So you want to live in Bali?

I live in Bali. Now, before you say, awwww, that must be like living in Paradise, let me give you a quick reality check. Yes, it can be an amazing life. There aren't all the rules and regulations that constrict us in the Western world. People come to Bali to re-invent themselves, create new careers and lives, find love, get healthy and fit, tap into or expand their spirituality -- think Eat, Pray, Love and how Liz Gilbert re-discovered herself, her love of writing and found a soulmate.

As you can imagine, Bali is a magnet for digital nomads, yoga teachers, artists, writers, creatives, tech people, retirees and anyone wanting to write their memoir or novel.

Bali also offers the chance to live more cheaply and comfortably than you can in most Western countries. The best part is that often the money that digital nomads or retirees pay goes directly to local families and businesses.

BUT.....

I find that most people have a very superficial idea about Bali and often their interest is limited to finding out it's warm, cheap, sunny, has beaches, hordes of people practicing mediation and yoga and a diverse and healthy food culture.

I love to tell stories about Bali and I've published travel articles, short stories and non fiction essays. People always want to hear more stories about Bali and what it's like to live here. When I'm travelling, I usually tell people I live in Indonesia, because if I tell them I live in Bali, I will be pinned to my airplane seat, bar stool or chair, as they ask a hundred questions about what it's really like (with a wistful faraway look in their eyes as they listen). I do love my adopted island and I like to share my knowledge and stories.

HOW I PLAN TO USE MEMBERS-ONLY

I want to tell stories about getting under the skin of Bali, being a part of the civic and ceremonial life in my village, volunteering at a local health center, seeing poverty, encountering spirits, meeting holy men and magical healers, making close friendships with Balinese, healing old wounds and family trauma and learning more about connection and community than I ever have before. In other words, the "real" Bali that travelers are always searching for.

People are lonelier in the 21st century with all our social media than they've been at any point in history. Wouldn't you like to find an affordable community that supports and cares about you, and offers real connections?

I've lived here for over a decade, am active in my local community and have extended Indonesian family. I can bridge our two worlds and guide newcomers or travelers to Bali, helping them out with lessons and tips I've learned over the years. I was lucky enough to come as a volunteer fundraiser for two years for a health center run by CNN Hero Robin Lim. She's lived here for 25 years and gave me the advice and support I needed to settle in and become part of a community in Bali. Here's a snapshot of the clinic and the work it does. (I helped raise the money that built that big new building - go me!) Part of community is giving back.

The sites for digital nomads just talk about the best cafes to eat in or the best co-working spaces. They don't tell you what to do if you have a motorcycle accident and have to deal with the police. The sites for retirees usually try to sell a cheap lifestyle, land or villas, and don't tell people how to set up an emergency support network or why they should get to know their village leaders. None of the nomad or retiree groups or networks tell you how to become part of an engaged, active, support, caring community here. I've never experienced living in a community like Bali before, i.e. local friends helped me when I had dengue fever, delivered meals and medicines to my house, and checked on me a few times a day.

When the pandemic hit, Bali emptied out and the local economy, dependant largely on tourism, collapsed. Even now, with a small stream of domestic tourists coming and a handful of digital nomads returning, 90% of restaurants and businesses are closed or bankrupt. Many Balinese have gone home to distant family compounds and returned to farming. I want to encourage more travelers to consider staying for longer periods of time in Bali or consider retiring here, to create a more sustainable economy than mass tourism, but to do so in a mindful way and minimize negative impacts. One retiree or nomad can spend as much as a tourist here and isn't leaving in 5-7 days, and that spend is ongoing. The regional government is also re-thinking mass tourism in favor of more sustainable, longer-term stayers, like digital nomads or retirees.

There is definitely a large interest out in the world about Bali. Usada Bali, a center that promotes Indonesian culture, music, history and traditional healing, had limited numbers of people attending their live events in Ubud pre-pandemic. However, when they had to switch to live-streaming after COVID hit, thousands of people signed up to watch workshops, talks and interviews. Bali is always ranked as one of the top destinations on digital nomad Facebook pages or chat groups. And now the pandemic has left many people feeling it's "now or never" time to pursue their bucket-list dreams.

Sadly, much of the news out of Bali this past year has been about foreigners behaving badly, ignoring health protocols or flouting local laws and being deported.

Bali would benefit from more culturally aware and culturally sensitive ex-pats, digital nomads or retirees, who really wish to deepen their interaction with and experience of the island's unique way of life and provide a sustainable income source for local businesses and people.

