Hello, lovely people!

After sharing our rollercoaster through Indonesian bureaucracy in Part #1, today’s chapter of our aquaponics adventure is all about… land hunting.

Our wish list was – admittedly – a bit… ambitious:

• flat,

• no tree cutting (Team Environmental Protection!),

• higher elevation for cooler temps (we don’t want our fish turning into fish sticks),

• easy road access,

• electricity, water – and of course, dirt cheap.

Sounds doable, right?

Spoiler: Nope. Not even close.

Luckily, we have Gede, our neighbor. Not only a die-hard scooter rider, but also a human detector for “land for sale.” Every day, he zips around on our bike, stopping here, asking there – probing his way through villages, rice fields, and remote hillsides.

And so began our grand tour of “plots.” And boy, did we see a lot. Here are some highlights from the series “What the…?”:

Plot #3: Gorgeous view – but only accessible via a bumpy dirt road that turns into a slip’n’slide when it rains. Our scooter sobbed quietly.

Plot #2: Yes, it was flat. But unfortunately, also an unofficial dumping ground. Bonus: one lonely goat staring at us suspiciously.

Plot #5: Steep. Really steep. As in: “Bring climbing gear and a Sherpa” steep.

Plot #7: Looked okay-ish, but priced as if it came with all of Canggu.

And then there was… Plot #1.

Yep, the very first one we looked at. Already terraced, hardly any trees, good asphalt road (a total luxury!), power and water nearby, peaceful setting with a view of majestic Mount Agung. Elevation: 420m – perfect for cool nights and cooler fish.

Neighbors?
Cows, chickens, dogs – all friendly. No one wanted to move in.

And the price? A bargain.

Sounds perfect, right? Except… not so fast. This one came with baggage: a mortgage on the land, the certificate stuck at the bank, and no subdivision yet (we only wanted 900 m², not all 3,700). So we said: “Let’s keep looking.” And yet, somehow… we ended up right back at Plot #1.

But hold up – it wouldn’t be Bali if things were that simple.

The landowner – let’s call him Pak Stressi – was an older, stubborn gentleman of the “old school.” About as cuddly as a cactus in your bed, but a master negotiator. He wanted multiple deposits. In cash. Without a contract. Without anything.

Us: 😳
Our notary: 😩
Pak Stressi: 😎

He showed up at our house on Sundays at 6:45am (“Just to quickly talk about money”), insisted on handshake deals, and claimed that banks can’t be trusted (no joke). Not even the tale of his mouse-and-termite-infested savings stash in the attic made him reconsider. We, however, stood firm: a legal purchase agreement with our company – or nothing. The negotiations felt like a Balinese drinking game, except with real stakes.

Happy ending? Yup.

By mid-May, the day finally came: Happy Ikan Bali officially became a landowner! With a real contract. With a notary. And – as tradition has it – payment entirely in cash. Four people, two counting machines, one fan – and a whole lot of nerves later, it was done.

And now?
Now we head out there almost every day to soak up the (still) peace and quiet – and we still can’t quite believe it. The borders of our little piece of land are technically still unclear (waiting on the land surveyors to do their thing). Honestly, it feels a bit like we bought a rice sack with Germany’s favorite pet inside – but stay tuned… the adventure continues.

For now, we’re celebrating quietly with a coffee on the hillside. ☕🌱

Coming up next: we’ll take you along for the land survey adventure – tape measures, GPS, boundary markers, and a fair bit of head-scratching included.

Stay tuned, stay green, and stay alert – you never know when Pak Stressi might knock on the door again.