Toward the end of the crawlspace I felt the air change into musty fog. It felt like I was in a cloud. As I crawled out of the rabbit hole and stood upright I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was standing at the foot of what must have been a 60-80 foot high and 310 meter long misty dark cave of absolutely gargantuan proportions. We were … quite literally, inside of a mountain.

The sight of these magnificent ‘underwater spaceships’ with a wingspan of up to 29 ft. (8.8 meters) just left me completely in awe .. and even a bit teary eyed. They are playful, curious and gentle giants. Unlike much of the other marine life, mantas are interested in you and will once in a while swim up and engage in an underwater dance of sorts, hovering above you and ever so gently, voluntarily brushing up against your body.

If you are a lover of secret paradise beaches and epic lookouts, Penida offers some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. In fact, you’re just not going to see many beaches in Bali that come even close to what’s next door on Penida.

Mindlessly staring at the floor in front of me I saw a withered little thing make it’s way around dozens of feet in the crowd. She was just a puppy, noticeably weak and terribly shy. She looked like she hadn’t eaten for days and was barely able to stand up once she slumped over beside a garbage bin.