A layover on Bukit

I've been to Bali quite a few times before, and explored quite a bit of the island on previous visits: my first trip had (briefly) taken in some of the big tourist hotspots (passing through Kuta on the way to Ubud) before deciding that wasn't the Bali for me, and hightailing it northeast to the hills and north coast. I've explored the east coast and island-hopped around Penida, Ceningan and Lembongan. I've enjoyed the far northwest. But prior to this leg of the trip, I'd never been south of the airport.

Bingin beach

Now I was passing through Bali again, en route from Komodo to Chiang Mai. Might as well break up the trip with a bit more exploration.

Do to the complete lack of public transportation covering the area, and the high fares of local taxis, I limited myself to small subsection that I could explore by foot, staying in Padang Padang, and walking to Bingin Beach and Pantai Cemongkak from there.

Padang Padang beach as the tide is coming in, blocking off my bit of sand

There's some pretty nice scenery, with the cliffs overlooking the sea, but you're definitely in a tourist hub - in the built up centre of Padang Padang, almost every building is either a guesthouse, tourist cafe or restaurant (anyone for avocado smash on toast, or an acai bowl?) or tourist-oriented shop. I tried finding a local breakfast one morning, and had to give up. Not a traditional warung in sight. Meanwhile the beach at Padang Padang is nice but tiny, especially when the tide is in, and therefore crowded. For those that burn easily, like I do, the beach has almost no shade (as the limited shady area at the base of the cliff is taken up by the beach vendors) except for a crowded patch of rental beach umbrellas at the back end of the beach, near the stairs and vendors.

Padang Padang beach - cute but small

Not one for me, I'm afraid.

I enjoyed Bingin beach a little more (it felt quite a lot quieter, probably because the very limited parking in the area and the fact that most places are built into the cliffside means lots of stairs to navigate with your luggage), although the beach was very rocky so not great for swimming. I also enjoyed my time I was walking between centres, routes that took me along quiet back lanes with the occasional cow for company.

Bingin beach

But I was left with the feeling that Bukit is too developed for a northern-Bali lover like me, and ended up only staying a couple of nights in the area.

Please forgive the lack of quality photos in this section -- I wasn't really in the mood to take many, so you're stuck with what I got.