Before i embarked
on my trip to Bali, i excitedly told Alex that we could finally make use of
our EasyBreath snorkeling masks as the island is famous for its
beaches! p.s. Alex's last snorkeling trip was to Perhentian Islands
in 2015.
Alas, i didn't do
much research and assumed that when i mentioned snorkeling, the driver would
bring me to a beach where we can do as much snorkeling as we could at the beach.
The reality couldn't have been further when our entourage of six persons were
brought to Bali Apollo Dive & Water Sports at Nusa Dua.
It wasn't the
white, sandy beach i thought it should be and even though i could likely snorkel
in the water, there were just too many boats near the
shoreline.
Alex was
rightfully upset and that's not even the start of his disappointment. For
snorkeling, it was available but we must pay 475,000 rupiahs per person for an
hour long activity at another location!
Now, that's
almost 50 dollars and for Indonesian standard, expensive! However, let's not
compare as we are free to leave if we want to. Alex's Korean colleague jumped in
at this point and successfully bargained with the salesperson for a better
deal!
I was obviously
unhappy but this appeared to be a common business practice in Bali. So for those
who have the intention to go for water sports in Bali, bargaining is expected
and if you need a price reference, i would share them at the end of this
post.
Since the rest
were keen to sign up for a few of the activities (banana boat, dive, parasailing
etc), i decided to suck in my displeasure and sign on the badly-worded terms and
conditions for just one activity; parasailing as i enjoyed it so much back
at Sabah's Sapi Island!
As we needed to
wait for the boat to bring us out, i did what i would usually do when there's
time to spare; explore the surroundings!
There's a long
stretch of path bordering the shoreline and i couldn't quite decide if i should
go left or right as we were not given a specific waiting time and i couldn't
venture too far out.
Decision; turn
left.
Someone was
having a go at Flying Fish! If you ask me, the flying fish was a lot more
frightening compared to Banana Boat as the former would soar a few feet above
water for a short moment of time!
Stretch ahead of
me with the beach and sea beside me; dark clouds had congregated on the left and
i was praying that rain wouldn't hit us as it would mean a total abandonment of
any activities on the sea.
Another water
sports centre; albeit a much smaller one. Pricing wise, it was similar to Bali
Apollo Dive & Water Sports.
Please be assured
that the dog was merely sleeping in the nice, windy weather.
Parasailing boat
- i actually didn't realise until now that it would be the same boat i would be
boarding later on!
Random
photographs taken along the stretch; honestly quite a nice place to chill out
and there were hotels along the coastline for those who prefer to relax by the
seas.
Count the number
of parasailers in the above photograph!
"Cavin" - a loud
and resounding voice reached my ears and i rushed back as it's time for us to
take on the activity that cost us 300,000 rupiahs per person. Darn, i do sound
like a dog returning to its owner who called for it.
Taking the
speedboat.
The range of
water sports is quite standard across regions and countries although i haven't
tried most of them (like jetski) for one reason; i find it hard to part away my
hard-earned money for just that few moments of exhilaration!
Of course, you
can also argue that i am still throwing money when i opted for
parasailing.
However, i look
at it differently; parasailing brings me up to the sky, thrills me given my fear
of height, gives me a bird's eye view of the surrounding, relaxes me with the
wind, entices with a lower probability of getting wild and i don't have to use
much energy!
Bet these people
at the pavilion were waiting for their boat to arrive.
After a wait
(yes, another wait which was a total waste of precious overseas time) of about
15 minutes, the speedboat finally brought us closer to the parasailing
boat.
Time to do
passenger exchange.
Rope that would
and should give us the assurance that it's strong enough to withstand the weight
of the parasailers and the force of the wind!
Two very, very
important men on the boat, whom our lives depend on.
Waiting once
again for our turn!
Six of us broken
up into three groups of two and mine was the first one to take on the challenge!
I wasn't grouped up with Alex; instead, i would be soaring into the sky with
Alex's Korean colleague.
Thinking of
letting the pictures do the talking as i believe i had already described a lot
back in my post on the first parasailing experience in Malaysia
(Kota Kinabalu).
Last two
photographs seemed to create a false illusion that we were closed to the surface
of the sea but we were really quite high up!
Maybe because we
were two male adults, the staff appeared to bring us higher with significantly
higher sharp turns compared to the rest!
The above was
considered as secured?! No, panic attack didn't strike me as i believe in
sucking lemons should life gives me nothing but lemons. Okay, i admit i was a
tad nervous.
Back to the
boat!
More random
photos as we had to wait for more people to finish before the speedboat would
come and pick us up. I understand the need to cater for a minimal number of
passengers as it made sense from an economical angle.
Do be aware that
due to regulations, kids undertaking the parasailing activity can only soar up
to a specified, albeit shorter, height, and there weren't the usual twists and
turns that adult riders were subject to.
Flying fish
again!
With quite a
number of operators offering parasailing and other water sports, i wonder if the
proximity is too close for comfort. Take the case of parasailing, what if a
sudden change in wind direction result in lines being tangled up? Maybe i am
thinking too much!
This looked so
cool! Known as fly board (or jet blade), this would set you back by 1,100,000
rupiahs (S$110) for 15 minutes, before bargaining for
discount.
Speedboat had
arrived!
One of the hotels
by the shoreline. Guess i don't have to travel that fair
when Bintan is just an-hour plane ride away from
Singapore.
Another person
playing the fly board; this activity is actually available in Singapore but its
initial pricing was a staggering S$228! However, i am unsure on its duration!
Interested? Check out the website here.
Reaching shore -
by the way, most of the photographs were taken using the waterproof Olympus TG3
camera! This time, i made sure that all the batteries were fully
charged!
I think i was a
bit too excited to leave the speedboat as i jumped down before being told to do
so. Unlike me, the rest were patiently waiting for instructions.
*shrugs*
Seagrass?
Seaweed? Doesn't matter but i am sure not getting into the
water.
As the rest of
our travel mates had signed up for other activities, Alex and i spent time
eating the Tim Tam i smuggled in my backpack and having a nice
local Indonesian lunch with the local beer at the water sports centre while
waiting for them to return.
Lucky for them as
dark clouds took over the blue sky just as they returned! Although Alex and i
didn't do much, it's actually quite nice to do nothing actually.
Haha.
=====
Location
Tanjung
Benoa, Jl. Pratama No.70, Benoa,
Nusa
Dua, Kabupaten Badung,
Bali
80361, Indonesia
Price
List
As
above.
For
the itinerary of my 4-day, 3-night Bali trip,
click here.
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