DREAMING OF HAVING A HOUSE IN UBUD, DRAFT NOTE

I HAVE A DREAM
I have a dream of building a small complex of village houses based on the basic concepts of Balinese architecture which places a great emphasis on being in harmony with nature.

I have a dream under which people would be able to design and build a small village house with an estimated cost of just around $10,000. They can stay there and do gardening, cooking and any other household activities, or get rental fee when they are away.

I have a dream this is not just a place to relax and feel at home while in Bali but a place where we can be productive and creative. I believe that anybody can be productive regardless of whereever they are and regardless of age. Advanced communications technology such as the internet and the mobile phone allow us to work everywhere in the world.

I envision a place in a village where we can collaborate on certain projects to promote and preserve local culture mostly by capitalising on advanced media and communications technologies. My ideas are still evolving yet but it could something like using the place as a lunchpad for book publishing projects which include writing books on local culture. This is still something broad and vague but I am still working hard to narrow this down to something that is more feasible.

WHY UBUD
Ubud is not just the centre of Balinese arts such as dancing and painting but also a place that has attracted famous foreign artists and academics to live side by side with the local population and exchange ideas since the Ducth colonial days in the thirties. Perhaps Ubud is one of the most cosmopolitan villages in the world. The availability of internet offers great opportunities for both foreign and local people living in Ubud to produce books or any other forms of media on local culture with global perspectives.

WHY LOD TUNDUH
As a journalist with only a limited funds available in my pocket, I found out it was impossible for me to get a place with fantastic river view or rice paddy field and still not far from the centre of Ubud. I just could not afford the price. At one time, I gave up trying to find a suitable place which was at the same time affordable until a friend of mine said he was looking to sell a 500 metre square of land in Lod Tunduh, still only about 15 minutes to Monkey Forest Road and not far from famous villas such as T-House, Vila Panutan and others. So I bought this land which is surrounded by coconut trees and is accessable by car. Sharp gains on my company shares allowed me to buy the land and later on build a 2-storey house now almost completed.

Photographs below are the 2-storey house financed by myself from selling stocks luckily just before the demise of Lehman Brothers.

ubudhouse@gmail.com ubudhouse@telkomselblackberry.com