OUR STORY

Arriving in Bali just after midnight, we were met by Rai, our house keeper/maintainer, guy. Having leased a traditional style Balinese house in the capital city of Denpassar the past August we depend on Rai to keep the place clean and take care of the koi pond and grounds. He also serves as our driver. The house is located about 20 minutes drive from the airport on a quiet dead end street. We were attracted to this place because of its charming traditional appearance and the space it has with two stories, two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, separate dining and living rooms and a separate kitchen and utility room.

Bali House

The first time we visited Bali in July 2015 we spent most of the time touring the island and getting familiar with the places of interest. Here's a couple links that show many of them:

Bali Sights - Lonely Planet

Bali - Ultimate Guide

As you see from the links Bali has a primarily Hindu culture. This makes it different from most of the other Indonesian islands which tend to be mostly a Muslim culture. We are still very ignorant of the Hindu way of life but from the little we have learned they have many, many religious events/celebrations and they seem to be very big on family, with several generations living together in a family complex that can include its own family shrine.
 
One of the first things we noticed was the road traffic. Driving on the left side as is the custom there, the challenges for a person driving their own car is to avoid the myriad motor scooters that constantly stream by in back, in front and sometimes on both sides of your car. Like a swarm of bees they move down the road zigging and zagging between lanes (actually no one really stays in a lane) while they avoid each other and the cars and trucks that all share the same roadway. Chaos defined you might think but in the two weeks we spend in Bali we never saw an accident, and we spent a lot of time being driven around. The normal rules of the road that work in the US and Europe don't work here. The paramount rule in Bali is to give way when necessary and avoid contact at all costs. Right of way is traded back and forth as is needed to get everyone down the road. Might still makes right in some cases as large vehicles like buses and trucks will push the limits at times but no one we saw got angry or made and gestures that would construe road rage.

Summarizing Bali at this point I'd have to say that it is one of the most easy going places I've ever experienced. The pace is moderated not only by the generally accommodating attitude of the people but also by their extreme friendliness and Hindu values. The climate may also play a part as it is tropical encouraging a moderate pace of life with frequent breaks to escape from the direct sun and humidity.

This time in Bali we did not spend time seeing the sights rather we concentrated on improving the house which needs some remodeling of the the bathrooms and other paint and patch work inside. I'll spare you the details but we managed to make some big visual improvements in the week we had with a tube of Spackle, putty knife, tile gout and touch up paint. We also cleaned out quite a number of derelict items in the kitchen and closets. The junk man got a lot of business that week. We went shopping several times to buy  basics for cooking and other kitchen accessories and acquired a couple fans to help move the air around inside the house and kitchen. We are inveterate fixers. Must be in our genes. Of course we are looking forward to the time when we can come there and live comfortably in retirement enjoying the house and its amenities.

Return to Home