Bali is well-known for it’s beaches. the fact that it is an island means that picturesque beaches are located almost all over its circumference. The most well-known beaches to foreigners is probably Kuta beach, located just 10 minutes away from the airport and home to dozens of night clubs and 5-star hotels. It is also located on Bali’s west coast, a perfect sunset-viewing location. There are many other beaches in Bali not as well known as Kuta beach, but just as spectacular! Believe me because I myself went beach-hopping in my lovely little scooter.

First stop: Pandawa Beach

The 3 beaches I visited on that lovely Friday were along the same route. You just have to take Jl. Uluwatu (Uluwatu Rd) south all the way and make some minor turns before getting to the beach. Convenience, checked. Alright, from Jimbaran, the ride down to Pandawa beach took slightly less than 30 minutes. And let me tell you, it was one of my favourite rides! Why? The roads were goes up and down like a roller-coaster. For a city boy like me, I loved it, a lot! The way the wind blows at you feels really majestic. And the lack of traffic is amazing yeah hehehe I always plan on retiring to the country-side, and then just getting a nice bike to ride on the roads at night. Purr-fect. Okay so Pandawa beach… The entrance fee was Rp4,000/pax and Rp2,000 for the motorcycle.

 

Pandawa is not a very touristy beach. The visitors here were mostly local. The waves weren’t good enough for surfing (Which is probably why there were not many foreigners here.) I rented a 1-seater kayak for an hour (Rp25,000/hr). There were 2-seater kayaks too for Rp50,000/hr. Not a bad deal I guess.

 

So I tried to stand up and took a photo but I lost my balance and fell into the water. Sadly my Sony Z1 was in my pocket. It is supposed to be waterproof but when I took it out to make sure it is fine, the waterproof plug apparently came off. I couldn’t turn it on for a few days but it is working fine now. I was phoneless for a few days but at least I got the photo HAHAHAHA

Padang-padang Beach

Our next stop was Padang-padang beach. I like the entrance to this place is really cool. First you walk into a gate (you might encounter a few monkeys here) like in most temples, then you had to walk down a stairs, which is between two huge rocks, so it feels like you’re going to a secret beach or something.

This place, unlike Pandawa beach is full of tourists! And it wasn’t a very large beach. All the tourists were sunbathing so we literally had to walk carefully to avoid them.

There were a lot of people surfing here. I rented a surfboard for Rp50,000/hr. The guy who rented me the board was hesitant at first. He could probably tell I was a novice at it and kept saying that the waves were too huge for a beginner. In the end, I managed to get him to rent me the board.

Long story short, I almost died. Literally. I got carried by the current towards the rocky cliffs while I was trying to paddle out. When I realised that I was so far from where I began, I panicked. There were no other surfers around me. It was at this moment I really started praying. I could even feel the current pulling me further and further from the shore. But thankfully, by some miracle, I made it back to shore. I didn’t know what I was doing, I just kept paddling and paddling. I was thinking along the lines of Dory from Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” That worked out fine but I didn’t even dare to go out again. I just lay on the beach. So my Rp50,000/hr was wasted with 30 minutes paddling trying to save my own life and 30 minutes just lying there on the beach.

Blue Point Beach

Last stop for that day was blue point. This is my favourite out of the three beaches that day. Actually, this isn’t so much a beach like the ones we visited before. It’s more like a vantage point of the beach and sea, atop a cliff. It is lined with bars and some merchants selling Balinese souvenirs. We settled in one that we thought had the best view, ordered pizza and some drinks, and just watch the waves crash and foreigners surfing.

The waves here were even bigger than the ones at Padang-padang Beach, and from where we sat, it was enlightening to look at the experienced surfers tackle the waves.

 

We ended the day by going to Jimbaran local market, got some seafood and asked the vendors there to grill it for us, bought some rice and had dinner back at my uncle’s place. It was really cheap! Less than Rp200,000 for 6 people total. If you’re short on cash and still fancy a delicious meal, you can try this option.

That’s it for today guys. Thanks for reading 🙂
Ciao