The Almost Perfect Tree House Trip
We loved our visit to the island of Nusa Penida so much that we decided to go back again...this time in a tree house! Here's the real story behind those breathtaking photos we posted on facebook...
I'd been battling with a case of e.coli for the past month and finally flew to Singapore the weekend before to get things sorted with some proper antibiotics! We couldn't get our refund on our trip to the tree house so we decided to go anyway thinking that I would be able to relax there! We had planned to catch the boat right after school on Thursday, stay at a hotel on Nusa Penida then make the trek towards the tree house on Friday morning, but decided instead to just take the boat Friday morning...which I was thankful we did.
Once arriving on Nusa Penida, Ted haggled to find a bike with better shocks than last time as we knew the roads were a bit rough. His haggling skills were a success and within a few minutes we were off on our way to the tree house! The first stretch was a smooth ride on a freshly paved road, but the finally stretch was back to the extremely bumpy road consisting of gigantic pot holes in every direction!
Finally, we made it...turned off the bike and heard this terrible drilling sound. To our surprise and horror the cliff across from off was being flattened. Apparently some rich American is building there. Extremely sad to see the destruction of the beautiful cliff. And so much for the quiet weekend I thought!
We checked in and walked down the 10 minutes maze of stairs to reach the cliff with the 3 tree houses. Off in the distance you could faintly hear the drilling...YES! Seems like the waves crashing and the shape of the cliff have drowned out the sound!
The tree house was basic and included a bed, fan, 2 electrical outlets, and 2 benches outside to sit on. The toilet and shower were located in a separate building just below our tree house.
What we soon realized though was this area was not private just for guests of the tree house but rather open to the public. That won't be too bad, I thought. It can be quite entertaining to watch people try to capture that perfect selfie!
We had a few hours of sunlight left and ventured off to Atuh Beach. We trekked back up the cliff and headed off on the bike. It was a short 5 minute bike ride and then another 10 minute hike down some stairs to reach the beach. Beautiful, quiet and serene spot. Definitely not secluded but there weren't too many people and most people were quiet and kept to themselves. We had a relaxing afternoon of watching the waves, reading our books, sipping on coconuts, and snacking at the local warung.
The next morning we slept in and missed the sunrise. Sleep was more important. After enjoying the view for the morning, we headed off to Atuh beach again for round two of beach relaxation!
Then back to the tree house to enjoy a quiet evening. Can you spot our tree house that I'm pointing at in the picture?
Alarms were set to wake up for sunrise. Didn't want to miss it this time around!
Alarm goes off early the next morning. What's that I hear? People talking? But it's so early! As we slowly make our way out of the room and onto the balcony we notice an Indonesian family sitting on our doorstep. We weren't the only ones coming to see the sunrise. Complete with a drone and some loud unhappy children they ventured up to the look out spot. We hunkered down at the tree house and tried our best to enjoy the morning view. So much for "remote and secluded" location.
Next time we stay in a tree house I need to be a bit more thorough in my research as to its accessibility! All in all I'm glad we went. It wasn't exactly what I pictured it to be but then again shouldn't I be getting used to that here in Indonesia? Things are just never quite RIGHT or as efficient as it should be. :) Looking forward to finding another tree house location in the near future!
I'd been battling with a case of e.coli for the past month and finally flew to Singapore the weekend before to get things sorted with some proper antibiotics! We couldn't get our refund on our trip to the tree house so we decided to go anyway thinking that I would be able to relax there! We had planned to catch the boat right after school on Thursday, stay at a hotel on Nusa Penida then make the trek towards the tree house on Friday morning, but decided instead to just take the boat Friday morning...which I was thankful we did.
Once arriving on Nusa Penida, Ted haggled to find a bike with better shocks than last time as we knew the roads were a bit rough. His haggling skills were a success and within a few minutes we were off on our way to the tree house! The first stretch was a smooth ride on a freshly paved road, but the finally stretch was back to the extremely bumpy road consisting of gigantic pot holes in every direction!
Finally, we made it...turned off the bike and heard this terrible drilling sound. To our surprise and horror the cliff across from off was being flattened. Apparently some rich American is building there. Extremely sad to see the destruction of the beautiful cliff. And so much for the quiet weekend I thought!
We checked in and walked down the 10 minutes maze of stairs to reach the cliff with the 3 tree houses. Off in the distance you could faintly hear the drilling...YES! Seems like the waves crashing and the shape of the cliff have drowned out the sound!
The tree house was basic and included a bed, fan, 2 electrical outlets, and 2 benches outside to sit on. The toilet and shower were located in a separate building just below our tree house.
What we soon realized though was this area was not private just for guests of the tree house but rather open to the public. That won't be too bad, I thought. It can be quite entertaining to watch people try to capture that perfect selfie!
We had a few hours of sunlight left and ventured off to Atuh Beach. We trekked back up the cliff and headed off on the bike. It was a short 5 minute bike ride and then another 10 minute hike down some stairs to reach the beach. Beautiful, quiet and serene spot. Definitely not secluded but there weren't too many people and most people were quiet and kept to themselves. We had a relaxing afternoon of watching the waves, reading our books, sipping on coconuts, and snacking at the local warung.
The next morning we slept in and missed the sunrise. Sleep was more important. After enjoying the view for the morning, we headed off to Atuh beach again for round two of beach relaxation!
Then back to the tree house to enjoy a quiet evening. Can you spot our tree house that I'm pointing at in the picture?
Alarms were set to wake up for sunrise. Didn't want to miss it this time around!
Alarm goes off early the next morning. What's that I hear? People talking? But it's so early! As we slowly make our way out of the room and onto the balcony we notice an Indonesian family sitting on our doorstep. We weren't the only ones coming to see the sunrise. Complete with a drone and some loud unhappy children they ventured up to the look out spot. We hunkered down at the tree house and tried our best to enjoy the morning view. So much for "remote and secluded" location.
So much for our secluded tree house!
Next time we stay in a tree house I need to be a bit more thorough in my research as to its accessibility! All in all I'm glad we went. It wasn't exactly what I pictured it to be but then again shouldn't I be getting used to that here in Indonesia? Things are just never quite RIGHT or as efficient as it should be. :) Looking forward to finding another tree house location in the near future!
“The horror!” I like how you are starting to work in these little tidbits ... and how my haggling skills are represented as crucial. Xoxo
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