Bali has a certain appeal for many travelers, some of whom visit the island every chance they can get. It’s not surprising then that many then want to live here permanently. The move is a major one for most people, one fraught with emotion and not to mention, expense. Here is a list of some of the major mistakes I have seen people make since moving to Bali myself and hopefully you can avoid them too if you move to Bali.

1. Chasing the freehold property dream

Foreigners cannot own property in Indonesia. It is as simple as that. Many people will try to get around the law by placing the property in Indonesian friend’s name, but it still doesn’t make it legal.

2. Thinking you can find a job

Unemployment or underemployment is very high in Indonesia. There are also many highly skilled Indonesian workers whose salaries will be a lot less than what most expats will want to be paid. It is also expensive for a company to employ a foreigner, the visa alone is around $2000. There are a few English teaching jobs, but the pay is low and the competition is high, for the few jobs available. Most foreigners who don’t already have an outside income, try starting a business in Bali to survive.

3. Starting the wrong kind of business

I think one of the main reasons why expats fail at starting a business in Bali, is not having enough experience in the business they start. There is a huge turnover in the bars and restaurants all over Bali. Sure there are established places that seem to have been around forever, but it has taken the business owners years of hard work to get to there.

4. Getting in the wrong relationship

Going out to bars and clubs is a fun activity for many expats and making friends with other expats and locals. Having a relationship with a local whom they met in a nightclub is one thing, buying a property or business and using them as the nominee (Indonesian owner) is a recipe for disaster, which I have seen all too often.

5. Not learning the culture

When a foreigner recently got caught with drugs in Bali and received a hefty sentence, one of the newspapers in his home country said he wouldn’t even have gone to jail for the offense in his country. Indonesia has different laws, customs and language and it is up to foreigners moving or even traveling to Bali to be familiar with the laws and culture of their new home. There is nothing worse than expats who continually compare the way things are done “back home”.

6. Not learning the language

Indonesian is a relatively easy language to learn, but it still requires effort and practice. You will gain a great deal of respect by Indonesian people by communicating in their language.

7. Underestimating the cost of living in Bali

Generally speaking Bali has a lower cost of living than most western countries. Gasoline for example is subsidized by the government. Meat, fruit and vegetables is typically inexpensive and you can eat cheaply at warungs. This makes people think they can live very cheaply in Bali. The reality is that there are a number of expenses people don’t think about when calculating their budget. Visa runs to Malaysia or Singapore for example and health insurance or medical bills, if you don’t have any insurance. Imported items are generally more expensive and imported alcohol can be around 3-4 times the usual price.

8. Getting the wrong visa

Many people come to Bali thinking they can do some work on a social, business or even retirement visa. The only visa which you can legally work on is a ‘working visa’. If a potential employer offers you work, don’t even think about accepting the job unless your company will provide a working visa.

9. Not getting the proper legal advice

Bali forums and the internet are good for doing basic research and getting some ideas about how things operate, but it should not a replacement for getting proper legal advice from a qualified consultant, notary or lawyer. Just because a foreigner has started their own hotel in Bali, doesn’t mean they will know all of the legal aspects. How can you know if what they did is the right procedure to follow anyway?

10. Not making local friends

As difficult it is to imagine probably for most people, some expats who move to Bali only associate or make friends with other expats. Having many local friends will only make your stay in Bali more enjoyable and in many ways easier. Dealing with bureaucracy can be a real pain, but having a friend who can help you out makes everything so much smoother. At the same time I believe it is also healthy to make friends with fellow expats. Like many things about living in Bali, it’s all about finding a good balance.

It’s been a while since I posted to this blog.  I have been busy writing a guide to starting a business in Bali.  Before I launch the book, I wanted to give a new look to the site.

I am happy with the new look and for someone with no design skills, I think the logo looks reasonable.  I also changed hosts.  Moving the blog was easy enough, but I did a complete reinstall of Joomla which powers the front page of the site and the property section.

Unfortunately, for people who were already registered to the site to list their properties, they will need to do it again.

Living in Buleleng in the north of Bali, you quickly realize that the tourist boom in the south hasn’t quite made it to the north of Bali. Of course, this is great for people looking for a quiet place to stay or live, but there’s not a lot of opportunity for the local population to find work or start a business.

So, it was good to hear the news that the Bali-India Foundation is planning to build Asia’s largest yoga center in Buleleng regency in north Bali.

