Off to Nusa Lembongan, Bali
by ano on Apr.12, 2010, under everything, where am i?
It comes in bunches, I suppose. Its somewhat rare to have even a free weekend during internship, and when they arrive they’re called “golden weekends”. But then comes that one elusive month of vacation, randomly assigned, eagerly awaited, and given in one straight chunk. With no idea when my next trip would be after this one, I made sure to maximize it.
I had no real plans in place except for my flights there and back. I took my packed bag with me to work on the day of departure. It had been an unusually busy week at work but at 7pm I was done and on my way out. I changed into street clothes, dumped my scrubs locker room hamper, left the hospital and headed straight to the airport.
The final itinerary? SFO to Las Vegas (for the weekend), then straight to Bali, then Java, Borneo, Singapore, and back to Vegas for another weekend before heading home to SF the night before I had to go back to work. Pictures and stories to come, as I get to them. Thirty two days of non-stop travel with a camera in hand has left with me way too many pictures to sort through.
Arrived in Bali after a day and half of planes and airports and hopped on a boat for the 45 minute trip to Nusa Lembongan, a small island off the southeast coast. Its relatively under-developed and doesn't have a dock. So we had to jump off the boat and wade ashore, with my camera bag held high over my head hoping for a dry trip. From there I walked a hundred meters up the beach to a little spot called Pondok Baruna and was treated to a room just off the water.
A little bit of afternoon rain, which broke just in time for an excellent sunset. I waded into warm waist deep water for this shot, which was well worth it.
I spent a lot of time scuba diving (lots of underwater photos to come), and with water this warm and clear, visibility was consistently amazing (>30 meters)
Seaweed farming is one of the main sources of income in Lembongan. The seaweed is very sensitive and requires relatively calm waters and consistent temperature and salinity, which are provided by protective reefs.
The seaweed is relatively plentiful, and sells for about 20 cents per pound once dried.
Its easy to walk around the shallows and tide pools, but the smell can be a bit overpowering.
Rising early in the morning to harvest seaweed to avoid the harsh afternoon sun.
Tiny boats meander slowly along the coastline.
Sunrise from Lembongan watching rain drench the Bali mainland ahead.
Sunrise over Dream Beach, Lembongan
A bit of rest on Dream Beach after a long day of scuba diving
The stark contrast between simple dirt streets and elaborate temples all throughout Lembongan
Sunset Beach, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
Sunset Beach, Nusa Lembongan, Bali
April 12th, 2010 on 12:16 pm
Beautiful photos as usual! I was in Bali earlier this year–it’s such a magically spiritual place.
August 9th, 2010 on 12:19 am
Hi, you don’t know me but I came across your documentary on Assyrian/ Christian refugees from Iraq. Just wanted to let you know that what you did was amazing! So much people around the world are unaware of the impact of the war on it’s civilians- both physically, emotionally, psychologically etc. I’m Chaldean Catholic, my parents were born in Iraq how ever I was born in Sydney Australia. It’s great to have people like you who continue to raise awareness of the realities of modern day Iraq. The documentary was so sad, however interesting at the same time. Great job, and hopefully the documentary reaches as much people as possible around the world.
God bless