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"I hardly know why I went to Bali. Perhaps it was to satisfy myself that other men had lied. For I was disillusioned. Months I had wandered in far places.... I had glimpsed the beauty of the earth's end. She was a slattern, soiled wench; and pursuit gave way to sad depression. I scarcely sought beauty any more; but now found Bali" Hickman Powell from "The Last Paradise, An American's Discovery of Bali in the 1920's"

"Roh-bean! " Made is at my door at 8AM, a palm-woven tray balanced on her head piled high with food-laden plates. "New moon, celebration of Saraswati!" she says handing me a plate of saffron rice and shredded chicken. I give her a one-armed hug. "Bye Made. I love you!" I call out as she traipses off through the rice fields with 2-yr. old Lode close on her heels.
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Maybe because they sense in me a lost soul, Made and her family have taken me in. "You go to temple with us tonight?" she asks. All week long, the men and women of Penestanan have been streaming in and out of the temple for the annual celebration, Odalan.  Lode is wrapped in a tiny sarong and Gedde in the all white going-to-the-temple ensemble worn by adult males. Made's plastic pink curler is gone; tonight she is no longer matronly chef of Made's Warung, but Made, maiden princess. The rhythmic clanging of hammers hitting the bamboo shafts in the kul kul tower pull us in. Women in tight sarongs and lacey tops stride regally under three foot towers of offerings on their heads. Like the ladies back home bringing food to the church potluck, they are bringing food to the gods, which they will share with others. We kneel on bare earth before a shrine. Made places the offering of food and flowers she has brought on the ground and lights a stick of incense. We hold out open hands to receive holy water sprinkled from a flower petal by the old pumanku, a priest's assistant, and tuck flower petals behind our ears - even two year old Lode knows the routine. "What should I pray for?" I ask Made. "Whatever you want. No problem!" she says. I follow my adoptive family to the outer temple where young girls are dancing the barong - their eyes darting to and fro, arms swaying sinuously at their sides, fingers twitching and curling. Later we walk home through Penestanan and up the dirt road to Mades Warung ("Best Food in Ubud") and the house I am renting next door.

Staff writer Robin Sparks wanders from country to country  interviewing expatriates around the world. Each month she sends us an article along with a number of excellent photographs ~ There are More Articles by Robin Sparks On This Website

Here are the stories of a few of the expatriates of Bali:
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Barong Dancer

Diane and Beth, proprietors of Taman Rahasia Hotel "The Secret Garden" Boutique Resort Spa & Restaurant Diane, from Florida, stresses that she wasn't trying to get away from something as much as coming To something when she made her move to Bali in 1994. Two years ago, daughter Beth joined her and together the two built the 8-room hotel Taman Rahasia. Diane says, "Bali attracts a high percentage of creative types - artists, writers, and designers. Living here," she says, " has allowed me to express myself in ways that I never knew I could." I ask the women to talk about some of the challenges of living in Bali. "I've heard plenty of stories about people who came here with their western thinking intact and were thoroughly disillusioned," Diane says.  "The different concept of time, what we call rubber time, is a big one." Beth adds, "It's key to remember, that no matter how long you're here, you're always a guest in this country."

Diane says, "We could use a good deli." Beth adds, "Or a good bookshop. But you can successfully run an "old" business if you add a unique twist."

I ask them about the high number of single western women who live in Bali, many with Balinese partners.

Beth says, "Women are attracted to Bali because they are safe here. You can be walking alone through the rice fields in pitch black with a man walking right behind you sharpening a long curved knife, and you know he's just a man going home from work in the rice fields."

"What is the biggest difference between life in the U.S. and life in Bali?"

Beth says, "We have so many attachments to things we think we have to have. Living here you realize how complicated we make our lives, and yet how simply and well you can live."

Diane says, " I just bought my first TV a few months ago, and that was just so that we could watch videos."

"Would you recommend Bali to everyone?" I ask them.

