, enjoy the sunset at the Mahana Point, and marvel at the low tide when the sea completely disappears, and only the seaweed farms remain visible. The same spot at high tide..

.. and at low tide.

SUSTEANCE

The funniest thing here is the fusion of nasi goreng and smoothie bowls. Even tho these two have nothing to do with each other, every single warung has smoothie bowls on their menu. It’s so random and clearly a Western influence, but at the same time, it’s refreshing to find fruit. (For some reason, Indonesians don’t eat or sell fruit in warungs.) But no coconut! (I don’t know; it’s probably the same story as when I tried to get coffee on Tuesday, and they said it’s sold out.)

I recommend the pina colada at Thai Pantry, the croissant breakfast at Ombak Zero Waste Cafe, and the Mexican menu at Casa Bambú Canteen.

I originally wanted to spend a week in Nusa Lembongan (working on the beach coz I love that), but after 4 days, I just wanted to leave. Too much money was spent on average entertainment, beaches are only middle-class, and literally, every corner of the island smells of seaweed. You only come here for a weekend getaway or if you just want to hang out with a group of friends somewhere outside of Bali.

Oh yeah, and those paper straws? Beautiful that they (mostly) don’t use plastic, but the paper doesn’t work too well in cold drinks and smoothies. Something still feels off – like things don’t flow and are noticeably annoying (even the internet sucks, and being a small island is no excuse in Indonesia). On the one hand, I’m happy that I returned, but pretty sure I’m not gonna visit for the next 5 years (or ever) again.

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