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Published: August 17th 2023
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June was all over US and Bahamas...The first two third of July was back in Shelly Beach, South Africa, the place we call our long-term home! No blog this time about these nearly three weeks. It was all about playing a lot of golf, drinking some superb wines, and yes, few more dives with my sharks!
By the 19th July, and this for the next 4 weeks, I'm back to my lovely wife working hard in Bali! Imagine, pretty soon it's already a year we arrived here! What a year it has been so far! Tanya is seriously busy with the re-branding of her hotel. She leaves home each morning at 8am and she is back most day just on time for the dinner that I love to cook just before 7pm! Glad for us, this is only from Monday to Friday, leaving to us a full week-end each time. Some of them longer than others due to the few days of holidays she still has to take. So most pictures here are from two weekends, a long one to Nusa Penida and a regular one to Ubud.
You may want to know what I'm doing from Monday to
Friday. Well, like most of you, I also need to find the financing for all those travels...huge smile! This does keep me busy enough! To top it up, I'm playing golf each Monday, Wednesday and Friday with my social group of around 40 regular golfers. Wednesday and Friday we play the New Kuta Golf course...and Monday, we alternate between Bali National and Bukit Pandawa. You cannot imagine how happy I am to have been able to integrate this fun group of golfers! Social it is big time!
First, this here is a little recap of our two weekends away. We spenr 3 nights on Nusa Penida. It's full blow tourist season, and we are happy that the new harbor in Sanur is finally open. This is a way less chaotic experience than it used to be. It also gave us an idea of how crowded Nusa Penida would be. Well, we are lucky, last time our driver showed us the more popular West part of the island. This time, we did the East part. This is actually mainly a pretty hilly...bumpy...ride to the top point of Diamond Beach and the area around.
Great news,
there are way less visitors to the East of the island. Bear in mind we didn't have the place to ourselves. But in view of the crowds at the boat, no way we would have enjoy the view point of Kelingking beach today!
I booked our stay two months ago...and it was already tough to find places to stay. Most visitors to Nusa Penida are day trippers...missing on so many things the island has to offer...there are not a single top branded hotel on this island, here it's all about little hotels by the beach...and they are getting full pretty fast. So this time, we stay at Kukuh Village as well as Sunrise Cottages. Big advantage, each place has a fun restaurant next door...so we moved during the day, but had only to walk next door for cocktails by sunset and nice dinner!
Nusa Penida from July to October is all diving with the sun fish, the famous mola molas! I came her the last weekend of October in 2022...and there mola mola season had been a full disaster with very few sighting. I'm diving with Purple Divers in Nusa Penida. Went Saturday afternoon
to drop my equipment ready for two dives on the Sunday. But it's my lucky weekend! On Sunday morning, the have a staff dive to Blue Corner. Most dive center refuse to take customers to this dive site, it's simply too crazy, yes, you can call it dangerous too. It's therefore an honor for me to be invited to join. Next morning, 6.15am, I'm join and excited team for Instructors and Dms to head for a super fun ride!
That was one of the craziest dive I ever done. First dive after 3-4 weeks...would have loved a little warm up before going for this stunning drift! It ended up being one of my shortest dive ever, sucking the 12 litters tank faster that i ever did after my right ear decided to get stuck will descending, but already at 14 meters depth!
Well, we saw 5 molas molas. The first one passed in front of us faster than a speed train...my camera was clearly not ready for this one. Then came a group of 4 of them. Yes, they were pretty close with decent visibility. Below are 3 pictures of them. It's 6.40am, We are 36
meters down, and the fish, as well as the divers are all moving at full speed but not in the same direction. Put it simply, without giant strobes...there is no way I could have had a better quality for my pictures. But there is also no way bulky equipment would have been able to make such a dive...so I just have to be happy with the result, we saw 5 mola molas!
Next came 4 dives over Sunday and Monday. Had the mantas at Manta point...but even more little blue spotted diamond rays...all this in a water that was marking a very cold 21 degrees! Other drifts dives were a little warmer between 24 to 26 degrees...just enjoy the pictures!!
Two weekend later, we are on Saturday morning to Ubud. We've been to Ubud few weeks after we made it to Bali. Well...August in Ubud is a much more crowded affair. The deal was simple...walk and lunch in town on Saturday. Saturday afternoon and Sunday by the swimming pool. But more important, dinner at Kubu on Saturday night. This is the top restaurant of the Mandapa, Ritz Carlton Reserve. Put it simply, this is considered as
the most luxurious hotel on the island. I will not quote you here the price of a single night without breakfast in their basic room...but it's more than many people monthly salary in the developed world. We are only here for aperitif at the bar on top of the resort...and a stunning 3 hours set dinner in one of their "Nest" by the River. Booking needs to be done at least a month ahead for the 6.30pm sitting! what a fun experience it was! Once more, enjoy the pictures!
I'm writing this blog from another island...preparing very soon my next blog entry! Stay safe, and keep travelling!!!
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