What is so special about Bali? – Why You Will Love Bali?

Source: Eat Pray Love Bali Trailer on Youtube

What is so special about Bali?

I keep asking other ex-pats: “What is so special about Bali?” And almost everyone who lives for a while in Bali says something similar to that:

“It is the mentality of the locals.”

What is so special about Bali?

Example 1: Scooter rental

The full story about the scooter rental and why the Balinese are so trustful …

When I arrived the first time I booked the workation which included accommodation and a scooter. We found the scooter keys at the reception with the helmets. And we found the scooters in front of the villa. No one asked us for
– deposit
– credit card imprint
– not even for a license or ID.

What is so special about Bali?

Example 2:

If you drop your laundry, they just ask for your name. And write it in a funny spelling on your bag. Then they say “you can pick it up tomorrow.” No receipt, no pre-payment, no administrative overhead. The Hindus call it karma. People trust each other and they get back what they expect:

Honest guests and customers!

Sure, the situation has changed in Kuta, Legian, Ubud and the other places, where there are a lot of (party-)tourists, who only stay for a short period of time. But even there the atmosphere is pretty relaxed and trustful. Especially compared to the biggest scarcity in the world: the USA. Even though a lot of businesses are run by people that are not from Bali. But everybody gets influenced by the gratefulness of the locals and their open minds. And even Moslems from Jakarta are living it after they are in Bali for a while and doing all the things which are forbidden back home.

What is so special about Bali?

Example 3:

Those stunning pictures my friend Willem shares every week tell it all!

Willem is from the Netherlands and he lives already for more than 30 years in Bali between Hindus. And he keeps taking photos of their ceremonies, sunrises, and sunsets at Pererenan, Munggu, and Seseh beaches. He says: “I feel always very welcome at the ceremonies of the locals, due to their open-mindedness. And they never ever tried to convince me to convert to Hinduism.” He keeps writing every week a blog in his Moon Phase Friend Group and shares the best pictures he took during the latest week.

Why is the spirit so special in Bali?

I think the major reason is one ritual of the Hindus, which is gratitude!

They pray and give twice a day something to express their gratitude. And it is amazing to see with which passion they do it. They are completely into it. And this ritual primes their mind. They live and almost fearless life.

What makes it so convenient to stay there?

The price level for services and products is so low, that you can easily live there for the amount of money you pay in a western country for rent and your car. A nice room with a reasonable standard is about 300 € a month. Most of the places have a shared kitchen. They even tidy up your room every day. You do not have any auxiliary nor maintenance cost, like for a rented flat back home. Scooter rental is about 60 € a month and fuel costs only 0,60 € a liter. Dinner in a restaurant including a drink costs about 6 €. If you eat in a restaurant where mostly locals go, this kind of money easily feeds two people.

You need very little cloths. Don’t buy any before you come to Bali. You can buy Tshirts from 1,20 € and shorts from 3 €. The laundry costs 0,50 to 1 € per kg, and you get nice smelling and ironed clothes back the next day. That makes it easy to travel light – just with carry on luggage only.

And what is the downside of it?

I am probably the worst candidate to answer this question. Because I am deeply in love with Bali. Not even a woman could cope with it. And for the most things, that are annoying I found some workarounds.

If you intend to stay permanently in Bali:

The possibility to stay permanently is a bit difficult, due to the visa restrictions. If you are over 55 you can apply for a pensioner visa, which allows you a permanent residence. If you want to work in Indonesia a so-called KITAS is required, which costs about 1.000 € a year. Plus it is a lot of paperwork. Working remotely under the radar is easily possible, and if you do not earn money in Indonesia, it is no problem. But you have to leave the country every 2 months for a visa run. Which means you stay for at least 1 night in another country.

Flights to Singapore are the cheapest option from about 140 € return. You take a flight in the evening out of Indonesia, and one of the first flights in the morning back. I always chose to stay some nights in one of the neighbor countries. And so I visited Malasia, Philippines, Australia, Thailand this way. All flights were below 300 € return. Other options are Myanmar, Timor Leste, New Guniea. But flights to those locations are much more expensive, 400 to 600 €. For that kind of money, you can almost fly to Europe.

Money transfers are pretty expensive. The ATMs payout only small amounts an equivalent of 80, 160, or in the best case about 200 € of cash from your Maestro or credit card. And you always have fees between 4,5-6€ per transaction. So it always adds 3-8% to your expenses. I opened a local bank account with I can withdraw money at almost no cost. And I transfer money via transferwise. Which only costs 0,2% of the transferred amount. It is quick and reliable but only works one way.

If you intend to start a business in Bali:

There is hardly an attractive way (with a reasonable exchange rate and transfer cost) to change money from IDR (Indonesian Rupiah) into another currency. The only thing I can think of is running a money exchange business.

You need to get used to rubbish and low hygienical standards:

You shouldn’t drink tap water. I know 2 people who got Thyfus, which is mostly transmitted through water. No one needs to die from Thyfus anymore nowadays if it is treated medically. So, most of the water gets sold in plastic bottles. Those bottles and other rubbish is almost everywhere. Even if the first duty of the day is brooming the street. The awareness of hygiene is on a low level, but it is developing. They start separating the rubbish and a daily collection picks it up before it starts to stink too badly. What it actually does pretty quick, due to the tropical temperatures. Toilettes can be pretty dirty. In guesthouses, what the locals call homestay, the standards are almost on the European level.

What really sucks is, that they do not have a snake in the drain. So, the drain always is a source for a smelly bathroom. To make the aircon work efficient and to get rid of the mosquitos, they keep closing the windows. And the humidity cannot escape. So bathrooms are often full of mold. Also, the aircon stinks like mold when you switch them on. Especially concrete buildings are getting mold during the rainy season, especially in the basement. So I always prefer a wooden building with a fan instead of an aircon. Or an apartment on the second or third floor, which is usually pretty dry inside. You always have a breeze up there, so it blows away the mosquitos. Bali is free of Malaria, but the bastards can carry the Dengue Fever virus. I only know one person who got infected, but already 3 times.

Tourist prices – special rates for “bule”

Bule is the Indonesian word for a white person / caucasian. And other than black for an Afro-American, it is not considered as offensive. Actually the Indonesians call themself black, even if they just have just a wonderful chocolate taint.

Anyway, as a white person, you mostly pay an extra compared to the locals. This can be up to 3 or even 10 times. And it is still cheap for us. Well, at home one would mostly get better quality. I keep asking a local first, how much is the normal price. Then I start bargaining. And if I pay 10-30% more, that is fine for me. Being prepared like that most people do not overshoot with their prices anymore. They feel that they cannot make any business with you that way.

Now Return to Day 7 of Your Abundance Challenge – Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire

Day 7 for Your Abundance Challenge – Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire

Vital and happy regards
Klaus Forster