In Reply to: Question to people living in Bali posted by Julie on Tuesday, 18. January 2005 at 13:24 Bali Time:
My son, an English born Australian citizen, has been married to a Balinese girl for over 6 years and they have a 4 year old son. Their marriage is legal under both Indonesian and Australian law. They have bought a house in Bali and live there permanently. My daughter-in-law is what you could call "well connected" by family and has close relatives who are business or professional people, land owners etc.
You would think that my son could easily work in Bali if he wanted to, but that is not the case. He finds it much easier to come to Perth for a few weeks 2 or 3 times a year and do contract work. By Balinese standards, what he earns here in just a few weeks is enormous.
Unless a person is in a very wanted trade or profession, in a category not easily filled from the local workforce, or has the finance and ability to run a business employing local labour, then it may be easier to live there, but work here. Bear in mind that a few weeks lucrative work in Australia can bring in enough money to last you in Bali for months.