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A celebration of the new beach structure in Pererenan

A special club event of Harley Davidson members crowded the new semi-circular structure at Pantai Pererenan. The event is a celebration of the Pererenan side of the beach project, as the walking bridge connection to Echo Beach is not yet completed.

The surprise was how many Harleys are in Bali:

As a USA citizen I am very familiar with Harleys, and I also know of their universal appeal, but for some reason I didn’t associate Harley Davidson ownership with the spirit of the Balinese. But it’s ok to be surprised! While the Balinese show their spiritual side as truly peace-loving people, there are fierce demons to keep at bay. And perhaps the roar of the Harley engine will chase those demons away! Or, more likely, it’s simply a status symbol. The truth is that it’s yet another mystery, and living in Bali comes with a large bundle of mysteries.

Another aspect of the beach development is the increase in the building of more accommodations for newcomers.

Follow this blog for the latest developments in this up and coming area.

Above: along the road leading to the beach

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Walking bridge joins Echo and Pererenan beaches

Plans are made, adjusted and negotiated, and then finally the workers are called so that something real comes of the plans. In this case its a lovely walking trail and bridge that connects two beaches.

The first of two bridge support runs are in place. The view across to Echo Beach.

Up close and personal with half of the bridge support. The view across to Pererenan Beach.

On the Echo Beach side there’s a lovely, curving path that leads to local food vendors, the famed La Brisa restaurant, and seafood grill operators.

Back at Pererenan Beach, only 800 meters from Ohana, workers are finishing up the concrete tile floor for a semi-circular welcome area. This entire project is shaping up nicely.

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Week #25 — Some doors installed, and much more

Construction crews have now built all of the columns for the final ceiling / flat roof. Once the columns are up then the workers start to connect beams from column to column. From there they place bamboo sticks every foot or so to support a plywood base for the concrete pour (in approx. 12 days).

In the meantime the electrical and plumbing crew are hard at work wiring the place up. There have been a few hiccups on the placement of plugs, switches, and even air conditioning units. I will take the responsibility for these problems, as I didn’t force my builder to review the MEP (mechanical, electrical & plumbing) team’s plans. We used plans from my architect, but then I made changes with my builder, and those changes were not properly reviewed. Part of the problem rests with language barriers as well.

Photo: Standing at the future pool and guest walkway, straight ahead. The building shows a large terrace above the bamboo sticks. That will become the landing for entry into the upper two guest apartments. Below that are two apartments as well (each with a loft)

Making changes at this stage is the most economical, as most of the time it involves material that has not been finished. In other words, moving an electrical outlet for example involves ripping some brick and moving the wire, but the finishing coat of plaster and paint has not been applied yet so it’s generally a quick fix.

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Week #24 — Half the roof is done!

An exciting week here in good old Pererenan. We’ve been fortunate to stay ahead of the rainy season and cover half of the building with a roof. The other half is about two weeks away.

In the meantime we have a crew for building brick walls and then plastering them. When needed the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) crew come out and set wires into the brick walls:

They also run water pipes through the walls, as well as prepare the drainage system. Offsite, a windows and door crew are working with aluminum and glass.

Tomorrow we meet with a custom furniture maker and will see whether his prices are affordable.