Travel | Nusa Penida
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The soaring cliffs and limestone pinnacles of Raja Lima are a popular tourist spot on the island ’ s east coast .
5 Senses – Touch TENUN ALAMI
I begin my trip in the harbour town of Toyapakeh , which is the principal entry point for most visitors going ashore .
order up a simple lunch of fried noodles washed down with a fresh young coconut at one of the quaint warungs that line the beach . Initially we have it to ourselves , but over the next hour or two a steady stream of other tourists trickle down to bask on the powder-white sand . The lack of a road down to Atuh ensures that this little slice of paradise remains gloriously peaceful for now , but Yudi tells me that all around the island plans are afoot to improve access to Penida ’ s coastline and encourage tourism .
Traditional weaving is an art form in Penida , with its own distinctive motifs woven onto beautiful naturally dyed fabrics . In Desa Tanglad , we meet Ibu Gede Diari – one of the area ’ s best-known weavers – busy at work behind a huge manual wooden loom . Diari tells us that some pieces can take up to three months to complete , selling in artisan boutiques in places like Ubud for as much as US $ 500 . Buying direct from the source is understandably cheaper than that , and I can ’ t resist taking home a small souvenir from the shop in front of her house .
Next on the day ’ s itinerary is a visit to what is affectionately known as Bukit Teletubbies – a series of peculiar rounded hillocks that do look remarkably like the set for the popular toddlers ’ TV show . There ’ s not much else to see , however , so after a quick photo we ’ re on our way again , following the east coast road back up towards the famous Pura Giri Putri temple . Yudi tells me that along with Pura Ped and Pura Puncak Mundi , Giri Putri is famous for being one of the three holiest sites on the island that every Balinese Hindu should visit at least once during their lifetime . As a visitor , Giri Putri is by far the most impressive of the three , primarily because it is located inside a huge underground cave . Access inside requires literally crawling through a tiny opening , no bigger than a manhole , before it opens out into a series of gaping caverns . A natural spring inside is considered to produce holy water , which is used in ceremonies by visiting Balinese to cleanse and purify both mind and body .
For the next day ’ s outing , we head over to the island ’ s rugged west coast – once again contending with rough unsealed roads to get through to the cliff edges that afford sublime views back across the Lombok Strait towards Bali . Highlights on this side range from the spectacular Kelingking Beach , Saren Cliff , Broken Beach and Angel ’ s Billabong , to the downright terrifying Guyangan Waterfall . A sacred spring located at the bottom of massive sea cliffs , the falls are accessed by scrambling down the world ’ s most precarious stairs – often with nothing between the gaps except the crashing
Take the slow road through Penida ’ s sleepy villages and keep a sharp eye out for local women weaving fabric in the traditional Balinese way . Auspicious days in the Hindu calendar are chosen to stain the strands with naturally sourced dyes , before being spun onto huge wooden manual looms and painstakingly processed thread by thread . Some pieces can take months to complete , and they are beautifully intricate and very hardwearing .
Anda bisa mengambil jalan kecil yang melewati desa-desa di Nusa Penida untuk melihat para wanita setempat menenun dengan teknik khas Bali . Hari-hari baik dalam kalender Hindu dipilih untuk waktu mewarnai benang secara alami , sebelum dipasangkan ke alat tenun dan diproses . Sejumlah kain bisa memakan waktu hingga hitungan bulan dalam pengerjaannya , untuk menghasilkan kain yang cantik dan indah dikenakan .