| Being In
Bali ~ Page Two |
| Looking
At The Expatriate Scene In Bali |
| By Robin Sparks |
| I ask Jim
about the business climate in Bali.
"The Balinese
have lived in a communal society for 10,000 years or so and they share
what they earn. If someone new comes along and does well, there's a lot
of jealousy. They have a different ethic than I have and it's hard for
me to adjust to it sometimes. A contract has some validity, but still what
can you do if they decide not to honor it? Take them to court and sue them?
Indonesia has the most corrupt justice system in Asia. Whoever pays the
most wins. It's a risk you take and you accept the rules the way they are
here, or you don't come."
"What type
of expatriates do best it in Bali?" |
|
|
|
|
|
"Those
who are open to whatever experience comes to them and trust in the universe
that whatever happens will be in their best benefit. I'm not afraid of
losing anything because I've already lost it all. If you can give up control
and expectations and fear, then you can make it in Bali."
| Search
4Escape - The International Lifestyles Search Engine |
| -
4Escape is a search engine that searches our network of websites each of
which shares a common theme: International relocation, living ? investing
overseas, overseas jobs, embassies, maps, international real estate, asset
protection, articles about how to live ? invest overseas, Caribbean properties
and lifestyles, overseas retirement, offshore investments, our yacht broker
portal, our house swap portal, articles on overseas employment, international
vacation rentals, international vacation packages, travel resources,
every embassy in the world, maps of the world, our three very popular eZines
. . . and, as they are fond to say, a great deal more. |
|
|
"What's the
worst thing about living in Bali?"
"I miss
the cultural things like theatre groups."
"The best?" |
|
|
| "How very
comfortable it is here. When I start to get discouraged about the difficulty
of doing business in Bali, I remember what it was really like in the U.S.
- the constant threat of legal action for one thing."
"I am grateful
for the good experiences and the bad ones I've had in Bali. I was able
to rebuild my life. I have remarried, I have a beautiful home and servants,
and I am working again helping others to heal."
Elliot,
in his 60's, Exporter, from U.S.
A number of
expatriates can be found on Thursday nights at Nuri's ( a cafe owned by
expatriate Brian, from New York) for fresh tuna night. That is where I
meet Elliot, a robust southern gentleman from South Carolina. I ask Elliot
how he came to be in Bali. He says, "I got a divorce and there was a
big 'ole hurricane. |
|
|
Offshore
Resources Gallery
|
|
|
| I cashed
out and gave away everything else. A friend living in Guam at that
time told me there were no Rent-A-Wreck companies there so I bought 45
used automobiles and started a used car rental business. It did great.
Then a typhoon came along and blew all the cars into the ocean. I used
to come to Bali with my girlfriend. I started buying things and then a
few extra things to sell. They'd be snatched up in a few hours. So I began
exporting furniture out of Bali to Guam. When Guam was full of teak furniture,
I struck up a deal with a furniture wholesaler in South Carolina and started
shipping to him. That's what I do today. I own nothing except for my business,
and that's the way I like it."
Tony, in
his 50's, retired, from Australia
Tony, a Hemingwayesque
father of 5 children, moved to Bali three years ago after a divorce. He
has just bought 42 era on the side of a mountain. "Living there will
give me the isolation I love," he says. "It's a stunningly beautiful piece
of land, very spiritual. From the top you can see the volcano and the ocean."
He bought the land under a lease agreement with the owner for 110,000,000
rupiah ($11,000) and plans to build a house for under $30,000 U.S. |
|
|
| He says,
"People back home have no idea they can live in Paradise for so little."
Theo Zantman,
50-years old, artist, from Holland
Theo came
to Bali in 1970 after living in Tunisia for several years. "When I arrived
in Bali, I felt at home immediately, as if I had come to visit my grandmother."
he says. Theo paints every day in his studio, which is located in the old
art center, Penestanan. Theo's art is in galleries all over the world including
a permanent exhibition in Belgium where his son manages his business.
He says. "Bali
has a spiritual energy that is found in few other places on the planet
- it is in fact one of the chakra points of mother earth."
