Is Bali life as good as it sounds

[Tango67]

Hi all first time post so go easy, i have been living abroad (an ex Aussie) for 3 years in Macau and have been travelling in and out of China for manufacturing for the lasty 6 years.

My GF who is Balinese ia living and working in china as a golf pro and we are both thinking of moving to Bali to start a new chapter in our lives.

I have been reading some threads on here and i am wondering what the opportunities are like for setting up business and what the lifestyle is really like to live in.

having been to Bali many times as a tourist in many areas i understand holidays are one thing and living and lifestyle are another.

I have no intentions of returning to Oz and had plans on establishing my home in asia somewhere and wanted some feedback from those that have taken these steps.

Any constructive feedback is welcome.

 

[spicyayam]

I think in your situation, Bali would be an ideal place to live. I have lived in China for a couple of years and I know I would much prefer to be in Bali :icon_biggrin:

It's not perfect by any means, but I am sure you are already used to dealing with government red tape. There are business opportunities here, but like anything you have to know what you are doing. Having a Balinese partner will be of some help.

 

[JohnnyCool]

...and what the lifestyle is really like to live in.

Good, bad, indifferent - depends where you live and with whom. Isn't that the case every in the whole wide world? Having said that, the only way to find out is by doing it. Money helps a lot, too, of course.

I think in your situation, Bali would be an ideal place to live.

I strongly disagree with this statement. How can anybody know what "an ideal place to live" is for somebody they've never even met? Ridiculous and presumptious.

You and your Balinese GF might like living here - or maybe not. Would you live in her village, for example? How big is her family? Even if you live somewhere else, you might still have to contribute to family/village ceremonies.

I keep hearing a lot lately that Vietnam is the place to be. Haven't been there yet myself. Go with your gut feelings, explore, take risks and all will be revealed (sooner or later).

:icon_biggrin:

 

[Tango67]

Thanks for the feedback, we definately would not live in her village she has made that clear as she has lived away from Bali for 10 years. Her family have a farm and we are not planning on becoming farmers.

We would prefer to live in sanur or seminak so there maybe some business opportunities and golf courses nearby. She would like to set up a golf acadamey.

Having been to Vietnam i can say its very nice, the food is fantastic however can be chilly in the north same as macau and china.

Having explored and been exposed to chinese and filippino culture i am keen to be exposed to the balinese culture particularly from a local and family point of view. As i said i have visited Bali probably 10 times on holidays and always enjoyed it but living there is far differeant to holidaying.

I guess it all comes down to the business opportunities, i have money to buy a house and eat but like to live a good lifestyle and need some sort of mental stimulation to keep me active...

anyway i will let you know what happens in the future, thanks

 

[pollyanna]

Tango, I agree with Spicyayam. If you've been here 10 times you already have a very good idea of what it would be like to live here. And since you have a close relationship with a Balinese person you have a good idea of what the people are like. For me the people are the best part of the Island.

I can't talk about business opportunities here but a golf academy sounds to me like a great idea.

We have lived in Ubud for less than a year but love it more every day.

Please keep contributing. With your rich cultural background you would have some great stories to tell and I'm sure much to offer.

 

[spicyayam]

How can anybody know what "an ideal place to live" is for somebody they've never even met? Ridiculous and presumptious.

I was just going on the information that Tango had provided and I think based on that information, why wouldn't you say that Bali is a good option? Most countries in Asia it is difficult to own a business or property in your own name if you are a foreigner. Malaysia is perhaps the only exception as their government seems to be quite open to foreign investment. I spent about two months traveling in Vietnam and while it's a great place for a holiday, it's not somewhere where I would like to live. Of course that is just my opinion and I met many English teachers in Hanoi who loved the place. When you mentioned your partner is a golf pro I immediately thought of golf coaching or organizing golf tours to Bali/Indonesia. The Indonesian tourism minister has even mentioned building a new golf course in the Kintamani region, where he is originally from :icon_biggrin: