Swimming with Mantas

Bali is an island surrounded by sea. Hence it is a country where there are a lot of water activities such as sailing, para sailing, diving, jet skiing, snorkeling. So I made sure that I will have a day separated to enjoy snorkeling. One of the reasons that I wanted because they highlighted the swimming with Manta rays which was an experience that I wanted to gain.






As my friend was not in the favour of the idea, I had to do it alone. I booked an agent named Diving Indo which was a Russian based company. So I went there early in the morning and I was directed to a girl name Anya who was the snorkeling guide. I was to join with another Russian couple. We were to go with another 3 teams two of which were doing diving.






After checking the snorkel and the find that suited my body, I was given a brief description about the journey. We were to do two dives namely Manta Point and Crystal Bay. So after a short ride to the beach we waited till the high tide for the boat to come near the shore. Then all the equipment was loaded and we got into the boat towards Manta Point.






It took us about 45 minutes. The landscape on either side was spectacular. On either side there were rocky formations covered with green flora. That was mesmerizing with the nice blue colour of the ocean. These were one of the most beautiful landscapes that I have ever seen. Everyone in the boat was fascinated by it. It was as an invitation for us to witness the sea life.



When we reached the Manta Bay which was our first snorkeling point it was really agitating. The divers were preparing for the dive while we waited for our turn. The sea was so rough with the wind the boat was almost toppling. When all the divers went in we also jumped in. I didn't use any life jacket. But the sea was so rough and it took me sometime to get adjusted to the conditions there.

Finally Anya said to look down as there were Mantas. It was really a wonder. I have never seen Mantas so close. The sea was not that deep may be around 10-15 m. So even though you were snorkeling you could actually see the Mantas in the bottom as if they were so close to you. It was amazing to see those giant creatures moving to and fro with their rays lagging behind. I wish I was a diver so that I could have actually taken a closer look and maybe even go behind one. But I had to be satisfied with the view. Apart from the Mantas there were nothing much to see as we were on the top.

So after spending about  45 minutes we took off and went towards the Crystal Bay where we had our lunch. They had prepared a wonderful meal of rice, chicken and other vegetables which was very delicious.





Crystal Bay was calmer than the Manta Point. We were to move with the current so that there was no turmoil and it was not exhausting. But the water was colder. We could see many fishes specially many reef fishes and corals underneath. There were some banana fish and butterfly fishes.  But the sea was bit polluted. So not much of a diversity was observed.

Thus ended the snorkeling tour in Bali. As I mentioned previously, Bali is a country which can give you diverse experience. We all were a happy gang at the end of the journey being able to see the Mantas and and being able to return safely back to the island.

One of the key things to get is to notice how well organized they are. They were ready to cater to the diverse needs and the backgrounds of the tourists belonging to various nationalities. In terms of hospitality, food, safety, guidance they were doing a pretty good job. Even small things like giving the lunch packed in a small lunch box, having fruits, dustbins are pretty awesome and made everyone around comfortable.

If you go to Bali, a snorkeling experience, specially with Mantas is a thing that should not be missed.

Await for another interesting story from my expeditions.







Waterfall Hunt in Bali

Bali is a country that is very similar to my country Sri Lanka. It basically offers something for everyone. Being a nature lover myself, one aspect that I loved about Bali is the waterfalls. So, when I planned my trip I made it a point to visit two waterfalls one in the North East of Bali and the other in the Kitamani Area.

1.      Gitgit Waterfall

The visit was planned on the North East Bali tour. Unfortaunatelty I had to visit this all by myself as my friend got so drunk the previous day and was dreaming of waterfalls on the lobby. So, we had to leave him behind and my guide who was about 50 years of age (I guess) could not make it down the steps. Thus, she gave money to one of the people there to take me and show me around the waterfall.

This is in the area called Singaraja (Similar to Sinharaja in Sri Lanka) and takes only a 10km drive south of North Bali’s main town of Singaraja, or an 80km drive north from Kuta.

Upon reaching the base after the few minutes’ walk down into the lush ravine, you can instantly enjoy the spectacle of the 40m cascade that constantly pours into a rocky pool with a small shrine that ‘guards’ the site. You can enjoy a cool plunge in the pool. The falls are also referred to by the locals as the ‘twin falls’ or Air Terjun Kembar Gitgit, due to its flow that is often split into two equal streams. If you’re game, you can further explore another fall nearby, namely Mekalongan, which is a continuation of Gitgit’s watercourse. Gitgit flows all year round, with clearer waters during the dry season.

