Beyond Rose

Nusa Penida – A beautiful island that is widely known for the Kelingking Beach. Before the parking lot, there is a small fee for entry. Not sure if it’s a legit fee required by the government. It felt like a fee charged by random locals and that feeling was shared by multiple other travelers.. I could be wrong though! After parking your motorcycle, there are about 4-6 gift shops. At the viewpoint near the start of the stairway, the excitement begins with the monkeys who jump along the trees and walkways. People would feed them chips, ice cream, and drinks. Anything really to be entertained. From there if you’re hungry, you are stuck between 3 small restaurants. If you decide to pass and hike down, there are steep and uneven steps. At the bottom, the waves were very powerful. Warning high tides** ⚠️ I am a weak swimmer myself so I watched many others tumble and somersault within the waves. The return requires some upper body strength due to the climb of ropes and high slopes.

Note to self* one of the best hostels on this island that tim and I stayed in

Diamond Beach a farther drive from our homestay. On the maps, it appeared to be 1 hour by bike. The roads here were inconsistent (fair amount of switchbacks, unpaved roads, narrow streets even for a bike and car to pass side by side). The goal to catch a clear sunrise was missed. Upon arrival it was a cloudy morning and throughout the day it was rainy. But as you can see below, the beauty of it was not missed. + the rainfall with friends was still pretty fun!

Broken Beach – about 32 minutes from our home stay. I remember this visit having a great view of rock formation and the waves crashing through hallow areas. Travelers have the option to walk around a full circle to see it from all angles. For a picture perfect spot, you have numerous areas to choose from.

Lombok – Typically visited for Mount Rinjani. A trek/hike that we missed due to closure for the month of January (heavy rain and extreme weather conditions). It was tempting to push but we’ve heard from a host that you could be blacklisted to all National Parks of Indonesia if we attempted to hike during the closure. Instead, we visited a couple waterfall hikes. Both where you are able to walk through the water and feel the pressure of the waterfall! It was cold but your adrenaline kept you warm. By the end of it hike, the rain clouds covered us and the steps were flooded with an inch or two. There were puddles and endless water streaming through our shoes and racing down to the bottom of the steps. The next day we were full of energy and hopped on the earliest boat to a next fun stop, Gili T.

Side note** our taxi driver was the slowest of all countries visited

Gili T – An island that is rated very touristy. I still adored! Tim recieved his padi’s license here while I had time to explore/walk the perimeter. One spot on the tiny island was a must visit to meet lots of turtles!! Another fun excursion that I took on- was paddle-boarding. What made this boarding experience different than the rest- was the ability to board to another island. If I had more time.. One thing id note or do differently- is to schedule a sunrise paddleboard yoga session. Sounds like an amazing way to build your core strength.

Side note** On one side of the island it felt very much like modern classy resorts. Another side note hippy, and all around people in their 20s.

Jakarta – the first time I hiked not one.. but two volcano hikes. One being at Mount Ijen, if you go early enough you’ll catch the blue fire. Proper gear requires comfortable shoes, appropriate layering for the early cold and a gas mask for toxi sulfuric fumes. The sulfur mines are used for high end cosmetics products, agriculture products, and more. Shortly before we arrived, travelers were able to hike early and see the blue fames. But just by one or 2 months apart, we were not able to catch any flames due to the gate being closed until a later time. Overall, I was still astounded by the view and it is one of my top 3 hikes.

The second volcano hike in Jakarta is called Mt Bravo. Tim, myself and two others were able to pass with no fee. Online you can find secret pathways to cross without entry fee. Before sunrise, we caught glimpses of the fire. Not that my iPhone 12 Pro could catch much. But what was before our eyes- was crazy cool.. we all watched sunrise. The morning fog that lightly brushed over the land was beautiful. It was unevenly dispersed, it felt calm, artistic, and blissful. Thinking back on it now, makes me more excited to see volcano hikes that I hope to see in Central America.

On the way back from the hike, we saw many greens planted 🥬 looks like a garden farm

This, I believe, would be considered the last of our “more intense hikes.” We caught the next train to Jakarta, a big city. We returned to the many options of food, the markets, the more resourced hostel.

PS* The homestays for the volanco hikes were either 1. The worst and most filthy I’ve ever witnessed and 2. Bare minimum cold in temperature for being in a higher elevation, the bathroom also being outside- could even get wet from rain for not technically having a roof.

The streets of Jakarta had hamsters (I wish I could’ve adopted one and taken great care of it), turtles, and frogs for sale.

Tim and I explored many food options. I remember us having szichuan and greens/veggies. We had a Taiwanese cream puff dessert (also seared).

We stayed for maybe 2 days > hopped on our 1 hour flight to our next destination on Jan 27, 2023

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