Bukit Peninsula, Indonesia

After a few days in Can-Kuta we were ready for a change so we headed further south on the island of Bali to the Bukit Peninsula in search of serene beaches, more surfing, less people and less McDonalds. This is exactly what we found in our first stop and home for a few days, Balangan. Balangan, along with the rest of the beaches along the Bukit peninsula are some of the most amazing, paradise evoking spots I have ever seen. White sand and crystal water beaches concealed between huge bluffs at the end of long hidden roads that only a few venture down.

We stayed in in the Balangan Sea View Bungalows which sits on top of a hill overlooking Balangan beach. They certainly don’t call this place the Sea View for nothing, from our balcony we could watch the massive waves rolling in as well as the very experienced surfers catching them.

View from our balcony at Sea View

Since the beaches along the peninsula are quite spread out the best way to explore is by hiring scooters and head out on your own in search of paradise. It was pretty late in the day by the time we got settled into the Sea View and had a quick swim so we didn’t have time to explore other beaches that day but we decided to arrange for our scooters for the next anyways. We opted to get them for 24 hours so that we could use them for the night as well and after a late lunch we hoped on our new wheels and drove down to the Ulu Watu temple to watch the sunset.

In addition to being a really famous surf spot, not for the faint of heart surfer, Ulu Watu has a Hindu temple that people and tour buses come from all over Bali to see at sunset. The temple itself isn’t much to write home about compared to many other more ornate ones I have seen, but the setting of the temple is incredible. It sits on top of a massive cliff on a section that jets out over the ocean and because of its position on the island the sunsets here are one of a kind.  There is also a traditional Kecak Fire dance put on every night after sunset at the temple. Kait, J.J and Heather grabbed some tickets but since Jonny and I had already seen the show in Ubud we opted out and decided to wander around the temple a little more taking it all in, while dodging aggressive monkeys.  After the show the five of us rode off into the night, had some dinner at our hotel and went to bed after a few hands of cards – we needed some good rest for our totally to prepare for our epic beach day.





After a quick breakfast at the Sea View, a few Skype calls home, a quick lesson for Clegger on how to drive a scooter since she was going to have to drive her own today we headed out in search of BEACHES. We spent the day beach hoping along the coast on all the beaches we were able to find – here are a few highlights;

Padang, Padang: probably the best beach we have come across yet in Bali. If you blinked while driving by on the road you would miss it hidden down at the bottom of the hill. The beach itself is not much bigger than a suburban back yard. You have to walk about 5 mins down a staircase carved into a rocky cave to get there but once you pop out its nothing but powdering sand and turquoise water.

Ulu Watu: This is not technically a beach; it’s an incredible surf spot, only for experienced riders where you get out into the break by sliding into the water in a cave and paddling through. Like most other spots along the peninsula the entry spot is at the bottom of a cliff. We stopped here at had lunch at Blue Fin, a wicked spot on the edge of the cliff. We watched the surfers catch wave after wave, dreaming that one day we could be like them……highly unlikely.

Surfer catching a wave at Ulu Watu

View from Blue Fin restaurant

Bingin and Dreamland: After Ulu Watu we set out in search of Bingin beach, a supposedly white sandy beach with waves ok for a beginner surfer. We rode for a while following each sign we could find that said Bingin, each proving to be a dead end. After over an hour of searching we finally found what we believed to be the spot where you park your bikes to walk down to Bingin but after talking to the locals there they informed us that Bingin is a rocky beach and we would be better off at Dreamland. Back on the bikes for another 5 mins, a 5 min hike downhill and we found ourselves at beautiful Dreamland. For some reason I have no photos from dreamland so images courtsey of Google Images

Balangan: After a day filled with scooting, swimming and bronzing we headed back to our home beach to watch the sunset and the day’s surfers heading in with a couple of Bintangs from one of the thatched roof huts on Balangan beach.

Path down to the beach

Bintag after a hard day

Sunset in the beach hut

Jimbaran: Ok, so this beach is not actually on the Bukit Peninsula, it’s on the other side of the southern tip of the island and is filled with endless resorts. We didn’t go here for the beach we came here for the food. Every night Jimbaran beach is taken over by seafood restaurants that set up tables on the beach and serve massive (and overpriced) seafood dinners where you select your own fish. This was a treat only for the seafood lovers in the group. Jonny, J.J and Clegger indulged on a ridiculous sized seafood feast while Kait and I dined on chicken burgers - trust me this was not their strong suit. But after grabbing some fresh corn on the cob from a man with a BBQ on the beach, we all left satisfied

Team seafood enjoying thier dinner

After diner we headed back to Sea View where yet again we ran into people we knew from back in Canada, completely unexpectedly!

Random Canadians run in

Such a small world. Jonny and I had a couple of Bintangs with them before heading to bed to prepare for another 6am wake up call. Next stop Gili Islands!!!

OOO_Talia and Jonny