Can’t believe today’s already our last full day in Bali. The past few days have gone by like a breeze and I really wish I had more days here in Bali. I felt like I haven’t explored Ubud enough, seen all the beaches or stayed to the point I felt like I have nothing left to do.
Today, I booked some water sports through Bali Sun Tours (again), and was brought to Watermark. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by a lounge area beautifully decorated in white and had high hopes for this place. To our disappointment, the snorkeling was horrible, flying fish and parasailing too short. The only ride I really enjoyed was donut boat which would have been better if it was wetter.
*WARNING*
Nusa Dua Water Sports Review - ALL WORDS
Nusa Dua Water Sports Review - ALL WORDS
Service
First things first, the service was bad. They told us that we might not be able to bring our GoPro on all the rides (aka pretended to not know) when I’m sure he knows that we actually could. Next, he told us that a camera priced at IDR 400k was available for rent. Obviously trying to rip us off, we declined the offer and made do without a camera. Following that, we basically spent quite a lot of time waiting around. Most of the people working there had no idea what was going on and everything was so hectic. We initially planned to go Donut Boat > Flying Fish > Snorkeling > Parasailing. But ended up with Flying Fish > Snorkeling > Donut Boat > Parasailing after tons of waiting around and being told different things by different staff.
Flying Fish
We first went for flying fish and although it was really short, it was fun! Quite a different experience from the first time I took it in Boracay but still great. No qualms.
Snorkeling
Next up was snorkeling which was so horrible it made me so mad I was gleaming for a refund. We were initially told that snorkeling was an hour but soon figured out that the 1 hour included the boat ride there and back.
The boat driver firstly seemed to have no idea where he was going so we spent quite a fair bit of time on the boat moving up and down. Then, he just stopped the boat, didn’t assist us in any way, and only told us we could get off the boat when we asked. Bear in mind, before that, he stopped by a few other 'stations' to talk to his coworkers for God knows what reason so we really wouldn't know if we were supposed to get off or not.
The water was murky, waves too rough. I probably only saw fishes for less than a minute and spent the next 15 minutes at futile attempts to swim back to our boat. We were snorkeling above those Sea Walking thus all the fishes were down there and we could barely even interact with the fishes. We eventually got so pissed off from struggle-swimming we decided to just stop and head back.
Donut Boat
Thankfully, donut boat dispelled all the angst residing in me. Like what I mentioned before, this ride was a tad bit too dry and although we did get splashed by water a couple of times, I was hoping for something more. On the bright side, it felt a lot like GTA (I hope that's a correct comparison) because we were gliding past big ships like some obstacle course. Super fun!
Parasailing
Parasailing was our very last activity and having parasailed twice before, this was the worst experience I’ve ever had. My first experience was a thrilling one in Phuket followed by a relaxing one in Boracay. This experience was short, boring and neither thrilling nor relaxing. Another big fat thumbs down.
*End of Word Vomit*
Heart heavy from the feeling of all the money wasted, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower before heading out for lunch. Last night, we tried looking for a warung called Ibu Oki while walking around but it was too dark and scary so today, we decided to ask the hotel reception for directions instead.
Nasi Ayam Ibu Oki – the warung’s full name – wasn’t too far off from our hotel and we were soon seated down face-to-face with the best Nasi Ayam I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. Not only was it super tasty, it was also really cheap. 2 plates of Nasi Ayam and 2 cups of Orange Juice (freshly squeezed with pulp!) cost us only IDR 60k. Le was so in love with the chicken that he ordered an extra plate of rice with just that chicken alone, for IDR 10k. Talk about dirt cheap!? Admittedly the best meal this trip.
Our next stop was Pantai Gunung Payung, one of the quieter more isolated beaches in Bali due to its horribly inconvenient location in which we fell prey to. The cab driver had to drive through windings roads that went uphill, then downhill, and back uphill, followed by dirt roads and construction. When we finally arrived, my heart was screaming in awe of the beauty of being on a cliff facing the great Indian Ocean.
The journey down to the beach was a beautiful adventure in itself as we walked through more dirt roads followed by hundreds of steps. A majestic blend of green hills, a white sandy beach and the sparkly blue sea coupled with the lush sound of waves crashing made our journey down heaps more delectable.
When we finally set foot of the beach, I was disappointed to see that it was not as clean as I hoped for it to be, spotting tons of 1 side of a pair of slippers, sweet wrappers and other discarded waste washed up ashore. Despite that, I still loved the entire atmosphere of Pantai Gunug Payung because there were barely any tourists, only 2 Caucasians – 1 reading a book and another surfer dude just chilling. I stood there for a good few minutes staring out at the big blue ocean in revere. As I watched the waves collide with one another, it suddenly occurred to me how scary the big blue seemingly harmless ocean can be and wondered how it felt like to be Marlin and Dory.
Random thoughts aside, Le & I managed to pick some really beautiful seashells along the beach and almost lost our slipper while trying to wash the sand off with the sea water. Now I know why there were so many washed up ashore!
We approached the Caucasian that was reading to ask him if he knew a more convenient way out of here because our Bluebird Taxi driver said that there were resorts nearby but really, there’s nothing. He gave us the only way out, which was the way we came from. A little bit lost but for some reason unafraid, we headed back up hoping to be able to get a kind local to help us call a BB Taxi.
The sad reality, was a fixed-price taxi driver that tried to charge us IDR 200k to get to Sundays Beach Club which was only about a 20-minute drive away but we bargained to IDR 150k because it was starting to drizzle and we really had no other way out. If you’re visiting, I urge you to get your taxi driver to wait for you because it’ll be a lot more worth it.
This, however, was not the end of our horribly overspent day. Upon arrival at Sundays Beach Club, we were shocked (not horrified so it wasn't too bad) to realize that there is an entrance fee of IDR 150k because it is located at a private beach club. We were each given a towel and took a unique elevator down the cliff to the beach and were pleasantly surprised at how clean and beautiful the beach is. Had it not started drizzling halfway, the entrance fee would have been a lot more worth it because the restaurant had set up bean bag chairs by a bonfire, which would have been perfect for relaxing with a drink in hand.
 |
| Bonfire smoressss! |
Having paid an entrance fee, we felt no shame and stayed for a few hours chatting about how scary the Indian Ocean was as we watched the huge waves crash into one another.
As we left, we requested for the Clifftop Hotel above the Beach Club to help us call for a taxi. They told us that they would call a local taxi company that was not bluebird and considering that the hotel was a 5-star hotel, I figured it’d turn out alright. Oh, boy was I wrong. When the taxi driver arrived, his meter was turned off and we only managed to get him to turn it on by arguing that I would get off the taxi if he doesn’t turn it on.
Lesson learnt: never not take a BlueBird Taxi. Today I experience both types of taxi scams and can safely say that BlueBird is and will be your only bet here in Bali.
Today was such a rollercoaster ride with tons of ups and downs. I’m just glad it’s over and although I will miss Bali, I’m excited to go back home to where fraud and scams are almost a thing of the past.
xx.
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