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LIVINGLIVINGI N T E R N A T I O N A LI N T E R N A T I O N A L

December 2016 Vol.3 No.10

AUSTRALIAN EDITION

GLOBETROTTER

TRAVEL

EXPAT STORIES

UPCOMING EVENTS

INVESTMENT

CLASSIFIEDS

The Best Retirement Havens in Bali

Save $92,650 Restoring a Home in France

Taking Your Age Pension Overseas

The Best Beach Town For Retirees in Cambodia

Vietnam is Wide Open For Business

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P. 8

P. 12

P. 16

P. 18

DECEMBER 2016 I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V I N G 1

ContentsDECEMBER 2016

INTERNATIONAL LIVING®

International Living (ISSN 0277-2442), © Copyright 2016 by International Living Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Protected by copyright laws of the United States and international treaties. This magazine may only be used pursuant to the subscription agreement and any reproduction, copying or redistribution (electronic or otherwise, including on the world wide web), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of International Living Publishing Ltd., Woodlock House, Carrick Road, Portlaw, Co. Waterford, Ireland. International Living Australia is published monthly. Subscriptions: In Australia AUS$49 for one year, in New Zealand NZ$49 for one year. How to contact us: Customer service: To place a subscription order, renew a subscription, pay a maintenance fee, change an address, follow up on the status of an order, or enquire about a missed issue, etc, email cs@ilaustralia.com or call 1300 135 234 from within Australia or 0061 3 9037 8333 from overseas.Editorial Office: Editors, International Living Australia, International Living Publishing Ltd, fax (03) 9558 2219. For our writers’ guidelines, see http://ilaustralia.com/international-living-australia-is-looking-for-writers. International Living is happy to receive manuscripts on speculation, but the publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts received for review. All editorial requests will be reviewed and considered when we plan our issues. Not all requests, however, can be answered personally due to the volume of inquiries we receive. To submit an idea or article contact Managing Editor, Barbara Ross, email: editorau@internationalliving.com.Media enquiries: For all press and media enquiries and to discuss syndication, contact Associate Editor, Carol Barron, email: CBarron@internationalLiving.com

From the Editor 2 Low costs in Bali, freedom in Vietnam

International Dates 3 A New Year’s celebration for everyone

Savvy Traveller 5 Insider tips on where to visit in China

Lifestyle 6 Enjoying Italian life in a small hamlet in Piedmont

Lifestyle 7 A laidback lifestyle for $1,300 a month in Da Nang

Real Estate 8 How we saved $92,650 restoring our dream home in France

Living the Dream 10 A rich social life and low costs in Johor Bahru

Solutions 12 The Age Pension changes and what they mean for a life overseas

Exploration 14 Los Santos, Panama: A little-known beach paradise with Spanish heritage

Lifestyle 16 The best beach town for retirees in Cambodia

Fund Your Life 18 Vietnam is wide open for business—get in now

Cover Story 20 The best retirement havens in Bali

Market Watch 24 What 15 years of real estate investing has taught me about pre-construction

Collectibles 26 Hidden value with Christmas décor and baubles

Income Overseas 28 Freediving funds my tropical island life

Travel 30 3 cities to savour authentic Italy

Classifieds 32 Opportunities from around the world

Calendar of Events 33 Find your own paradise in Panama

Global Property Notes 34 The charms of Europe’s second cities

The Last Word 36 Discovering a new kind of “normal”

2 I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V I N G DECEMBER 2016

DECEMBER 2016, Volume 3, Number 10 ILAustralia.com

Founding Publisher William BonnerPublisher Jackie Flynn Editorial Director Eoin Bassett Managing Editor Barbara Ross Copy Editor Janet NistedPhoto Editor Hugo GhiaraAdvertising Gráinne Barrett email: advertising@internationalliving.com