Diane says, "You have to be a person who is not attached to things and people. Those who come here tend to be people who let life lead them rather than trying to control it. The Balinese don't have a word for future - they don't think about tomorrow the way we do. And the truth is, we don't know. If change is hard for you and if you have big control issues, you don't belong here."
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Martial, 42, from France, owner of the Highway Internet Cafe and PT Bali Kreasi Bisnis Martial's expertise, in addition to the computer business, is land and property acquisition and all things visa-related in Bali. He also has a software and printing business. Martial left France and a prospering real estate business because he says,"I worked like an animal to make 600,000 francs a year ($100,000 U.S) but the government took 425,000 of that in taxes!" "I work with many foreigners who come here expecting to make a fortune. The problem is that while building costs are low, land is very expensive. With 250 million rupiah ($25,000U.S), you can build a very nice house with marble, fine wood, and a pool. But land costs are between 100 million to 200 million rupiah per era. ($10,000 to $20,000 U.S. It takes about two era to build a typical house.) And so foreigners come to this beautiful island and they hear, 'Darling don't you want to build a house on my land?' So you build a house on the land of your boyfriend and after five months or two years, your boyfriend says,  'It's over.' Who is the owner of the house then? The owner of the land."

When In Bali - Do As The Balinese Do

"There is one way a foreigner can purchase land and that is to create a PMA, or a foreign company. It costs some money and is a complicated process, but it can be done. However, you will still be a foreigner in Indonesia without the same rights as Indonesians."

"Is now a good time to invest in Bali?" I ask Martial.

"I will say one thing; there is only one Bali in the world. And so if you buy a piece of Bali, it is likely that it will appreciate in value."

"What about visas?" I ask him. "There are a number of different visas," he says.  "Some require you to leave the country every two months (like tourist visas) and there are those that allow you to stay longer (working visas). Regardless of which one you obtain, it will cost you $5 to $6 a day to live in Bali.

In our 'How to Live in Bali' package, we can help people with all of this. It took me a year of experience to learn what I can tell a client in 45 minutes."

I ask about Indonesia's reputation for corruption - the payoffs, the palm greasing. Martial says, "I prefer to call it commission. If you were a police officer making $50 U.S. a month and you had two children and a wife, you too would be looking to improve your income. I deal regularly with this as a business owner, and sometimes when they give us good service, we show our appreciation."

"What about medical care?" I ask. "It's good for regular intervention, but if you have an emergency, well, it's not so great. You absolutely must have health insurance to transport you to Singapore in case of a serious illness or injury. If you want to live an adventurous, nice life, something very different, you take the risk."

"What is the best thing about living in Bali?" I ask Martial.

"The absolute, breathtaking, gorgeous beauty of the girls. The women here are great. As business partners they are hard working, they are clear, and they are fast. Balinese women have the most beautiful breasts in the world because they grow up carrying everything on their heads. That means they have exquisite posture and the muscles here (he points to his pecs) are permanently working. I weigh more than 100 kilos. I'm not bad, but I am no more Casanova. When I see a girl in France and I say, "Hello Baby, you look very sexy," she says to me, 'Who do you think you are?' Here when I say hi to a girl here, she looks at me and smiles. 'Terima kasi.' she says. Thank you very much. Unfortunately I was 36 years old before I knew about Asian girls, or I would have lived here a long time ago."

"So moving to Bali was a good decision for you?"

"Every morning when I wake up and see my servants smiling and they bring me a French crepe with some strawberry and some rice and I listen to the birds, walk around with my cats, and smoke my first cigarette, I say 'Oui! This is it!'"
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Jim Stayed In Bali

Jim, 60, health practitioner and owner of Cendana Spa, from U.S.A.  Jim came to Bali from Monterey Country, California in 1995. He is a chiropractor and psychologist who offers healing to tourists in a sumptuous spa environment. Jim's story of getting to Bali began when the Loma Prieta earthquake flattened the office building where his practice was located. He lost everything, but with the help of U.S. government loans began to rebuild again. A major economic recession hit California in the early 90's and he was forced to close his practice again. He and his wife of 36 years moved to Carmel, rented a small bungalow, and he opened up another chiropractic office. This time his plans were cut short by the death of his beloved wife. "Enough was enough", Jim says. He flew to Singapore to be near his son. Son took dad to Bali for a healing holiday. Dad stayed in Bali. Dad began to heal, and now Dad, remarried recently, is back to healing others again. "The name Ubud comes from Oebed which means 'place of healing'", Jim says. Bali is a healing place, and I needed it badly."

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