Moving To Bali - Our Storey

[Nath]

Hi All,

Long time reader, first time post. So a big hi to everyone!

My wife and I have been considering moving to Bali for several months now, and have today just listed our business here in Sydney, Australia for sale to allow this move to take place.

We have found the forum to be a great source of information and a valuable tool to help weigh up the pros and cons of making the big move.

We have 2 young girls and hope to be in Bali by January 09 so that our oldest daughter can start her first year of school over there. I thought over the next few months between now and when we arrive in Bali that I might provide updates about our experiences in making the move, gaining our Visa's, work and enrolling our girls in school.

Not sure if this is the place for that sort of thing, but I know, if I could have read about someone elses experince in making the move from day one, then I am sure they might have been able to pass on tips/experiences that could have helped us with our move.

To give you some background on us; my wife and I are both in our early thirties, our girls are 5 & 2, and we all can't wait to get over there. My father has been living in Bali now for about 8 years, and has been involved in real estate project sales over there. I have an Indonesian brother who is only 6 years old. My background in also in real estate and that is what I am planning to do in Bali. I have already received a few job offers but haven't decided on anything just yet.

So this is really day 1. We have lots to organise like, selling our business here, getting our Visa's over there, arranging accommodation and deciding what to sell or keep and bring over. Really exciting. Hope others find our posts of value and look forward to keeping you posted with how everything goes.

 

[mimpimanis]

Hi Nath

Welcome to the forum and Good luck in your move!

 

[FreoGirl]

Hi Nath
Welcome! I think it would be a great contribution to the forum if you post your story along the way. Including say a couple of updates in the first year after your arrival. There is a fair bit of information on here about preparing for a move, and not much on what happens when you get there. It would be good to hear some of the challenges that a new expat faces in Bali - although is seems you have some great contacts going in, which is a great advantage.

Cheers

 

[Ilu]

Hi Nath.
Welcome to the forum and Good luck, hope to hear more about your move.

 

[Nath]

Thanks for the welcome Ilu, FreoGirl and Mimpi!

Just finished reading Dr Bruce's e-book and living in Bale. Very good read and would recommend it.

Just in the process of organising health insurance as apparently we need this in order to get our KITAS.

All the family getting very excited about the move, but there are also the obvious few nerves that go with any major lifestyle change, leaving friends and family!

We are certainly making the move with our eyes wide open and are expecting plenty of challenges, and know that many people return home with their tale between their legs but I think we are prepared for the ups and downs!

We started working on our list of things to do before the move on the weekend and WOW, we have a long list. Top of that list is telling my mother that we are moving! I know! You would think I would have already done this!

Going to go and search the forum now for information on Banks and Opening a Bank Account over there.

Cheers

 

[ronb]

Just in the process of organising health insurance as apparently we need this in order to get our KITAS.

Hi Nath,

I have a retirement visa, Bali IDE did all the work including getting insurance - and in my case at least, it is not health insurance but liability insurance.

Also, when reading your 1st post, I just wondered if you were thinking that the Indonesian school year started in Jan or Feb - I believe it starts in July - but I am sure this won't matter one bit.

 

[Nath]

Hi Ronb,

Thanks for the info.

Interesting point you raise about the school year. They girls will be going to the Australian International School which follows the Victorian curriculum. So just figured their school is same as ours. But as you say. Won't really matter if that is not the case.

 

[SteffandShaz]

Hi Nath,

Welcome to the forum and good on you for starting this thread. I really look forward to reading of your progress over the coming months and especially how you go on your first few weeks/months in Bali.

Good luck with all the planning and may your God(s) be with you and yours during your move.

Cheers,
Shaz

 

[Nath]

Thanks Steffand Shazz,

Sorry for the big delay since last post. Nothing much has been happening really. Still sorting through finding a buyer for our business here in Oz and with the way things are shping with the world economy things have changed a bit.

The developer that I was too be selling for looks like putting there project on hold, so that has thrown a small spanner in the works. Not to worry. We have several other opportunities over there which we are exploring right now. We will have enough to cover ourselves for a year or so even if the world economy does collapse (which I don't think will anyway).

We have booked our flights for Jan 12, 09 so all things being equal we will be over there then. Our solicitors over there have provided with the details of what we need to get out stay permit and work Visa so we are just getting all of that together.

I walked up the road today from my business to a large Indonesian Furniture outlet and the smells brought so many vivad images back to me of the great times we have had over there. I wish we were going next week but I know the next couple of months will fly by so just have to fucus on what is in front of us now.

We have told a few family and friends of our impending move but mostly we are still trying to keep things quiet until we sell our business. We don't want our staff to get unnecsesarily concerned. Even though we live ina big city like Sydney, it is amzing how word gets around.

Until next time.

 

[AussieDeb]

Hi Nath,
Welcome and I for one will look forward to hearing more about your move. We to are moving over from Sydney Australia in January, for a new life in Bali.

My Partner will be running a new flying school over on the North side of the island a spot called Pemuteran.

