Stranded and at Home: British Family Spends Four Months in Bali as Covid-19 Rages

KOMPAS.com – It has been four months since a British family of four arrived in the Indonesian resort Island of Bali on March 16. They left England before the country imposed lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis.

At the time of their departure, the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases in the UK had already surpassed China, where the virus was first reported in Hubei Province on December 31 last year.

“We have been here for four months and we feel like home,” said Dave Pruden in an e-mail interview with Kompas.com recently.

Dave said that they previously visited Indonesia from Aceh on Sumatra Island to Ambon in eastern Indonesia, therefore it was not a difficult option to come back. During their first week in Bali, they spent time in Amed before staying in an idyllic bamboo house.

Also read:  Indonesian Tourism Ministry Turns to Games to Support Covid-19 Socialization Efforts

Dave said his family is enjoying their journey in Bali. One of their favorite tourist spots is in Kintamani, a highland area of northeastern Bali, where they had coffee in a shop overlooking the Mount Batur. The place reminded them of their espresso bar in Budapest.

“It feels great when we can drink coffee in a coffee plantation. Indonesia is blessed with coffee plantations, and we are glad to see them,” he said.

Together with wife Corine, the couple has been publishing their daily activities, including sampling the local delicacies, on their Instagram account @twintastic_nomads.

“We both like eating spices therefore we can eat local food. But since we have toddlers, we usually choose to eat cooked mixed vegetables served with a peanut sauce, over rice dishes, fried noodles, and skewers,” he said.

Making friends with the locals