Contributing Editors Linda Card, Wendy DeChambeau, Barbara Diggs, Victoria Harmer, Suzan Haskins, Bonnie Hayman, Keith Hockton, Jason Holland, Wendy Justice, Steven King, Ann Kuffner, Steve LePoidevin, Ronan McMahon, Jackie Minchillo, Don Murray, Conor William O’Brien, Glynna Prentice, Dan Prescher, Kirsten Raccuia, Jessica Ramesch, Jim Santos, Edd Staton, Greg Seymour

Low Costs in Bali FREEDOM IN VIETNAM

BUD IS THE CULTURAL HEART OF BALI, MY favourite part of the island and home to an international community of expats. Lush, laidback and full of temples, it’s just one of Bali’s best retirement havens and in your issue this month, IL Southeast Asia Correspondent, Kirsten Raccuia,

reveals them all. Kirsten’s favourite? A small town on the beach where the ocean’s calm,

the food scene thriving and spa treatments start at $7. Discover the best retirement havens in Bali on page 20.

Your cost of living in Bali is low, as little as $125 a month for rent, $2.50 for a cold beer and $10 for a massage. That leaves money left over for travel, exploring Indonesia and beyond, or all the perks to turn a comfortable retirement into a luxurious one. But Bali also offers opportunities to earn. Perth-native Kevin Henry found his piece of paradise in Amed, in the northeast of the island, where he set up his own freediving and yoga centre. Find out about that corner of Bali and setting up a dream water-based business on the island on page 28.

For many expats it’s the freedom of life overseas that appeals most. “Australia is very regimented, socially and bureaucratically. I don’t feel like I’m really living when I’m there. Vietnam is much more vibrant, entertaining and interesting,” says Sydney native, Gary Stapleton who lives well there in the beach city of Da Nang on a budget of $1,300 a month. Read his full story on page 7.

In their late 40’s and early 50’s, Sharyn Nilsen and her husband Tim were just like any other hard-working couple in Australia, trying to pay the bills. “We had a seven-bedroom house, with lots of lovely things. But the price for that was a daily grind…so we started exploring how to make travel a long-term lifestyle” writes Sharyn.

The couple packed their bags, left their jobs and have since travelled to 130 countries—latest stop Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. “People find it incredible when we tell them it costs us less to travel the world than it did to stay at home and be ‘normal.’ But the reality is that Australia is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Almost everywhere else is cheaper.” And they don’t slum it either…I’ll let them tell you more on page 36.

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Managing Editor, Barbara Ross

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FROM THE EDITOR

28 I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V I N G DECEMBER 2016

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INCOME OVERSEAS

“I was looking for something I could do when I was between commercial diving jobs, which allowed me to live like a local,” he says. While there, he met a freedive instructor, who convinced him that Bali would be a great place to set up a school. “She had friends here in Amed that would help,” he says.

For someone who loves the water, spending his leisure time kite surfing, freediving and spearfishing, the area was a perfect match.

Kevin arrived in Bali at the end of 2010 and Fusion Freediving and Yoga officially opened in January 2011. He initially based his operation out of a rented two-bedroom villa in Sanur, a couple of hours south of Amed. It had all the western comforts and cost $1,000 per month. “The villa was beautiful,” Kevin says. “It was a chic, stylish and modern, right on the beach.”

But taking students up from Sanur to Amed for water training and renting classrooms of other dive shops proved a hassle over time. “We officially moved our shop to Amed three years ago,” Kevin says.

“Buying in Bali is quite expensive and returns on investment are not great. So we rent our place, which is super close to the beach, and a bargain at $2,500 a year,” he says. The property, located on the main road in Amed has a café, classroom and ample drying space for wetsuits and gear.

Kevin started out assisting with two instructors. Fusion has now grown into a business of 14 staff. “We now have 11 locals and three western staff, including me”, he says. “These days, with less contract work, I am in Bali seven to eight months of the year, so I am more hands on managing and teaching”, he says. “To own a business in Bali, foreigners need to apply for a ‘PT’ or “PMA” license which can take several months and costs around $4,000”, Kevin says. As with other countries in Asia a local partner and legal advice is encouraged.

