Nusa Penida: Heaven by Day, Hell by Night
Careening, and jumping, and winding down a narrow cliff path of jagged rocks, through jungle, I gripped the hips of my motorbike driver and tried not to look over the edge. “This is it. This is where I’ve crossed the line of daring adventure into chaos and madness. I’m might die here on this strange little island,” I thought. My friend, however, was having the time of her life, laughing gleefully with every near death experience.
What we found at the end of the road was gorgeous. We finally reached the holy spring water pools. One was crystal clear, but the other was a mysterious depth of cobalt blue water. This spring was surrounded by towering rock walls with ferns clinging to its side and vines dangling from 50 feet up.
We came to Nusa Penida on a whim, after seeing some awesome photos of the place online. Over the next couple of days, we explored the island, a biological and geological wonderland, brimming with rainbow reefs below and undulating rocky plateaus above.
Our last stop for the first day was Angel’s Billabong. The car bumped and revved over the rock path all the way there. And to think we wanted to rent motorbikes and get around the island ourselves. Having both lived in Bali for some time and were really used to riding motorbikes, we thought it would be no problem. We had no idea just how crazy Nusa Penida’s crazy mountainous roads were. We were fools.
Making our way by foot over jagged rocks (yet again!), I managed to not kill myself. I did however, split my pants all the way up the back, having caught the fabric on one particularly impaling rock dagger. Placing my foot on the last sharp point before the bottom, I chastised myself for thinking I could do anything in flip flops. And there it was, the billabong. “So THIS is what a billabong is!” I wondered out loud. It wasn’t board shorts, a surf board, or neon sunglasses. It was like a natural infinity pool that overlooked the ocean. These waters were crystal clear as well, revealing the strange twisted rock formations.
Back on the grassy cliffs, overlooking this inaccessible beach, we saw a giant manta ray swimming, more like flying, gracefully through the waters below. It must have been pretty big, to see it so clearly from so high above. “It’s a sign! It’s like he’s calling us to come swim with him!” my friend exclaimed.
The sun started to set and everything became still and pink and soft. In a moment of awe, I shouted something like “Humans don’t deserve this planet.” But seriously, it was that enchanting.
It started to get dark and we drove back to the hotel. Something felt off. During daylight, Nusa Penida had an ethereal air to it, it’s unique landscape still largely unmarred by tourist infrastructure. However, as the light started to fade, I felt there was something sinister in the shadows of this geologically gorgeous island. I’ve had this feeling before from certain places, but extremely rarely. What was it? Was it just my imagination? Am I dreaming up Balinese ghost stories? Whatever was lurking, I could feel it around every corner, slinking down stairways, and shivering in trees.
I talked with my then boyfriend late that night, a Balinese guy from the big island. I told him how severely creeped out I was. I couldn’t sleep because I felt something around me. “It’s bad spirits,” he told me. “That island is full of evil spirits and their evil energy. People say that’s where the king of the demons, Jero Gede Mecaling, lives.” He also told me that despite the dark energy that pervades the island, people go there as a pilgrimage, honoring the negative energy and the balance between good and bad.
Well that explains it. I knew it wasn’t making this up!
Fortunately for those not wanting to be kept up at night by malevolent beings, Nusa Penida is an easy day trip from Bali’s Sanur. Despite the night time creep factor, I stayed another night because during the day, the island was so fascinating.
After a full day of snorkeling through rainbow reefs and swimming with giant (kind of frightening) fish, we sat in the sand of Crystal Bay, a west-facing beach. We watched the sun set change the sky from soft yellows, warm oranges, and scathing reds, to deep purples and blues.
We talked forever. We talked about mundane things, we talked about how cool Nusa Penida was. We talked about our best and worst moments in this life so far. We stayed until the very last light, simultaneously wanting to stay out, but not wanting to be alone as the dark settled in around us. Fitting for an island that has such stark contrasts between night and day, good and evil, the beautiful and the grotesque.