Here also like in many other locations you can have a small bath if you want and there is a swing which you can ride at an extra cost and take some photographs with the waterfall in the backdrop.

The surrounding was such a beauty rich in tranquility and it was indeed a quench of weariness for me after a long drive earlier on the day. The two cascades are a beautiful creation of Mother Nature and the gloomy environment can really engulf a spectator keeping him mesmerized and spellbound.  

This was such an ideal place to skinny dip and I would have done had not been for the person who accompanied me and some tourists.

2.      Tegenungan Waterfall

On the following day we made to the next waterfall which was called Tegenungan is conveniently located halfway between Ubud and Bali’s provincial capital of Denpasar and is considered the closest natural attraction of its kind that you can reach within only a half-hour transfer southeast from Ubud town. Getting to the falls is a pleasant drive down paved village roads lined with stretches of green rice fields on both sides. Luckily this time my friend was able to join me being sober the previous night but slept all the way through the drive,

Upon reaching the end of the road, you are welcomed into a newly built parking and welcoming area, with ticket booths up front. This area is lined with art and souvenir shops, together with small local ‘warung’ stalls selling snacks and cold drinks. The falls are only several minutes’ walk down the trail beyond the shops, where you’ll enjoy the impressively green valley panorama with cascading water as a centrepiece. Dense foliage frames the falls, and the water volume is impressive at almost any time of year, but normally at its strongest during the wet season (October to April). You can go down to the vast pebbly base and enjoy a dip in the plunge pool, but this is not advised after heavy downpours, due to the risk of flash floods.

My friend is hydrophobic. He can only bath from showers in bathrooms. Thus, I had to give up the idea of having a natural bath from the waterfall. Compared to Gitgit falls this was very crowded with many taking a dip and enjoying the freshness of the water. There were many activities to do including a swing and ample of restaurants to party, have a drink. The location has many spots to take those iconic photographs with the waterfall in the back.

Both of us were sweating heavily on our way up but we had to be satisfied only with the little contact we had with water.

I wish that I had more time to explore some other waterfalls as Bali has many waterfalls which are so beautiful than these two. One thing I noticed was that there was no garbage dumped here and there like the case of Sri Lanka. It was indeed crowded but the travelers were more responsible.  I have heard many people complaining too many people always spoil the place, but I want to emphasize that it is not the quantity that matters but the quality and the attitude of the people.

This unquenched thirst for waterfalls made a comma in my trip to Bali. Therefore, I will be definitely coming back to see the rest of the beauties that Bali has to offer.

Bare in Bali - Part 1 (Laki Uma Villa)

Hi readers. I hope you have been enjoying my stories. I went on a trip to Bali recently and just came back. Lot to write about it and I will start about writing on one experience I got on my tour to Bali.

I guess most of you know that I am a nudist and a naturist. To begin with first let's look at the difference between the two.  Both involves being naked in other words clothes free. a nudist can be naked indoors or outdoors. There's no definite location to be nude for a nudist. whereas a naturist is a person who loves to be nude outdoors, specifically nature. Maybe a forest, a waterfall. These engage in lot of outdoor activities like hiking, camping, canoeing, swimming and the list is endless. I will make a separate blog post on nudism as there's lot to discuss. What I wanted to do in this post is to share my experience in a nudist/naturist resort.

I know most of you might not like the subject and will be judgmental on that. If this irritates you I suggest you not to read it. But this is for those open minded people who would like to experience or alt east know about know about the concept and how I felt about it.

I have been trying to gain a nudist experience for so long in Sri Lanka but I have only been able to do this once in a small day out that I organized with some interested guys. But that was limited. Although there were couple of people interested in the subject, no one dare to join me on an expedition. So I wanted to feel it outside Sri Lanka at least and the most cost effective was in Bali.

So I planned a tour and in fact I asked several people whether they will be interested but none dared. Finally a friend named Dilshan agreed to join me but not to stay in a nudist resort as he was also skeptical on the subject. So as always it was only me that was to have the experience.