“There are two types of business licenses, one that is 51% owned by a local (PT), and one that is 100% owned and set up as a foreign company (PMA)”, Kevin says. “To protect your share of the 49%, you

Freediving Funds my Tropical Island Life

Amed, just three hours north of the capital Denpasar, is the perfect place for lovers of water sports. You can enjoy diving, spearfishing and snorkelling in the clear blue waters.

The deep blue bays of Amed are perhaps Bali’s best kept secret. Three hours north of the capital, Denpasar, Amed is a haven for nature lovers

and dive enthusiasts and is growing in popularity with travellers and expats seeking an alternative from the busier south.

Perth native, Kevin Henry, moved to Amed six years ago. He spends around eight months a year here and owns Fusion Freediving and Yoga. The area is a playground for water sports enthusiasts, with world-class scuba diving, spearfishing and free-diving on offer.

“Living expenses are a fraction of the cost of other areas in Bali.” Kevin says, “I rent a studio apartment right near the beach, with all bills and WiFi for $2,000, a year. Plus, I can still afford to go snowboarding in Japan in the winter.” Other expenses include a motorbike rental of $1,500 per year and a mobile phone, $30 per month. He says, “Websites for places to rent are often geared at westerners with the prices set at three times higher, try and negotiate with locals.”

Fusion Freedive and Yoga teaches students of all ages to dive without the use of air tanks by holding their breath until they resurface. Global adventure seekers from all over travel to the deep bays to train, with beginner courses starting at $330. The sport is particularly popular with surfers and spearfishermen, who want to be more efficient under water. Amed is slow to catch up to the development of the south, but has a growing global expat community from Australia and Europe. They come in search of a simpler life and set up guesthouses, cafés and dive shops.

Despite earning great money living a fly in, fly out (FIFO) lifestyle as a commercial diver, the attraction of Perth soon began to fade. “I met some scuba divers who were travelling with the clothes on their back. They were the happiest people I had ever met. I started to think that something was missing,” he says.

This thinking led him to the small island of Koh Tao in Thailand, with no real plans.

By Ashleigh Mills

“Rent a studio apartment near the beach for

$2,000 per year.”

DECEMBER 2016 I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V I N G 29

THE BEST OF AMEDcan nominate three different names, this means that if you have legal disagreements with one local, then you remain the majority shareholder,” he says.

This is different to a business visa, which is for an individual and tied to the business. This costs $2,000 a year and allows Kevin multiple entries in and out of Bali. “Fusion has both a PT and PMA licence, which allows us the flexibility to navigate this bureaucratic minefield and hire western and local staff,” Kevin says.

Although a PMA, or foreign owned company can be started without a local partner, Kevin advises against it. “Local support and advice is essential because the system in Bali is so convoluted and rules change all the time,” Kevin says. “For our PT licence, the local ‘nominee’ for Fusion Freediving and Yoga is responsible for all government relations, immigration and KITAS (work permit) applications for staff,” he says “If you spoke Indonesian and knew about the culture, you might be able to manage, but it would still be very hard,” Kevin says. “Finding someone you can trust is a big issue, if you do it on your own you rely on a law office setting up your ownership,” he says.

Kevin spearfishes “a couple of times a week”, often inviting students from the school to share his catch at a local restaurant. Galanga in Amed charges $3 per head to cook up his fish with a few side dishes. “There is no need to ever go near a grocery shop,” Kevin says. “By the time you buy all the ingredients, it works out to be more expensive than eating out.”

With Amed being a fairly quiet town with not much nightlife, Kevin admits that sometimes a break is needed. “If I need to get away for a night or two, Sanur, an hour-and-a-half away, has Western supermarkets, shops and bars,” he says.

