In the
twilight of the evening local people are gathering, fully dressed in the
Balinese traditional clothes. The women carry offerings with fruit on their
head as if they have no weight.
The typical
bewildering Balinese music can be heard from far and makes one feel a part
of a different world, a magical world. This night a 3 month old baby is
about to undertake his first important ceremony, one out of 13 in his life.
Only after three months and after this ceremony has taken place is a baby
is allowed to touch the ground as its status as a god will be changed to
that of a human being.
These types
of ceremonies and many more are taking place constantly all over Bali in
a family temple or a village temple. The Balinese culture, religion
and sense of community are part of daily life for young and old. Each
family compound has its own temple.
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In total Bali
has more then 10,000 temples.
As a foreigner
one is puzzled how it all fits in a modern economy as we know it.Work stops,
companies close and shopping streets are closed down once the Balinese
have to participate in a ceremony.
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This magic
is addictive; the friendliness of the Balinese people makes one feel like
coming home. I want to live here is the first thing that comes to mind
visiting Bali for the first time!
That is when
the urge to own property in Bali starts or when investors see opportunities
for their business. A foreigner or foreign company however can not own
property directly in Bali. However, there a few alternative and safe solutions
One of them is the Nominee system. You “borrow” the name of a local
person to buy property. The notary deeds make sure you can act as if it
is your own property. The local person can not enter, sell, rent or touch
the property at all. Living in Bali also requires a permit to stay. The
Government offers several options all depending on your needs. Basically
you need to apply or extend a permit once every year. If you want to work
or set up a company in Bali we are able to advise you what course to take.
Bali
has suffered some disasters in the past few years but due to the resolute
spirit of its people has recovered. Although it was feared the disco calamity
would devastate the tourist industry it did not and the tourists soon came
back.
The tsunamis
did not reach Bali at all. In 2004 the numbers of foreigners coming
to Bali showed an all time high record. 2005 is showing similar improvement
and a new record high is expected. For a third year in a row Bali has been
awarded world’s best holiday destination.
For investors,
corporate as well as private, Bali offers many opportunities in all areas.
The capital growth shows an average increase of 20 % on land only. Not
only properties represent a safe investment, rental of properties can be
very attractive and profitable. For hotel and resort operators and investors
we confidently forecast a bright future if taken advantage of now. Many
long time owners of hospitality property are not able to match the increasing
demands for higher quality and better service. Therefore they opt to sell.
Professional operators from all over the world are establishing their brands
in Bali. They offer good training and solid positions to the local people.
Staff who are happy in their position makes guests feel more at home which
can only have a positive effect on the business.
For detailed
information about the several ways of owning property we suggest readers
have a look at Living In Indonesia.
This site
offers information for anyone moving to or opening a business in Indonesia.
Also you can ask questions about anything that comes to mind about moving
to Indonesia. You will also find information on the local community rules
and regulations, the specific Balinese culture, the religion and the community
system of Banjars.
Bali is divided
in more then 3500 Banjars. A Banjar is the name that describes a community
district. The Banjar system is typical Balinese and has nothing to do with
the government. Although the Banjar does not get a penny from the Government
the Banjar as group has a very strong influence in local Government decisions.
Every Balinese
is obliged to join a Banjar. The "kalian" Banjar is the "head" of the Banjar.
It is a much elaborated social community system in which all members have
duties and obligations towards the Banjar as a whole and towards the individual
members.
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By its laws
(named "adat Bali" (law of Bali) it teaches the younger ones how to respect
each other and especially how to respect the older people. They learn how
to work together to maintain their district clean and well maintained.
When a person
from the Banjar is getting married many men and women members come to help
to prepare the wedding. Once the wedding takes place everyone in the Banjar
district is expected to come. Also the youngsters (called Pemuda) must
make appearance. The basic wedding presents are also known to everyone.
Each visitor brings at least 2 kilos of rice and 2 kilos of sugar. More
or a different gift is allowed but is expected to have a higher value such
as coffee or plain money. After the wedding the couple sells almost all
back to the local shop (warung) and uses the money to buy something useful.
Knowledge
of how the system works is vital to assist you in the best way to handle
situations.
For example,
buying rice field land to build a villa is simple. Getting permission to
build a villa from the government also is simple. But … then there is the
local village leader in charge for the water irrigation system who can
undo all permits by claiming the water flow will be interrupted once a
building is blocking the system. Then you own a piece of land without real
value and the only thing you can do is start a rice business.
Another example,
in Bali with its many Temples (family temples and community temples) there
are different rules. For each temple there is an area set back with different
specifications. You can buy a nice piece of land close to a temple but
then it is not certain you will get a building permit. Your building could
be blocking the view of the gods towards the Temple. Balinese are
rightly, very serious about these issues!
There are
many ways to work around these obstacles or to get things settled before
buying property. It is very important to seek local professional advice
about these and other matters.
Bali’s indigenous
population of just over 3 million welcomes around 1.5 million foreign tourists
(figures for 2004). There are almost 40,000 foreigners living and / or
working in Bali who are extremely happy and satisfied with their decision
to be on this magical Island. Some have learned it the hard way while others
made sure they were well informed about the location before any commitment
was made.
