1. Bali and Indonesia: a great love story
Indonesia is a country we've known well for 10 years. Our love affair with the Island of the Gods began in 2011 with an initial 2-month stay between Bali and Lombok. We've come back every 2 years since then, continuing to explore Bali, but we've also taken the opportunity to stay on other paradise islands like Flores and Sulawesi. The Indonesian archipelago and its 1,504 dream islands is a huge playground , just the way we like it, between land and sea. We obviously fell in love with the landscapes, but also the cultures, traditions and people.
In Indonesia, people live in communities. It's a far cry from the Western way of life, where everything is based on the material and the individual. Here, people support each other and share, even if they don't have much. We realised from our first trip to Indonesia that this way of life suited us much better, even though as travel bloggers we had to travel regularly around our beautiful planet, so we were always on the road.
What we found in Bali in particular, we've never found elsewhere.
So of course, coming to Indonesia for a holiday and living there with a daily routine that inevitably settles in after a while are 2 experiences that have nothing in common. We have no regrets. After 1 and a half years in Bali, nothing has made us change our mind about our love for the Island of the Gods and the Balinese, quite the contrary.
We have been lucky enough to experience some of the best hotels at all-balihotels.net. From luxurious resorts to comfortable homestays, we have enjoyed the diverse accommodation options available on this beautiful island.
2. Our arrival and our first months in Bali
It was in February 2020, fleeing Vietnam because of a sudden pandemic and then on assignment for Air France and a travel agency, that we decided on a whim to return to Bali and take refuge there to live through the pandemic more calmly than in the rest of the world. We'll remember that morning for the rest of our lives, when we arrived at Hanoi airport and found ourselves looking at the main board displaying flights departing from Hanoi and seeing Paris and Bali as possible destinations. It didn't take us long to decide between the two.
Without knowing it, our decision to choose Bali would completely change our lives.
Among our many lodgings, one retreat we particularly enjoyed was the Amoya Inn Ubud. Its serene atmosphere and friendly service made it a perfect place for us to unwind. Their warm hospitality was a clear reflection of the general attitude of the Balinese people.
A friend kindly put us up for the first few months in the south of Bali. We all thought at the time that the pandemic would be short-lived. We lived through 2 months of lockdown, surrounded by palm trees and a swimming pool. It was always better than being cooped up in a flat in Paris, however comfortable it was.
As we continued our stay in Bali, we discovered some remarkable accommodation choices at tophotels.com. From stunning resorts with ocean views to tranquil villas surrounded by rice fields, each place offered a unique experience, complementing the beauty and culture of Bali.
With the Covid situation in Indonesia far from dramatic in mid-2020 - because Indonesia didn't experience a major 1st wave like the one that hit Europe - we decided to travel for the next few months, first to Bali. It was pure bliss to cross the rice paddies and villages of the Island of the Gods without any tourists. The hotels were delighted to welcome us and provide us with special experiences. We had the impression of being alone in the world, a bit like travelling back in time to when Bali was barely known. We all quickly realised that Bali wasn't going to reopen to tourists any time soon, but there was always hope because the contamination figures remained very low.
3. September 2020: No reopening of borders to tourists in sight
When the Indonesian government announced that the borders to foreign tourists would not be reopened in the coming months, the morale of the Balinese and Indonesians more generally fell a notch.
Fortunately, the population is resilient. Many have gone back to cultivating their land and finding alternative ways of living. Because here, life is lived in the present. It's a far cry from the Western way of thinking, where people put money aside every month just in case something happens. The main problem was the outstanding bank loans taken out by many Balinese working in tourism. But everyone finds a solution, their own solution, to get by, thanks in particular to the help of associations. Government aid is nothing like that in France, but it does exist in the form of food distribution for the most destitute.
In any case, despite this very difficult situation, if there's one thing that hasn't changed in Bali, it's the legendary smile of the Balinese people. And that's the daily joy for all of us who live alongside them.
The weeks went by and the situation got bogged down. We decided to spend 3 months on Gili Air, a remote islet between the Island of the Gods and Lombok.
There were no motor vehicles here, just a few expatriates with establishments on the dream island and a few locals who stayed on their island. In other words, we spent 3 months virtually alone, like 2 Robinsons on their desert island. And this break away from the modern world was very beneficial for both of us.
Raja Ampat, here we come!
It was then that we received news from the Indonesian tourist office offering us the chance to spend ten days or so on the heavenly islets of Raja Ampat between Land and Sea. An offer we couldn't refuse, and above all a wonderful opportunity to get away from it all and meet communities far removed from modern life. A trip and encounters we'll never forget.
