Big, beautiful, luxurious Bali

But paradise it ain't

Welcome everyone to 2022!

Charlie Chaplain, one of the great auteurs of the early part of the 20th century, visited Bali several times. Here he comments in 1961 about his reminiscences from his visit in the 1930s:

Bali then was a paradise. Natives worked four months in the rice-fields and devoted the other eight to their art and culture. Entertainment was free all over the island, one village performing for the other. But now paradise is on the way out.

“Paradise is on the way out.” Well, not entirely, according to articles like this one:

Photo courtesy of Ibuku.

On the outskirts of Ubud, home to the Eat, Pray, Love crowd, architect Elora Hardy is building her vision of what paradise should be.

Visitors enter the Dr. Seuss-style mansion via a 15-meter-long bamboo tunnel. From there, a sweeping staircase, which lies at the center of the house, leads to each floor of the building. Inspired by the petals of the lotus flower, the prow-shaped roof is designed to catch the tropical breezes and keep the home cool.

For one night and $671 USD this fairy tale version of paradise can be yours (via AirBnB). Or if you must possess it, be prepared to part with approximately $1.4 million USD or 20,034,813,466 Indonesian rupiah. Yes folks, paradise can be purchased.

I know what you might be thinking: this is splendid and fantastical, but what about the insects? Unfortunately there’s no room in the property listing for mentioning creepy crawlers lol.

So maybe you want something more edgy. With actual doors. Paradise is what you make of it, correct?

This vast villa can be yours for $1.55m USD or 22,181,400,622 rupiah,

Built in 2015, the 5,603-square-foot home, which sits on about a quarter of an acre near a creek, was designed by the German architect Alexis Dornier with steel and large glass panels surrounding three antique, hand-carved pavilionlike structures reclaimed from joglos, the traditional houses of the Javanese people.

Given that minimum wage is roughly 2,750,000 rupiah per month in Bali ($193 USD), it would only take 672 years for an average worker to buy the place (assuming zero expenses during nearly 3/4 of a millennium).

Jungle and gardens of palm trees, frangipani, aloe vera, papaya and jackfruit trees surround the villa, which is one of 10 homes in this gated community promoted as the brainchild of “visionaries, artists, musicians, surfers, yogis and socially conscious entrepreneurs.” The community offers communal gardens, parking, security and maintenance services.

It is a plus that there's a sense of community around this villa, as its part of a gated group of massive dwellings. Hopefully you will fit in as a visionary, yogi or conscious entrepreneur.

If not, have I got a deal for you lol.

As many of my readers know, I'm planning to build seven residences on 12 are (.3 acre) near Ubud. Of course The New York Times doesn’t know about it, and neither do any of the Conde Nast-style media sites that continue to promote rarefied properties for the rich and famous.

On my website I’ve added a dream sequence that I thought might be of interest, and I’ll share it with you right here:

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I have a question. Does this dream sequence make you think about changing your life and moving to a tropical island? Should I keep it on the website, or delete it?

Let me know.

Here’s to a healthy and safe 2022.

Later,

Neill