I had previously travelled to the three small islands, off the coast of mainland Bali, known as the 'Nusas'. The journey, by fastboat, was always a little challenging, partly because passengers were required to clamber on board directly from the beach. Think in terms of soft sand, waves, heavy bags and wet clothes. I wanted to revisit my favourite
Nusa Ceningan and was keen to discover the sophisticated new harbour facility at Sanur.
The brand new building
The new building, which officially opened in late 2022, is located next to Matahari Terbit Beach. The building itself is a sight to behold. It resembles the shape of a traditional jukung (fishing boat) and is flanked by a 'Gajah Mina'.
Gajah Mina head
Gajah Mina is a creature from Hindu mythology with the head of an elephant and the body of a fish.The architectural design of this new building exemplifies the creative spirit of the Balinese.
Gajah Mina tail
In addition to the artistic flair of the harbour building, there are functional infrastructure elements such as piers and pontoons. I was keen to put these to the test so, having recently booked into the newly refurbished
Kubu 221 Resort on Nusa Ceningan, I excitedly took myself off to the Harbour building to start my journey.
View from the top
I had already purchased return tickets to Lembongan (approx A$45 per person) and received two green lanyards. My travel companion and I opted to travel light with a backpack each but watched others checking in huge suitcases at the counter downstairs. At least they were spared from the task of manoeuvring their bulky suitcases from the beach to the boat.
Check in desk
We bypassed the check-in desk and took the escalator to the second floor.
escalator
We joined a hundred or so other passengers in the upstairs waiting area and noticed everyone wearing lanyards similar to ours but in different colours.
Colour coded tag
Digital information boards were placed around the waiting area displaying departure times for each fastboat service. All were reportedly 'on schedule'. I doubted this of course. Time and distance are arbitrary measures in Bali.
Information board
While waiting I took the opportunity to admire the wall art and use the bathroom facilities. The wall art was sea-themed and the bathrooms were new and well functioning.
Wall art
A sea-themed carved frieze on the outside balcony was very impressive.
Carved frieze
The balcony affords a view right over the harbour as well as a close-up experience with the Gajah Mina head.
View from Gajah Mina
The reason for colour-coded lanyards was revealed when harbour staff announced fastboat departures according to colour as well as name. Having noticed a number of different nationalities and language groups among the waiting passengers I thought this was a logical strategy to convey information and avoid confusion.
Colour coded boarding call
Our announcement came 20 minutes after our designated departure time (no surprise) and we headed down an outside staircase to the pier below. We were directed, with colour-coded indication, to our boat.
Fastboat to Lembongan
The piers and pontoons were a much easier option than the previous beach access to the boats.
Pontoons
After a calm and uneventful 40-minute journey we arrived at Mushroom Beach on Nusa Lembongan and disembarked the old way; by wading through the sea to the beach. From here we arranged road transport to tiny Nusa Ceningan.
Beach landing in Lembongan
During our stay on Ceningan we saw the brand new harbour facility due to open there sometime soon. Travellers will soon arrive at piers and pontoons like those in Sanur. I have to admit that I'll miss the beach take-off and landing. It adds an element of adventurous fun to the journey.
Mushroom Beach, Lembongan
