Nusa Lembongan: A haven of tropical tranquility<\/p>\n
Chisato Hara, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The breeze rises from the sea, skimming the waves and sweeping up
\nthe slope of the granite cliff, bringing with it the subtle scent
\nof salt and seaweed to billow into the open-walled villa of
\nCoconut Beach Resort.<\/p>\n
From the nearby village, the faint cry of a territorial
\nrooster is heard; there is no other sound but rustling palm
\nleaves and the murmur of the rolling surf below. Directly ahead,
\nmajestic Gunung Agung dominates the view with its crown of wispy
\nclouds.<\/p>\n
It is mid-morning on Nusa Lembongan, a 4km by 2km island
\nlocated 20km off the southeastern coast of Bali across the Badung
\nStrait, but it could equally be mid-afternoon. In the evening,
\nthe rooster's plaintive call is replaced by the sporadic
\ncacophony of clucking geckos, and the sea breeze carries a
\nwhisper of coolness under a luminescent moon. The island is
\nimbued with the lanquid pace of village life, and locals claim
\nnostalgically that Kuta was just this way 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
\"Tourist\" seems a misnomer for the visitors -- both Indonesian
\nand foreign -- who venture out to Lembongan and its sister
\nislands, Ceningan and Penida. Most are returning regulars seeking
\npeace and quiet, a little space to breathe and some time out
\nunder the bright tropical sun, taking an intermittent dip or two
\njust to cool down before laying out again with a fresh juice or a
\npaperback, or to bake a deep golden brown.<\/p>\n
There are no souvenir shops, tourist traps nor beachcombing
\nhawkers on Nusa Lembongan, which has a population of just under
\n4,000. The island economy is sustained mainly by seaweed farming
\nand crop farming -- cassava, sweet potatoes and peanuts -- and
\nthe villagers fish for their daily meals, selling any surplus
\nfish only if they happened upon a large catch that day. The
\ncoastal villagers also build and sell the indigenous jukung
\nboats, painted red, blue, teal, yellow and white, incongruous
\nsaltwater skimmers that brave the swirling undercurrents of the
\nBadung Strait.<\/p>\n
Tourism is at best underdeveloped, although there are a few
\nstar-rated boutique hotels -- such as Waka Nusa Resort and Nusa
\nLembongan Resort -- and, of course, a coastline dotted with
\nrequisite losmen (simple lodgings) and their accompanying cafes,
\nbut one hopes that tourism never takes off fully here, so as to
\npreserve the island's timeless ambience and the open, natural
\ncourtesy of the villagers.<\/p>\n
The village of Jungut Batu is situated along the island's
\narcing western bay, the shallows of which are plotted with grids
\nof seaweed. The seaweed farmers wade alongside their makeshift
\nraft to harvest the seaweed -- the red pinusan and the green
\nkotoni -- which are hauled onshore to dry into diminished,
\nshrivelled piles before they are exported to Hong Kong to be
\nreconstituted into cosmetics, food stabilizers and medicines.<\/p>\n
Lembongan, the inland village, is bordered by small farms and
\ntheir dewy-eyed resident cows or snuffling black-and-white pigs,
\nand boasts a unique -- if not strange -- attraction, the Goa
\nSigala-gala Underground House.<\/p>\n
Goa Sigala-gala was excavated by Balinese dancer, puppet
\nmaster, medicine man, village elder and Hindu priest Made Biasa
\nover 15 years with a hammer and chisel, inspired by the story of
\nPandawa in the Mahabharata epic. Pandawa, a banished king, built
\nan underground house to save his family from the wrath of his
\nenemies.<\/p>\n
A 500-square-meter house of passages, rooms, ventilation
\nshafts, light shafts and a fresh water well, Goa Sigala-gala
\ncould be described as split-level, with tunnels that cross under
\nand over each other, and hidden nooks and crannies that spur the
\nimagination a la Hobbits and Dwarfs.<\/p>\n
Made Biasa began his labor of love at the age of 75 in 1961,
\nand lived the rest of his life underground -- his family chose to
\nlive in the upper world -- and died in 1984 at the grand old age
\nof 98.<\/p>\n
The site is managed by one of his granddaughters, who asks for
\na meagre donation from those curious enough to venture below
\nground into a lamp-lit maze of claustrophobia.<\/p>\n
For marine and aquatic enthusiasts, there is plenty to see and
\ndo around the sister islands, as their reefs have been declared a
\nmarine park by the government. Nusa Lembongan is renowned for its
\nsurf breaks, with idiosyncratic names like Playground,
\nLacerations, Shipwreck and Surgery, as the waves frolic over
\nsharp reefs.<\/p>\n
Nusa Penida, the largest of the three islands, is best for
\ndiving, with its underwater caves and a World War II U.S. wreck
\n-- the Tumbalen Wreck -- to explore. The waters off Penida are
\nalso the only place in Bali where one can spot the oceanic
\nsunfish, or mola-mola, and is thus a treasure trove of sunken
\ndelight among underwater photographers and marine researchers.
\nDiving arrangements can be booked on Lembongan through the PADI
\nshack at Desa Jungut Batu.<\/p>\n
The major cruise operators to Lembongan - Island Explorer
\nCruises (which operates Coconut Beach Resort) and Bali Hai
\nCruises -- have wet docks with water slides, and offer a variety
\nof water sports, including jet skiing, glass-bottom boats, banana
\nboats, parasailing, ocean rafting, snorkeling and trawl fishing,
\nas well as a day-trip up to the Mangrove Park on the northern
\nLembongan coast. Cruises to Lemongan leave from Benoa Harbor in
\nthe morning and return late afternoon, while motorized jukung
\nshuttles leave from Sanur Beach.<\/p>\n
For hiking aficionados, there are bat caves and temples to
\nvisit, and a local trail from Song Lambung Beach to Mushroom
\nBeach edges along the sea cliffs overlooking clear, minty
\nlagoons. A narrow hanging bridge connects Lembongan and Ceningan,
\nthe smallest and least visited island, and if dusk catches one
\nunawares to walk back past the graveyards lining the main road,
\nthere is always an eager lad with a motorcycle to speed one home.<\/p>\n
Whether you sign up for a day-cruise with complimentary buffet
\nor choose to stay on Lembongan, the island is a haven for those
\nin search of tranquility, repose and sanctuary.<\/p>",
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