Although challenges come with running a business and being away from Bali for long periods, Kevin plans to live this lifestyle for the foreseeable future. “I want to be the busiest freediving school in Bali,” he says. “There is also more travel around Indonesia I would love to do when the business is more self-sufficient,” he says. With 80% growth per year and 500 students passing through his school in 2015, he is well on his way.

To qualify as a commercial diver, training includes four modules. Qualifications enable divers to work in a range of settings such as underwater construction, oil platforms,

T he black sand bays of Amed, on Bali’s east coast, cover a 10-kilometre stretch of coves, including Jemeluk,

Lipah and Selang. These are some of the last places in Bali to develop, with telephone lines only installed around 10 years ago. There’s still land for sale by the coast, and not a nightclub or swim up bar in sight. With AirAsia flying to Bali from Sydney for as little as $179 one-way, it’s never been more affordable to get here.

Dubbed by locals and expats as “the real Bali”, the northeast coast is full of attractions. Visitors can enjoy the picture perfect rice fields, quiet beaches and temples without the price tags and crowds of the south. For water enthusiasts, Amed is brimming with deep azure bays, shipwrecks and world-class diving.

Head to Tulamben, around a 20-minute drive from Amed, to the site of the USS Liberty shipwreck. Torpedoed in 1942 off the coast of Lombok, the American supply ship was left stranded on the beach. In 1963, Mt Agung erupted, forcing the vessel back to sea. The 120-metre-long wreck now sits at a depth between four and 29 metres, making it a popular site to visit with snorkellers and divers. The bow is covered in bright coral and bursting with marine life. Some not so shy fish, insist on following you as you swim along the deck. Towards the hull, turtles, stingrays and eels are a common sight.

After all the water activity has made you hungry check out Warung Enak, a favourite with locals and tourists. Found on the left side of the road on Jalan Amed, the owners make a point of sourcing local produce and have a mix of Indonesian and Western dishes on the menu. Here, a mie goreng (rice dish) or a burger will set you back around $5. House specialties need to be ordered three hours in advance.

Down the road, seafood enthusiasts can’t

miss enjoying a meal at Galanga. Try the fish nuggets with sweet potato chips ($5) washed down with Snickers homemade ice-cream ($2.50). If it does happen that the Indonesian food gets too much; Gusto Café on the hill, towards Lipah beach makes a great schnitzel for around $7.

Accommodation is spread evenly throughout the bays with a range to suit all budgets. Family run guesthouses such as Bubu Racok have basic air-conditioned beachfront rooms, inclusive of fresh fruit and banana pancake breakfast, served on the balcony for $28 per night. Your host, Wayan and his family will often treat their guests to a sunset Balinese seafood barbecue on the beach, an experience not to be missed.

For those after something a little more upmarket, Villa Bukit Segara, towards Lipah beach is a private property with five rooms. The boutique, beachfront property is fully staffed and can accommodate up to 10 private guests. For those not travelling in a group, rooms can be booked individually. A large infinity pool in the centre of the property, surrounded by manicured gardens, provides the perfect place to cool off and unwind.Lay by the pool with a cocktail, have a massage in the beachfront bale (open air hut), snorkel the coral reef out front or try a spot of sailing with the owner, Derk, who has opened Amed’s first sailing school. The rooms are great value at $225 per night.

For people who may prefer to stay on dry land, Life In Amed, at Lipah Beach has bungalows and a small yoga studio. Non-guests are welcome at the daily, intimate classes, which cost $10. Enjoy a green juice ($4) or a proper espresso coffee in the café afterwards.

repairs and maintenance. Each module takes around a month and costs $7,000 to $8,000. Training is open to anyone without health issues who holds basic open water scuba qualifications. Once qualified, work is available internationally but “it takes a couple of years to go offshore,” Kevin says.

After completing training at The

Underwater Centre in Fremantle (this branch has since closed but there are centres in Fort William and Tasmania), Kevin has “worked mostly across West Africa and Asia over the last 10 years,” he says. “In a busy year diving you can clear more than $350,000, which is about six months of work,” Kevin says. n