My vision is to teach people about what it can really be like to live in Bali, in a smarter, respectful and mindful way, using stories and podcast interviews, as well as some how-to (or how not-to) lists. It's a win-win. The local economy gets a boost and people searching for real community can find it.

I would offer a level of free access to some Bali stories and articles, while offering longer read stories, podcast interviews and detailed itineraries for paying subscribers. Whether people want to visit for a few months, stay for a year or retire to Bali, I will give people the real "insiders look" at immersing themselves in a special and unique culture and deepening their understanding and awareness of other ways of life and other people. I'll also drop in some excerpts from a memoir I'm working on about coming to Bali and adopting an Indonesian daughter.

Here are just a few of the topics I'll cover:

• Playing the "Ibu" card - Balinese culture, unlike the West, and like many Asian countries, has a deep respect for elders. When I moved here in my 40s (I'm now in my 50s) I was shocked to find that instead of becoming increasingly invisible as I was back home, I suddenly had new status and respect because of my age, that actually INCREASED as I got older. I'll interview an American friend, married to a Balinese husband, who plays the "Ibu" card every chance she gets!
• I'll tell stories about Bali's traditional healers, or balians, who treat the whole person and address your depression and lack of energy as well as your sore shoulder.
• Why you want to make Balinese friends -- real friends for life. My Balinese friends are as curious about me as I am about them, and they teach me so much about living here respectfully and happily. They are always there for me no matter what. You know you can call at 3 am and they will listen or come over.
• How to be an active part of the civic life of your village and have that community take care of you in a crisis.
• How not to offend Balinese people.
• How to deal with medical emergencies (there is neither 911 or emergency services here) and learn about creating or tapping into support networks in Bali.

Bali is simply an amazing place to live, reinvent yourself and connect with people, but if you're respectful and aware of how things work here, you'll have an easier, happier, more fulfilling experience.

I also want to give back to Bali by connecting travelers directly with primary producers, artisans, craftspeople and vetted tour operators so money flows directly to local families and communities. I'll do this by creating customized itineraries available to paying subscribers. These won't be stock-standard trips but always changing and different from the stock-standard list of things to do in Bali.

I'll consult with a friend who worked for Intrepid for ten years and designed their Indonesian trips. Plus I'll speak with local cultural experts about the best experiences to have in Bali off the tourist track.

The itineraries will let people join existing cultural tours with local experts, like a highlands tour of Papua or culinary boat adventures to the Spice Islands, or head off to visit a batik factory in Pejeng that is owned by employees, buy coffee or vanilla directly from growers, watch how seaweed farms are returning to the waters around the Gili Islands to create sustainable income for fishermen, or meet a young high priestess who is revitalizing her community, take part in a water ceremony and receive a blessing from her. It could also be a highly individual shopping itinerary, including a visit to a shop unknown to tourists that sells museum quality items, sourced from across the archipelago, or a foundation that supports weavers across Indonesia and pays them fair wages to produce their traditional cloth before historic patterns are lost forever, or specialized crafts people that most tourists would never come across on their own.

I will also encourage people to travel outside Bali and see the other incredible island cultures of Indonesis.

Today is a typical day for me:

Get up and get my daughter off to music class. The ex-pat who organizes our cheese buying group calls. (We're supporting local food businesses to keep them going in these hard times.) Her helper can drop off my purchase on her way home, saving me a trip to Ubud. This same ex-pat is the one to call if you have any urgent medical issues - she will organize a team within half a hour at a local clinic to evaluate you and get you to the best hospital and specialist on the island. She also runs bridge and mah jong clubs. Her dinner parties are like a Paris salon, and you always meet the most interesting people.

I pop out to Old Friends Coffee. Darn, no cash in my wallet. Made, the 3rd-gen coffee farmer who runs the small cafe, gives me a crossiant and coffee on credit. Pay me tomorrow, Ibu, he says. We speak in Indonesian, as I'm really trying to improve my language skills and not default to English. I walk past the new cafe, Blend. The owner and I train together in silat, the Indonesian martial art, and I helped her find this space when she had to move. (Luckily, it's just up the laneway from me, but that had nothing to do with it LOL). I go to feed the fishes at a friend's villa. He's stuck in Australia and his house is empty. I pass Made, one of the headmen in the village. He flags me down to ask if the rooster noise issue from next door has been resolved and if I still need him to speak to my neighbor. I tell him it's sorted amicably and the roosters are going. Now I have to head home and finish this Vocal Challenge entry before my coconut latte gets cold.

Thanks for reading!

Wouldn't you love to finish your day with a sunset walk on the beach?