Nusa Lembongan Day at the Beach and a Cooking Class to Cap off a Fabulous Stay

My last full day in Nusa Lembongan, August 2nd, I went to grab some breakfast asap because I woke up hungry. I had another middle of the night wake up call to watch Regan win a silver in the 200 butterfly. I was planning on meeting Livia and Meagan for breakfast at 10am because Maegan was leaving the island today so we were having a goodbye meal for her. I went to a cafe around 8am and had a light breakfast, called my family, and journaled a bit. Anytime I call friends or family, the time flies by and just like that it was time for me to leave the cafe and met my friends for one last hang out before Maegan leaves us. We got smoothie bowls at a restaurant near the port. We chatted a little while longer and stayed with her until her boat left at 12pm.

Livia and I stayed together for the day and hung out, we were both in agreement that the best use of our time would be reading on the beach. I was willing to do anything to get in some shade and a quality seat, so when we passed by a restaurant with some nice chairs and umbrellas, we chose that for our beach spot instead of sitting on our quick dry towels on the lumpy sand in the full sun.

I ordered up a watermelon lime juice, enjoying that until we ordered some lunch. Taking advantage of the free wifi, I put my reading on hold and instead journaled some more on my laptop as it was long overdue. It felt so nice to be able to do laptop work on the beach, an incredible view getting work done that I enjoy so much. As nice as it would be to have a paper journal and use that instead of having to pull out my laptop every time I want to write, having this digital journal will stay with me forever and be well worth the minor inconvenience it inflicts. So for a few hours, I was busy on my laptop and Livia tore through half a book, one she picked up at her hostel from guests that left it there for the next reader. I finally put my laptop down after some time and whipped out my book, finishing the last few chapters of Court of Mist and Fury.

Around 2pm we ordered some lunch, we split hummus and pita along with lentil dal. It was incredibly tasty, making our stop at Ginger and Jamu on the beach all the more worth it. I was so full from the meals of the day, that by the time 4pm rolled around, I was no longer as pumped about our plans to do a cooking class.

Livia found a local place that offers affordable cooking classes in which you pick an item off the menu to learn how to cook, and then for $4 and the cost of the meal (my meal was $3) you got a personalized cooking class, this being said most of the cooking classes I’ve found so far have been $30-$50. I could not believe the price when she first mentioned it to me, but once we pulled up to the spot, it was a bit more understandable as I think he had just started up this side venture and it really was a local stop and not the trendy cafes I tend to frequent. I picked a tempe chili soy sauce dish to prepare. It was quite simple to cook up, chopping some vegetables, frying the tofu, and mixing together the thicker than normal soy sauce and coconut milk. I was happy to see that it was all vegan, even using margarine to sauté the veggies instead of the American go to, butter. It was wild to see the proportions of the oil and margarine that was used to cook up the meal, both Livia and I saying that we use about a quarter of the amount when we cook at home. When the chef poured in the oil to fry the tempe, at first I thought that was for my veggies and I almost ran out the front door in fear kitchens really use that much oil to just sauté vegetables. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and was that purely for frying the tempe as he didn’t have a traditional fryer I was used to seeing from working in food service industry for five years. 

It only have to fry for a few minutes and then it was nice and crispy, I pulled it out and then in a different pan I put my veggies in, each at various times depending on their thickness. They didn’t even have to sauté for that long which surprised me because at home I swear I am slaving over the stove for twenty to thirty waiting for my veggies to soften and get slightly brown. Here, it was less than ten minutes and I was adding back my tempe and tossing in the sauce for the final touch. Just like that it was done! I spooned out some white rice, made earlier today and waiting in a rice cooker for me to serve up.

When we were done with our massive meals, both of us questioning how we will even begin to attempt to finish these monsters of meals, we chatted as we chipped away at the plates, one bite at a time. After eating a filling meal just a few hours before and now this hefty plate, I don’t know how we did it but we both finished our plates, leaving only a few bites that were no longer worth trying to fit in. We sat there for a while, having to wait for some digestion to kick in because I don't think we would be able to walk otherwise. It was so fun learning more about her and sharing stories.

After sitting there for almost thirty minutes post meal, we finally got up, paid, and then walked to the beach to find a spot to sit and watch the sunset. We pulled out our towels and parked ourselves on the sand. We talked a bit more and then also sat in each others company while the sun was setting. I read my book a bit more, coming to the very end of it and desperate to know what comes of the characters. But, knowing this was my last few moments with Livia, we chatted more until the sun was welly set and we were just sitting in the dark. We walked as far as we could together until we said our goodbyes, hugged, promising to keep in touch and let the other know if we are ever in Switzerland or America. It was a sad goodbye as I just spent the last three full days with her, she was my saving grace of a friend as I was so worried about being alone on Nusa Lembongan, yet she welcomed me in so warmly and offered me friendship during my time here. 

I went back to my hotel, packed up as I had an early ferry to Lombok in the morning, my next island as I explore Indonesia.