Looking back to Jan 9th 2003 in Seminyak Bali

What were you doing on this day 3 years ago? For me it easy to remember, I just look through my archives and I can see. On this day in 2003 I had been in Bali about a week and was in the process of looking for a house to rent. I remember a selection of locals would come to my guest house on Poppies II in Kuta and say “I have house for you to look at.” These guys were all hoping for a commission of course. I hooked up with Bali Land & Houses on Jl. Raya Kerobokan and they showed me many places, including the one I visiting on this day 3 years ago.

For the next year Jl. Drupadi would be my home. I got to figure out the peculiarities of living in a house in Bali, like they aren’t always put together well. Also the open nature of houses means you literally need to clean it everyday. I’d come home and have to sweep and mop my lounge area. This house on Drupadi cost 38m rp per year and the owner was not going to budge very much on price. I tried over a couple of weeks, but a few mil was the best discount he was offering. Always bargain, but don’t expect Balinese to come down too much on rent.
On this day 3 years ago I also met a good friend of mine, Ebong. Although in this article I called him Agung. A lot of water has passed under the bridge for me in the last 3 years. By the way, didn’t I look a complete ‘bule baru’ back in 2003!