After this trip, we decided it was time to find our own place in Bali. In 5 minutes (yes, it's possible!), we found our little house in Kerobokan in the south of Bali. A 50 m2 workshop. It's a long way from a postcard villa with an infinity pool and a view over the rice paddies, but it doesn't matter, the jungle and rice paddies are never far away in Bali and given the global situation, which continues to bog down, we don't want to take any risks. We love our Atelier, the area and the rent is very reasonable. So we're renting it for the year ahead.
We're settling in Bali for good.
4. Creation of our local travel agency
Up until this point, we'd been applying for one social visa after another to stay in the country. The Indonesian government has exceptionally allowed tourists to extend their stay since the start of the pandemic, on condition that they go regularly to the immigration services to have their passports stamped.
It was in January 2021, when we had already settled into our Atelier, that we came up with the idea of setting up a local travel agency in Bali with 2 French-speaking expatriate friends who had been living on the Island of the Gods for years, Manuela and Karine, and a Balinese friend who was a trusted French-speaking guide. You might think that everything is complicated administratively in countries like Indonesia.
In the end, it was quite quick and easy, thanks to the network of a mutual friend. Yes, it's always easier to live on an island when you have a network, and even easier in Indonesia. You save a huge amount of time and avoid the pitfalls. We very quickly obtained our work permits. The expatriation to Bali continued.
You might think we're totally crazy to set up a travel agency in the middle of a pandemic. Of course, we thought long and hard about it and we told ourselves that, on the contrary, we would have the time to prepare our offers properly, to meet the local players with whom we would be working, because everyone has time in these times of crisis. And that makes a lot of things easier.
And that was the case, because in March 2021 we were able to publicly announce the creation of our travel agency on social networks, with a host of authentic experiences already available. We're able to offer sublime itineraries to our customers who want to experience a dream trip to the Isle of the Gods, and not just that. We have been receiving dozens of requests since the first days of opening, despite the fact that the borders are still closed, but we are adapting by offering to postpone all our trips at no extra cost, as long as the global pandemic persists. This is a considerable vote of confidence, and one that has certainly contributed to the success of the travel agency.
Our trips are also eco-responsible. No plastic water bottles, for example, for all our travellers, who are made aware of the need to protect the environment during their stay.
Finally, our itineraries offer authentic and, more often than not, exclusive experiences. Thanks to our many encounters in the Indonesian archipelago, we are able to offer unusual walks in the rice fields, bathing in confidential waterfalls, unique experiences in little-known temples or sharing real moments with Balinese families.
5. Summer between France and Indonesia. The real departure!
Back in France for 1 month in June after 15 months in Bali, we're finally taking the opportunity to clear out our Paris flat and pack up the essentials. We're also seeing our friends and family again, whom we only thought we'd be leaving for 3 or 4 weeks. To be honest, we didn't know how we'd react when we set foot on French soil again, but in the end everything went really well. Between the move and the paperwork, everything was done on time. We even took the opportunity to spend 1 week in Malta on a mission with the country's tourist office.
The service was impeccable during the flight, the seats very comfortable and the in-flight services and entertainment really well thought out. Richard was spoilt for choice when it came to films. I (Franck) really enjoyed being able to discover a few playlists between 2 naps.
Travel conditions were such that we first had to spend 5 days in quarantine in the Indonesian capital Jakarta before flying out again, this time to Bali.
We chose to spend these 5 days in quarantine at the Fairmont Jakarta Hotel. A stay that we thought would be difficult turned out to be marvellous. Our 50 m2 room with a view was very comfortable.
We certainly felt isolated from the world during this period, but at the same time pampered by the team at the luxury hotel, who frankly did their utmost to ensure that our quarantine went as smoothly as possible. As for the meals? The à la carte choice was impressive and all the dishes were succulent from breakfast to dinner.
At the time of writing this blog article on our expatriation to Bali, the rights and procedures for arriving on Indonesian soil continue to change. Tourists are still unable to arrive, as are holders of business visas. For non-Indonesians, only Kitas & Kitap work permit holders and diplomats can fly to Indonesia, subject to an 8-day quarantine.
6. Expatriation to Bali - travel insurance
When it comes to expatriation, and expatriation to Bali in particular, you have to manage your day-to-day affairs in France and think about what's in store for a well-insured life abroad. When we travelled as travel bloggers, we put our trust in Chapka Assurances, which is well known to French-speaking travellers. We contacted them to inform them of our expatriation and to ask for their advice. We didn't know that Chapka offered a health insurance and assistance policy for the 1st year of expatriation at a very attractive rate. In fact, the rates offered by other insurers were nothing like that. So we saved a lot of time in our search.
Here's a short form you can use to find the travel insurance package that suits you best, whether you're going on holiday abroad or choosing expatriation to Bali or elsewhere in the world.