- Simen Pratu fell in love with the Indonesian island of Bali during a five-day holiday.
- This continued for six months, and he finally decided he wanted to live on the island.
- It's been 13 years since he left Norway and he doesn't plan on returning anytime soon.
It's been 13 years since Simen Pratu moved to Bali from Norway, but he clearly remembers his first visit to the Indonesian island.
At the time, he was doing an internship in Vietnam and the group of Indonesian couchsurfers he was living with planted the idea in his head to visit Bali.
Intrigued by their stories, Plato wanted to see the island for himself.A week before he was due to leave for Bali, Plato realized he wasn't enjoying his internship at all.
So he quit his job, hopped on a plane and never looked back.
“This was before social media and all that, and I knew absolutely nothing about Bali. I'd never seen a photo of it, and I didn't even know that Westerners lived here,” Plato, 38, told Business Insider. “But once I realized it was possible, it completely changed my perspective.”
What was meant to be a five-day holiday turned into six months, after which Plato stuck to his original plan and returned to Norway to start a master's degree in finance.
But after six months in Norway, the lure of Bali became too hard to resist, and Plato ended up not completing his master's degree.
“I wanted to come to Bali instead,” he added.
Find a place in Bali
When Pratu first moved to Bali in 2011, he stayed in an apartment complex in the Kuta district on the island's south side. Kuta, known as a famous surfing spot, was also one of the first areas in Bali to be developed as a tourist destination.
“There was a fan and I shared a bathroom with four other people,” said Plato, who said he paid 1 million Indonesian rupiah (about $60) a month for the room.
In 2014, as other parts of Bali slowly developed, Pratu moved further north to Kerobokan (between Seminyak and Canggu), where he still lives with his wife and two children.
His three-bedroom home is rented on a 20-year lease.
He initially leased it for two years for IDR 170 million, then renewed the lease for another two years for the same amount, before extending the lease for another 15 years (until 2034) for IDR 370 million every five years.
On average, that works out to 6.04 million rupiah, or about $370, per month.
Plateau's two-storey villa is tucked away on a quiet street next to three other villas owned by the same landlord.
The first floor features an open-plan living and dining area, kitchen and home office, while the second floor has a TV room and two bedrooms.
“One was meant to be the kids' room and the other was meant to be mine and my wife's room, but now I sleep with my daughter and my wife sleeps with our son,” Plato said.
The property was new when he moved in but has been renovated twice in recent years as his family has grown.
“When I moved here I never thought I'd have family here, so I just let things take their course,” he said.
A baby fence around the pool and a new door that closes into the first floor living space are relatively new additions.
“Before that, there was no air conditioning here,” Plato added.
The house wasn't built with the best materials, so things inside deteriorated quickly, he said.
Despite not owning the property, Plato said he paid for all of the changes he made out of his own pocket, from the water pump to the kitchen.
“I think it's fine because I'll be spending a lot of time here and the rent is relatively cheap because I settled on it early on, so it's still worth it,” he said.
Although he has 10 years left on his lease, he hopes to build a new home for his family elsewhere soon.
Embrace a slower pace of life
Since moving to Bali, Pratoo has done a variety of things, including starting his own clothing business and working in marketing for an insurance company.
Pratoo has been investing in real estate for the past few years and has currently completed renting out two villas in Pererenan, near Canggu.
As an entrepreneur, Pratoo says he likes Bali's flexibility.
“I work for myself and can work whenever I want, but the best thing about Bali is that everyone else is working too,” says Plato, which is different from life in Norway.
“When I'm working in Norway, I have no one to hang out with,” Plato says. “When I go to Norway in the summer, I can't see my friends who aren't on vacation. It doesn't matter if I'm on vacation. But here, we're all on the same schedule, so it's easy to get together.”
It's also easy to meet new people with similar interests.
“I think it's easy to move here as an adult and just get out there a little bit,” Plato said. “Here, if you want to meet people, you can meet people.”
It also helps that Bali has a large expat community. Plato said many of the people he has met have the same attitude towards making friends and welcoming new people.
Like many locals, Platoo owns a motorbike to get around the island quickly, and it provides another source of social life for him.
“If you want to meet up with friends, you can easily get anywhere. In Norway, it's like you have to check the subway times and how far you have to walk in either direction,” he said.
But the best thing about Bali, he said, was the people.
“I've always found people to be willing to help,” Plato says. “When I first started my clothing line here, I didn't know anything about production or design, but everyone I met was really kind. They took me to factories, taught me how to do things, and let me sell in their stores. I think in other places, people are probably a bit more competitive.”
Bali is changing
Pratoo offers a warning to anyone wanting to move to Bali: the island is developing rapidly and may not look and feel the way people expect.
“You have to be a bit careful with long-term planning – don't build a villa with a view over the rice fields because it could be gone within six months.”
Finally, he said the island has a lot to offer beyond popular tourist destinations such as Canggu and Seminyak.
“I think a lot of people come here expecting a tropical lifestyle, but end up moving to what is now a semi-urban area,” Plato added.
Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you have a story you'd like to share, contact me. Agof.
