Bali expats have million stories

Every time I run into a long term expat, they seems to have some new story to tell me. This morning I ran into my neighbor, the one who had the bag of money stolen from his house. He’s pretty philosophical about it, promising never to leave large sums of money sitting around again.

Up the side wall of is house, were muddy footprints, suggesting a break-in. Ika told me she heard someone with key enter, obviously an inside job, most likely the 2 ’security’ guys, who occupy the room outside. He told me he was going to get a ‘balian‘ (witch doctor), and tell the security guards, a curse would be put on the next person who robs the place.

One expat told me he is advising some businessmen from overseas who plan to invest heavily in Bali. Indonesia’s banking system operates without government regulations. All kinds of things could happen to your money. He suggested they open their own bank, and he is in the process of getting that started at the moment.

Last night I ate dinner at Yut’s in Legian, and met more old time expats. One guy told me he was at home yesterday, when someone walked into the house. It was an attractive women, and being a red blooded male, he invited her to sit down and started chatting. After an hour or so he goes to the bathroom, and when he came out she is gone with his wallet! He chased her down the street, and caught her sitting on the back of a motorbike, driven by a white guy! My friend got most of his money back and cursed the driver, who said he was ‘just giving her a ride’…ride from one crime to the next.

My dinner was butterfish, a succulent slab of white fish, that slides down. One of the later arrivals asked me what I just ate, and I told him. “Oh butterfish!” he said. “You know what happens to you, if you eat too much of that?” I didn’t want know, it was already too late. He said one time he ate butterfish, and in the morning a orange oil was coming out of his backside. Another friend of his checked into the Emergency room, as he thought he was dying. Butterfish has a lot of natural oil, I guess. (No problems for me this morning).

You see, its an exciting life being a Bali expat.