The center will be built on 1.5 hectares of land near the village of Sukasada.

“The yoga center will be fully dedicated to social activities and the local community’s well-being,” said Dr. Somvir, an Indian professor who lectures in cultural studies and tourism at Bali’s Udayana University

I noticed the build up in a number of yachts and catamarans in Lovina over the past few weeks and just realized that they are part of Sail Indonesia 2009. Last night they had Balinese dancers on the beach and central Lovina was packed with people.

Sail Indonesia is a three month trip around Indonesia which leaves from Darwin Australia and also travels to Langkawi in Malaysia. I am sure it would be a great trip and it provides a good boost to tourism in the region.

From September 30 to October 4th there are a number of events and activities planned especially for the sailors.

Unfortunately there is not much information available on the events taking place other than this billboard on the beach.

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The Calgary Herald reports that the managing editor of the Bali Times newspaper William Furney, is in a legal battle with his ex-wife Sara Oxley, over the custody of their children. Indonesian immigration will only issue exit permits with the children’s original Irish passports, which Furney is holding. Furney is from Ireland and his ex-wife is from England.

“There has not yet been a final outcome of the proceedings here and therefore Sara is wrong to try to take the children away and to refuse me access to them.
“If she did manage to return to England with my children, I am ready to take action to have the High Court order enforced – and that means an immediate return of the children to Bali,” Furney was reported as saying in the Eastbourne Herald.

I have been using an agent to get my visa extensions and for the second extension, I had to actually visit the immigration office near the airport in Kuta to get photographed and finger printed. They had a scanner to take all of my finger prints, so no ink involved. I remember having to get finger printed in Japan for a visa many years ago for a visa. So many foreigners complained about being treated like criminals that eventually they did away with the practice.

With the bombings and terrorists in Indonesia, immigration is taking care who they allow to stay in the country. I saw a wanted pictures for alleged bomber and terrorist Nordon Top, posted at the airport. The process at immigration however went smoothly and I pick up my passport next week.

While waiting my turn, a young girl walked in and started randomly asking people where she could get a number. An immigration guy behind the counter asked what she wanted, and she said she wanted to extend her tourist visa. Tourist visas are generally unextendable but it is possible if you go through an agent and pay a small “fee”.

Anyway, the immigration official said she couldn’t extend it and then the girl started yelling “this is bullshit”. “My embassy told me I could extend it”. It was funny to watch and I am not sure how she thought that telling the official that the laws were “bullshit” would help her case.

The Jakarta Post is reporting that Bali is facing power cuts in Bali between September 23 and November 23 as repairs are undertaken on the gas-fired Gilimanuk power plant PLTG) in Jembrana regency.

“We expect the governor and regents to spread the news to village and district heads, and finally to residents,” PLN Bali spokesman Agung Mastika said Tuesday.

After yesterdays bombings in Jakarta, Bali is on high alert as some people fear it could be the next target.

“Bali remains an attractive potential target for terrorists,” Police Chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Asikin Husein said. “One of the characteristics of terrorists is [their love of] publicity. If anything happens in Bali, it will quickly become international [news].”

Tourism offiicials are confident however the bombings won’t have a major affect on tourism.

“The last Marriott bombing did not have a serious impact on tourism in Bali,” said Bali Hotel Association executive director Djinaldi Gosana, referring to an August 2003 car-bomb attack at the Jakarta hotel, which left 12 people dead, including a Dutch businessman and two Chinese tourists.

Three Australians died in the bomb blasts: Nathan Verity, Craig Senger and Garth McEvoy had died in the bombings.

Police believe Malaysian-born explosives expert Noordin Top was behind the attacks.

Jason Scott McIntyre, 33 has been charged with drug possession and drug use for carrying about 5 grams of hashish in Kuta, Bali.

The possession charge carries a sentence of 10 years jail and drug use a maximum of four years.

From the Australian newspaper:

Arresting officer Cokorda Alit said he found Mr McIntyre stumbling down the street talking gibberish.

“He said he got the drugs for free from a woman,” Alit told the court.

“He admitted that he was using it and his urine tested positive.”

McIntyre is from Humpty Doo, a small town in Australia’s Northern Territory approximately
Mr McIntyre is from Western Australia but has been living most recently in Humpty Doo, in the Northern Territory, about 40 km from Darwin.