With Jo still in Jakarta, and me still in Nusa Dua waiting out the Bali PPKM (Covid Restrictions), I decided this week to actually DO something. I had heard a rumour about a new plane that has appeared in pieces on the clifftops out at Uluwatu, above one of the most beautiful beaches on the island – Nyang Nyang Beach. So, I decided to go check it out.
For those that don’t know, Bali has several planes now. This is 5 by my count. To clarify, when I say Bali has planes, I mean abandoned, relocated and repurposed planes. The most famous of these is on the highway not too far from the airport at Jimbaran. There is the tail section of another plane out near Kerobokan where you turn off into Umala’s, and probably the most Instagrammed plane out at Pandawa, stuck in a sunken field in the middle of nowhere. (I have a couple of photos of this one on my Instagram)
All of these planes have been epic failures as tourist attractions, (unless you count the people randomly showing up for IG photos) and have ended up being nothing but a blight on the landscape. Fortunately, a couple of these are well hidden, so in the end, no harm no foul.
This new addition, however, could prove the opposite. It is located right on the edge of one of the most scenic clifftops in Bali, and will either prove to be genius, or the worst decision ever by local authorities to give it approval. Already it is being given nothing but negative press, and when my drone shots got reposted by a large Bali account, the comments were scathing.
UPDATE DEC 2021 – I have now found out that this plane is to become a 2 bedroom luxury villa. It is owned by the same person who owns the Bubble Hotel on Nyang Nyang Beach, among other hotels in Bali. He is a developer who knows his stuff. The plane is indeed the plane that was at Pandawa, and he secured the purchase after the previous owner’s plans fell through. This location was chosen after the first location for the “Jet Villa” overlooking a Bali waterfall was proven unsuitable due to underground water systems.
Anyway, enough background. I decided that I wanted to see this thing for myself, so grabbed my drone and took a ride out to Uluwatu. For me, that’s only about 25 minutes from my place at Nusa Dua, following the back road and enjoying the day.
When I arrived I decided to take a different road in. I knew where the plane was, but really wanted to see it from the drone perspective to get a sense of how it really looked. Seeing as I can launch a drone from anywhere, I headed into Karang Boma, which is the next turnoff down.
When I got close to the cliffs, I pulled over in a quiet paddock and set the drone up. Once I launched I found the plane only about 300m away, and it had been put fully together! This was a real bonus, because I actually became the first person in Bali to get shots of it. That wasn’t the point of coming out on the ride, but is a nice bonus.
You can see by the photo here that it is VERY close to the cliff, which is confusing everyone around the area because it actually goes against regulations. There is only one way that it could have been passed by local authorities, but I won’t go into that here….
Anyway, the jury is out on how it looks and whether it will be a success. Rumour at this stage is that it will be a restaurant, and spot for Instagrammers. Who knows?
What do you think? Let me know in the comments or check out the rest of the photos in my Instagram.
If you are interested in finding the Nyang Nyang plane for yourself, then HERE is a Google location.
The rest of my day was a quiet and relaxing ride. The place I took the photos from is Karang Boma, one of the most popular sunset spots in Uluwatu. Amazing place, and the cover photo of this article is taken from near there.
Down the hill I rode through the bends and turned at the temple, heading out toward Suluban Beach and stopped nearby at our favorite café, District 6. They have amazing meals, especially if you are a westerner who is longing for a taste of home. Shoutout for their Aussie Burger and Acai Bowls! Pizzas are good too, and during this PPKM they have specials every day!
Well that’s about it for this week, except for the massive sinkhole in Singapore that wiped out the internet in Indonesia for 3 days! This is what happens in a third world country, and even a beautiful island like Bali is not immune to these issues.
Jo will be back soon (read: I hope Jo is back soon) and we will be heading off again. Bali has reopened to holders of certain visas, but no tourist visas at this stage. Rumour is running strong that this will happen October or November, and with vaccinations up to 56 percent and going up a percent every day, it will only be a couple more weeks to reach that magic 70 percent!
When that happens, we will head up to Jogja, so keep an eye on these posts to find out more about what’s happening on THE JOURNEY.
Cheers for now
J
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