The opening of the first Nusa Penida festival showcased the islands diverse cultural heritage through local cuisine and traditional dress, dance and parade. Tables were decorated and showcased the many different types of cuisine on the island with each village offering free food samples, which we happily tried. The women of the villages were dressed in traditional dress and were eager to pile steaming handfuls of rice and spicy sambol into our mouths and place a seaweed mocktail in our hand. We were warmly welcomed and photographed as we were among a small amount of tourists there, most people we spoke to were visiting from nearby islands or mainland Bali. A range of other activities are scheduled throughout the festival that runs through to June 11, find out more here.
Things to see
The Local Market
Along the coastline in the heart of Sampalan, visitors will find a bustling hub of vendor stalls and local business. An array of local and imported goods can be purchased from fresh produce including fish, nuts, live poultry, and packaged goods as well as clothing and silk sarongs. The atmosphere is busy, but friendly with the vendors more than happy to share a smile and if you are lucky, place a marigold in your hair. Unlike markets on the mainland, you will not see many tourists, the vendors speak little English and do not harass visitors to buy. The marketplace is a fantastic way to experience the traditional culture and local way of life of Nusa Penida as well as providing an opportunity to purchase the correct sarong and sash for the temples. We purchased snacks, sarongs and sashes from the market early in the morning before a day trip of the island for a small cost. Sarongs and sashes were in between 50 000IDR and 150 000IDR depending on the material quality and bartering skills. The snacks we purchased were mainly cheap packaged goods, as well as mandarins and apples for around 10 000IDR a kilo.
Conserve Nusa Penida 