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.

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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

After staying for months in Bali, they picked up a few simple Indonesian words. Their three-year twins like to greet the local farmers by saying good afternoon, please and thank you in the Indonesian language.

Also read: Bali Strives to Diversify Its Economy and Rely Less on Tourism

Their posts on social media have gained attention from the local media interested in publishing their stories. Many Indonesians also post comments on their social media.

“They routinely recommend to us what to eat and where to go. We establish good friendship and we can feel their warm welcome,” said Dave.

He did not elaborate when they will return to their country as they cannot think of a better place to stay during the pandemic.

“But our family and business are in Europe. So at one point we have to return home,” said Dave.

Due to the pandemic, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration has automated the extension process of emergency stay permit for all the stranded foreign travelers in Indonesia.

(Writer: Nabilla Tashandra | Editor: Wisnubrata)

Source: https://lifestyle.kompas.com/read/2020/07/06/080156920/cerita-keluarga-asal-inggris-empat-bulan-di-bali-akibat-corona?page=all