Bali's Shadow
A three-dimensional
portrait contains shadow and light. |
|
|
Offshore
Resources Gallery
|
| Escape
From America Magazine - The Magazine To Read To If You Want To Move Overseas |
| - Began Summer
1998 - Now with almost a half million subscribers, out eZine is the resource
that expats, and wantabe expats turn to for information. Our archives
now have thousands of articles and each month we publish another issue
to a growing audience of international readers. Over 100 people a
day subscribe to our eZine. We've been interviewed and referenced
by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Washington Post, London Talk Show
Radio, C-Span, BBC Click Online, Yahoo Magazine, the New York Times, and
countless other media sources. Featuring International Lifestyles
~ Overseas Jobs ~ Expat Resources ~ Offshore Investments ~ Overseas
Retirement - Second Passports ~ Disappearing Acts ~ Offshore eCommerce
~ Unique Travel ~ Iconoclastic Views ~ Personal Accounts ~ Views From Afar
~ Two things have ushered us into a world without borders... the end of
the cold war and the advent of the world wide web of global communications
? commerce. Ten years and over one hundred issues! We're just
getting started - Gilly Rich - Editor |
|
|
| The Balinese
understand this concept well - the religious offerings which are such an
integral part of their lives, are made to the bad gods as well as the good.
Even paradise has its dark side.
Harassment
by hawkers on the beaches of Bali -"Sarong? Madam want beautiful sarong?"
"Bali Boy? Only $20!" - is relentless. Even in Ubud, you can't walk
through town without being assaulted by locals trying to sell you everything
from"transport" to paintings. I am told that this is a relatively
new phenomenon and only occurs in the tourist centers; that in the villages,
people are still content to make a living off the land.
But it goes
beyond pushy street vendors. Stealing and home robberies are commonplace
in Bali, although, thankfully, physical violence is not. If you leave a
personal item (like the sunglasses I "lost" at the medicine man's
house), it is highly doubtful anyone is going to say, "Excuse me maam,
but you left your...." My explanation is that in a society where everything
is shared, the lack of a boundary between yours and mine, means that everything
is up for grabs.
Lack of privacy
is another issue that I as a westerner find difficult here. Bali's communal
lifestyle means everything is shared including time and space. The nice
thing about this is that my neighbors watch my back, but on the other hand,
I cannot work at home uninterrupted. When I leave (usually to "hide
out" at a cafe), everyone I pass on my way out of the neighborhood
says, "Miss Robin, where you go?"
I mentioned
corruption earlier in this story. in some ways it can be a good thing.
It's easier, for instance, to simply hand a policeman a few bucks if you
are stopped than to go through the hassle of receiving a ticket and all
that that entails. It's also more convenient in many cases to pay someone
off than to wade through the mountains of regulations required in most
countries to get anything done. (Building permits for example) The
negative side to this is that the Balinese see foreigners as bottomless
sources of income and their efforts to profit from them are creative and
persistent.
Clock is
Ticking...
After three
months, Bali is still best. I will return in January, during the
rainy season to be sure. Next week I will go home to reconnect with loved
ones and to tie into a slipknot, the loose ends which need to be secured
before I make the move.
I have begun
the process of exploring ways to earn my keep in Paradise. As a writer,
thanks to the Internet, I can work anywhere on the planet where there is
an electrical outlet and a telephone line. I will finish my book about
expatriate havens. (Look for it this time next year!) And I will
offer creative writing workshops in Bali.
I may have
found my place in the sun, but I'll continue to check out expatriate havens
in South Africa, Cambodia, Brazil, and beyond - and I will share my findings
with you.
Thanks to all
of you for your emails of encouragement and for hanging with me on this
journey of self and geographical exploration. It is you, the readers, who
have fueled the adventure. And so, for now anyway, I will keep one toe
in the U.S., and move the rest of me to Bali.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION:
http://www.expat.or.id
-
A great source
of practical information for expats in Indonesia
http://www.strangerinparadise.com
-
Entertaining
reading about expat life in Bali
All of the
following are lcated in Ubud, Bali:
Cendana
Resort & Spa
Dr. Jim Taylor
www.healthresortsbali.com
62-81-239-27826
Made's Warung
"Best Food
In Ubud" (and a great place to find houses for rent in the rice paddies)
Br. Penestanan
Kaja
62-361-977885
PT Bali
Kreasi Bisnis
"We create,
develop and maintain your business." Highway Internet Cafe
highwaybali@hotmail.cm
-
Tel. 62-361-972107
Fax 62-361-972106
Taman Rahasia
"The Secret
Garden" Boutique Resort Spa & Restaurant
www.balisecretgarden.cm
-
Email: info@balisecretgarden.com
-
phone: 62-361-979-395
Theo Zantman
www.theozantman.com
- |
|
 |
|
Article
Index ~ Indonesia
Index ~ |
Copyright 1996 -
EscapeArtist.com
Inc. All Rights Reserved