19-March - Thursday - We love this island life

We wake up to the sound of sunrise chants making their way up the cliff from the village temple, we open the curtains to the sight of Mount Agung across the bay and make our way to the friendly Balinese staff taking our breakfast order. It is pure bliss. An oasis of tranquility, with no sound of cars, no boats, no scooters, no honking taxi drivers. Just the waves crashing onto the reef and the occasional birds. We rented a scooter just based on a handshake and one 100,000-rupiah banknote, no names, no receipts, no driver licenses were exchanged. Off we went on a scooter whose back brakes stopped working way too many moons ago and tires as deflated as a child, whose ice cream just plopped onto the pavement. No helmets, no protective gear, just sunglasses, a hat and an open shirt. No need for maps as there is only one main lane doing the round of the island, with various dead-ends that invariably take you to a breath taking view of the ocean and a couple of warungs, beach bungalows or reggae bars, why reggae I will never understand (did I miss something growing up in the Swiss Alps?). We took some wrong turns, leading us through lush vegetation and onto dirt tracks way too rough for our behinds with our non-existent cushioning… Damn you flat tires! We stopped for delicious Bali Kopi (coffee) with amazing vistas, we enjoyed a snap on the obligatory Insta-Swing (who knew such a thing existed!?) and dipped our toes in a crystal clear bay, so translucent you could see the seaweed fields growing on the seabed. They day took us across an iron suspension bridge, wide enough for a scooter and a bike to cross path, which thank goodness was empty of traffic as we attempted the daring ride across. A tour of the minor island and back to Nusa Lembongan to complete our circuit. We’ve loved every moment, every turn, ever sight. We parked the scooter where we rented it from, left the key in the ignition as directed, with locals too busy playing cards to even notice us and walked off onto the beach. This island really operates on another time, oozing charm and blissful island life. We’ll see you again Nusa Lembongan!

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