Bali being a part of Indonesia is still developing. It is a tourist destination and therefore is catering to most needs of tourists and way forward compared to Sri Lanka (I will talk about this separately) So Bali has only few nudist/naturist resorts the two main being Laki Uma (which is a men only villa) and Bali Au Natural (Mixed Villa). I went to both thus I will write about the experience in both places.

Laki Uma Villa:

Located in Umalayas which is about a two hour drive from the airport this is a men only nudist/naturist villa. This is located closed to seminiyak which is a destination for gay community with bars, saunas, clubs and this is closed to most of the excursions that take place in Bali. Comparatively this is located in a secluded place.

The owner of both Laki Uma and Au Natural is the same. Maybe as it is a men only villa, this is not crowded most of the time. It has a 6 bed dormitory room with bunker beds and 4 other double rooms. I choose the dormitory as it was the most effective and also with the idea of getting know other nudists easily. But unfortunately there were no other guests for the first 3 days and then another guy from Java came and on the last few days there was another from Norway. So it was me and the the two caretakers most of the time which was not what I expected.

The villa is constructed beautifully. Painted with beautiful colours, clean, with a kitchen, pantry, dining area, lobby with a TV, a swimming pool and you get free WiFi (This was how I got away with boredom). I stayed here for 5 nights as I was touring around and I was not there during the day times which was such a convenience.

The house has only one rule: be naked. I was scared a bit as this was a men only villa and I thought it was a meeting place for sex seekers. But it was quite the opposite. Of course there was freedom to have sex if you want but it is up to you. It was a peaceful place and you feel so relaxed specially after a tiresome journey.

As there was no one in the villa it was easy for me to be naked. I just dropped my clothes and came to the lobby where the caretakers were already naked. There's tea and coffee you can make any time of the day but it does not serve meals.

The first thing I wanted to do was to jumped into the swimming pool all naked. What a feeling it was. The tiredness of the long journey from Sri Lanka just faded away. I was lonely but free. It was as if I was waiting for this my whole life. A villa where I could just roam naked, meet other naked people. Just be free. The guy from Java (Which is also a part of Indonesia) said that it is only Bali that this freedom can be felt. So they make it a point to come and enjoy this freedom at least once a year.

This was a place where there were regular visitors. The guy from Norway has been coming almost every other year. And when inquired from the housekeepers they said that there are customers who comes every year and spend a few weeks and go back. The porfolio of the cilentele varies from young to middle aged to older gentlemen but majority being  mature men.

I guess the reason why nudity is most common in older is that most young people prefer sex to nudity. So they rather spend their times on bar or a club than spending it in a nudist villa. This is not a gay villa. It is a men only villa but both straight and gay men visits the place. One can only experience it when you there for real.

I had no worries to hide my penis or back. No worries of erections. As I had read and imagined this was such an easier thing to do specially for someone introvert like me who find conversations with strangers difficult. You can easly talk to anyone I guess that is because there is nothing for you to hide, you are physically open which helps you to open up psychologically as well. No one bothers about your bodies, size of your butts, or dicks or whether you are hairy or not. No one stares at you. You just be you.

If you someone like me who loves to be alone with music, wine, chocolates, book and just just lay naked in water, this is the ideal place you need to be. I actually went there to talk to more people and understand their perspectives on nudism/naturism. But unfortunately I didn't get a chance to meet many. But with the few I met in the villa, what I gathered is the same view I had. It is such a relaxing experience, you feel free. You get away from all you routine stress and just be as If you are reborn, in your birth clothes, mingling with similar people who have the same interest and who shared similar views of life like you do.


I stayed there for 5 nights and those were one of the bests that I had. It was amazing to know that people come to Bali just to enjoy the freedom of being nude. I guess that make sense when your country , when your friends laugh at you, criticise you for doing what you like, when you try to enjoy your freedom. As someone said, it is better to be with birds of the same feather and be happy. It was best to be among people who accepts you for who you are. Finally you feel belong to somewhere and you know that you are not alone. There many who shares the same, who looks at the world with your own view.


I would give anything for that kind of freedom. And I would visit such places till I can afford and able to. How many of you felt so happy to wake early in the morning with no worries, Just walk out naked and breath and be happy about the beautiful day ahead of you. I would sacrifice anything to live this moment again and again.


This is my post on my experience at Laki Uma Villa. I will write on the Bali au Natural on my next blog post which will give you a different expereince in a mixed nudist villa.


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