Nusa Penida is a renowned destination of exuberant beauty close to Bali, with a coastline flanked by shades of cyan blue home to some of Southeast Asia’s most popular spots!
Even if you haven’t been to Indonesia, you’ve likely come across a picture of Kelingking Beach on social media, which was crowned the most posted beach on Instagram in the world! Looking at it from above, this title doesn’t come as a surprise, and it’s difficult to be content with a bird’s eye view from the top of the cliff. As I was bursting with excitement to seize the day not just at any beach but the most famous in the country, I didn’t really listen to the advice of my guide to go for a swim elsewhere, a spot with an “easier access”, he warned. You would figure that out of all places, this one would be decently maintained to safely accommodate the many tourists that visit.
I doubt anyone who travels has escaped one of those moments when our expectations couldn’t be further from reality…
Like myself, many explorers overlook the sinuous, steep, and very precarious dirt track that goes all the way down to the compelling sandy base of this nearly deserted beach. It was only when I was tucked in the middle of a queue of tourists without any possibility to give up on my quest to set foot on Kelingking Beach, and we hadn’t moved for 10 minutes and counting, that I started to reconsider whether the danger was worth it. The trail often succumbed to the weight of our feet, chunks of soil crumbling every few steps. Fortunately, an unexpected camaraderie and dialogue started to pervade the interactions of the strangers in line, who began extending a helping hand in less steady parts of the track and asked for or gave priority to facilitate the ascends & descends. Some glimpses of humanity’s capacity to collaborate amidst uncomfortable, tight entanglements!
After one hour of testing my agility and patience, I finally reached the infamous beach. What looked like gentle, enveloping waves coming ashore in a setting close to paradise turned to be tumultuous giants with currents that sputtered the few swimmers back to the water’s edge after a few twists & turns. But whilst one could skip a second, much appreciated, refreshing swim, the trail connecting the beach back to the top was inescapable… As the way up would be a fatiguing one, it was better to recharge without further considerations: “I deserve at least a couple of hours of sunbathing and enjoying the surroundings to make up for the effort”, I thought.
Unfortunately, my guide had yet another tempting stop planned for us – hot springs by the ocean away from the crowds. Soon I would find out that the descent to our final destination wasn’t any less memorable than the previous adventure…
Considering all the posts I’ve written, perhaps this is the first time I do think a picture is worth a thousand words. The selfie I took on the back of my driver reflects the expression I’ve many times on scooters, one of fear intertwined with a certain amusement in the face of “high adrenaline” circumstances, either dodging the chaotic traffic of capital cities in Asia or braving the wilderness of their outskirts. I’ve lost count of the situations that could have unfolded unfavourably, so if there’s one thing I am deeply thankful for is never getting into real trouble during those 9 months of backpacking, returning to Europe without a scratch!
photo gallery
