Bali is probably one of those places I will probably never see again. Too far off the beaten path from where I now live. Been there three times, will visit other places closer to me now. I admit I have wonderful memories of the place. Like the Aussie mentioned, its gone through changes in the past 20 years or so. (Like anywhere else really. Check out CANCUN and COZUMEL on this side of the world.) Progress is inevitable. For me, the foreign enviroment in Bali adds to the eccentricity of the place since there are so many visiting there being geographically close to Bali. There are tourist from ALL OVER THE WORLD in Bali. I seen them coming in plane loads from ITALY, NORWAY, JAPAN, you name it. But its still a great place to visit. Check it out. I've thought about the retirement thing there too, and actually looked into home renting. Like a home for 130 bucks a month can get you a three bed room, two bath home. About ten years ago. But retirement wasn't in the plans while in my 30's. I could live in Bali, no problem. They even have foreign communities there.