I

recently began the search for a new rental property. After a lot of experience renting in Indonesia, I made sure to check prospective properties at different times of day, check the walls for moisture problems and the roof for leaks and look around for a mosque that might be a noise problem.

My wife, two kids and I moved into a very nice neighborhood in Sanur and thought we had the perfect new home. But, the noise from the “café” down the road seemed to get louder as the night went on. At 3 a.m., it still hadn’t stopped or gotten quieter but had actually increased in volume. And so it has gone for the past week. Each night, the café gets louder and louder and doesn’t stop until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m.

The other residents in our street tell us that they found it hard for a week or so but learned to sleep through the noise, kind of. As I ponder this predicament, I wonder what on earth we can do.

Moving again would be costly and inconvenient. Sound proofing against the incredibly loud and out-of-tune singing is not realistic. My mind continually returns to some sort of legal action or collaborative complaint by the people residing in the area.

And yet I have been in Indonesia far too long to expect anything but people to tell me to just put up with the situation. I thought I would move into this lovely neighborhood for many years and assumed that as my house is well over 500 meters and two streets away from the café, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Are there noise pollution laws in Indonesia? Is there any limit to the times these cafes can operate and at what volume? Doesn’t anyone think about the residents, working people and school children in the area when they crank up the volume at 3 a.m.? Am I going to be stuck with this problem and the frustration that there is no avenue of complaint for the next 12 months?

Geoff Collins
Bali