So what happened to The Owl And The Pussycat and their ‘away for a year and a day’? Well as soon as Pete had settled in to his new job and our lives had taken on a semblance of order, we started to look for a house to rent on Bali. Soon afterwards we were flying off each weekend to our bolt hole. It was here in the peace and tranquility of the Balinese countryside, close to the sea, that we started to make our dream come true. Although it would have been bliss to spend every day there, I needed to be back in Jakarta each week with Pete. Our Bali house was where we unwound, made work and where our children, friends and family came to visit us over the two years that we spent in Indonesia. We rented a field and grew bananas and mangoes, planted bamboo hedges and took part in the ceremonies that are such an important aspect of Balinese Hindu life. The Universe had answered our prayers; it had made our dream happen and given us a way to afford it.
After initially thinking about Portugal as an option, we then decided on Spain. The culture, architecture, weather and food all played a part in our decision. A close friend had recently bought a house in rural Andalucía and suggested that I start my search there. I emailed several estate agents, made a few skype calls and then after 2 weeks had drawn up a list of houses that I wanted to see. Our budget wasn’t large, I had under 50,000 € in which to find us a house but I’d narrowed down my search to a few that I thought might fit the bill.
In early August last year I flew from Jakarta to Malaga. Time was of the essence; I had just 2 days to find a house and another 2 days to do the paperwork if we were to pull this off. Armed with Pete’s credit cards and a huge amount of optimism, I set off on my mission. After a futile first day of house hunting, early on the second morning against all odds, I found our house.
Three months later we packed up the Bali house and the apartment in Jakarta and headed for Spain. Now seven months on we are very much part of the village. Our new neighbours have taken us under their wing, forgiven our appalling Spanish and let us in to their homes and their lives. Pete and I run art classes for the children and are embracing our new rural life.
We have many plans for the future but our dream is to run residential art courses here in the olive groves of Andalucía.
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How completely amazing! I loved reading this post! And your photos are brilliant!
The truth is there are always adventures to be had, but we have to have the courage to reach out and make them happen. Good for you both!!
Now we need to hear about your "new rural life" in Spain!
Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful adventure! And so it continues. I haven't been to Spain since the end of the Franco era, I must visit soon. Looking forward to reading about your new adventures in Spain.