So I can relate to allot of the things your feeling, although we are older 48 and 50 our kids are grown, but Im still starting to panic about leaving friends and family... We both have only been to Bali once of course my partner has been visiting Jakarta in the past 5 months in prep for his new job etc.

Ihave a few contacts over there other expats who have been living there for many years, but they will be in the South quite a distance from us... I myself will not be working once I move over, so the worry of how I will cope doing NOTHING is a bit of a daunting as I lead a fairly busy life here on the Central Coast, I am planning on getting into my art and reading and what ever else I can find to do, hoping to once Im settled get involved with the community, and maybe the Orphanages or something along those lines... I know its not quite that cut n dried tho.

Anyways will be following your progress as we go through ours, selling our things also and wondering what to keep and what not to...sheeshhhhh not easy for a women ya know hehehehe.

Take Care
Deborah

 

[chilli]

.. I myself will not be working once I move over, so the worry of how I will cope doing NOTHING is a bit of a daunting as I lead a fairly busy life here on the Central Coast, I am planning on getting into my art and reading and what ever else I can find to do,
Deborah

Lucky you AussieDeb,, dont be afraid of your FREEDOM.. !!!
What a fanstastic adventure for you. :0)

 

[SteffandShaz]

Nath, I hope the sale of your business becomes a reality regardless of the economic climate. At least you are still looking at other avenues...keep us posted

AussieDeb, I'm sure you'll find something to do...NOTHING sounds a bit boring to me. Brings on mental images of sitting in the lounge chair watching TV 24/7!!!! I had 12 months off in 2007 and found that at the end of the year I was wondering where I found the time to go to work...and then stupidly went back to work 3 days a week. Now I'm pushing **it uphill trying to fit in work and the home projects as well. My garden takes up a LOT of time.

One of these days that garden will be in Bali... :mrgreen:

 

[Nath]

AussiDeb, my wife is wondering the same thing as she will not be working either and is also used to working here in Aus. She is looking forward to filling her time with interests she has not had time to pursue before. In between running the girls to and from School!

I spoke to my father over there today. He was a little concerned about the risk of another bombing in retatliaion for the execution of the Bali Bombers which is looking more immenent. Not worried for himself but wanting to make sure we are making the move to Bali with our eyes open to the possibilites. No matter what happens, Bali will recover, it will just take time!

 

[Nath]

Hi All,

Well, with the way the world economy is going, the threat of another bombing and the passing of the new pornography legislation, I must admit that we are wondering if now is the 'right' time to be moving to Bali.

The slowing economy is certainly effecting the industry that my business is in here in Oz, so that means we will probaly have to accept a lower sale price for our business, which means we have less money to move to Bali with. Bugger!

My contacts in Bali tell me the real estate market has already been effected with prices falling, so I have to think about my income earning potential over there now. Lots to think about! Especially wih a family to feed.

 

[SG]

More to the point you can no longer buy a half decent bottle of wine here or a bottle of Absolut...or for that matter most imported foodstuffs thanks to halfbaked new regulations out of that irrational morass they call Jakarta.

 

[Roy]

Indeed! It is rather dismal right now, to say the least. And, those few with effective "contacts" are guarding them like they were children.

http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=4848

 

[Dasha]

You can still get a bottle of Bin 389 at the Kori poppies 2 for 450 thouRP.... 8 weeks ago anyway unless they have run out now. That's on par with Australian restaurant prices. Hard to get in Indo i must say. It pays to shop around. Ps just ask for Ralph and he will help you whilst dining fine!

 

[LMM]

Hi AussieDeb
I hope you are already enjoying the Bali life.
In my case I am still preparing the grounds for a mid run move.
It called my attention that you have chosen the north for you stay and that your partner will be running a flying school.
These are nice coincidences. I have “bought” a property near Lovina and I am a private pilot from Barcelona. I wondered many times if there was any flying activity over there. Last August I visited the airfield near Permuteran but there was nobody there. I hope to have better luck this August when I go back.
If you plan to be there during August it would be nice to meet and share experiences.
Regards
Lino

 

[tintin]

You and I, LMM.

I am in Pemuteran quite often. My going there goes back a long way, when there was absolutely nothing there, except for a small group of modest houses and shacks along the only road, something one with some imagination could have called a "fishing village," and a two-room homestay (since then defunct). My good friend and I opened the area up, starting back in 1992, with Pondok Sari, and later on, I brought in my friend Chris Brown who started "Reef Seen Diving Center."

I've driven past the "airport" so many times, and sometime I've stopped and chatted with a local, but the lapandang udara was always deserted. I have never witnessed any activities that resembled that of an airport, including a plane landing or taking off.

 

[Bert Vierstra]

Ah, as a (former) private pilot I also went there once. I happened to see a Cessna 206 take off with some tourists to the Main Airport... downhill and downwind....

They only flying activity I see in the North is a motorized para sail now and then, a few weeks ago I saw one over Singaraja.

It supposed to be a bule, living in the area of Gerokgak, but I am not sure...