carsales Drive-Thru car chats with Lindy Rama-Ellis
A model, business entrepreneur, a mum, Lindy Rama-Ellis wears many hats, all of which she carries off with a beautiful sense of self-awareness.Lindy Rama-Ellis lives an interesting life of contrasts, from media walls and A-list events in Australia to the simple life in Bali, Indonesia where she lives with her husband Adam and four children. Her sense of humour, candour and kind heart set a high benchmark.
Indonesian born Rama-Ellis relocated to Tasmania with her Mum and it was here that she learned the fine art of driving at the wheel of her Grandmother’s ‘little red Mazda’ in the Apple Isle’s small town of Eggs and Bacon Bay in the Huon Valley.
Chatting with carsales for our drive-thru interview just days after her first ‘Bali kiss’, Rama-Ellis presents a beautifully balanced and pragmatic approach to life in the spotlight where flash cars and couture clothes play second fiddle to barefoot beach strolls with her family.
Tell us about driving in Bali?
"Everybody rents a car here, so we’ve never bought one. And it’s usually the cheapest one possible. [Confession] I actually have no idea what car we have. It could be a Toyota, maybe. It’s a seven-seater. It does not have all the bells and whistles!
"I don’t ride a bike or scooter [in Bali]. Every time I see a terrible accident it puts me off. Also, travel insurance doesn’t cover you on a scooter. [Tip for tourists!]
"Things like that always concern me. Not to mention that I’ve always been modelling so if I did have an accident, I don’t get paid. I can’t have scrapes and bruises! Falling off in Bali is what everyone does. You will have an accident.
"I’ve always driven. I feel really confident in the car here. Obviously, you’ve got to be very alert though. There are no traffic rules. There are hardly any traffic lights. And, the Balinese have this incredible habit of pulling out in front of you and never looking right. They just pull out. Us westerners, what we call ourselves, can never get our head around it. I don’t know if it’s [part of their] custom - to always look forward. But it does make driving very difficult."
If you think Australia’s peak-hour crawl is bad, it’s time we talked about Bali traffic.
"I’ve never done more than 50km/h - ever. The traffic [congestion] doesn’t allow it and for safety as well. I think I travel a maximum of 20-25km/h most days.
"I prefer to drive manual as you have more control over the car. It is interesting especially now [since Covid] because obviously there are no tourists. Driving is amazing and I’m enjoying it. We can get from one side of the island to the other quite quickly now whereas before I would easily spend five hours a day in traffic - it’s the worst!"
As pillion-passenger, Rama-Ellis is a great. In the car however… not so much.
"I’m a terrible passenger in the car. Adam doesn’t drive the car in Bali. It’s becoming a bit of an issue. It is a bit of a power thing. I feel more in control if I’m driving. So I’m probably going to have to let him drive!
"I’m great passenger on the bike!"
Would you call yourself a car girl?
"Not really. Well, the fact I don’t even know what car I drive now…*laughs* [but] I think I can be. I could hunt down a nicer car in Bali…
"As a little girl, I was always going to have a Porsche. Now, I love the shape and look of the Mercedes G-Wagen. I think they are really good looking cars, kind of tough but not… fit all the kids in. I mean I’ve toyed with the idea of a vintage Porsche, yes… but I couldn’t be bothered with things breaking down all the time. I don’t know the first thing about changing a tyre or fixing anything."
Your first car?
My first car was a Subaru. It was red. Growing up in Tassie it was [great for] surf trips. A 4x4 for a girl was pretty cool and that way I could always pack the car up and go on surf trips and camping etc. Not that I surfed!"
What are your bad habits in the car?
"Getting annoyed with people - very loudly. My son hates it. He’s very sensitive and gets upset at what comes out of my mouth. Although my kids are used to it. I’ve been known to unwind my window and have a go at someone. That’s mainly in Bali [only]! I don’t do that in Australia. You’ve got to be aggressive [here]. You can just yell at someone. Especially westerners being stupid on their loud bikes and that sort of thing. But I am impatient in the car and I can’t stand bad drivers."
Anyone who has visited Bali will have witnessed the complete carnage that unfolds when tourists are let loose on motorbikes and scooters, as Rama-Ellis confirms.
"I’ve been here for eight years and I don’t ride a motorbike or scooter.
"It’s so bad here. They [tourists] get on those loud motorbikes and you see them in accidents - with no helmets and they’ve never ridden a bike before!
"I actually got my first Bali kiss a few months ago. Everyone in Bali has a round mark on the back of their leg and that’s from standing against the exhaust [pipe] of a motorbike. [To date] I’ve never had one. I got off our scooter and rubbed up against someone who had just parked! Everyone’s got one. Thankfully I don’t have a scar."
Have you ever named a car?
"Yes. We had a [Mitsubishi] Pajero. And we used to call it old girl. I remember it had a ‘bejesus bar’ – whenever we’d go off-road you’d really have to hold onto that bar because you’d be so rocky!"
What are two things we’d find in your car?
"Wet wipes. Because one of the kids is constantly having an accident. Always an iPhone or the Bluetooth adaptor because I’ve got to have music in the car."
In car playlist?
"I love music. I always listen to chill beats like The XX or London Grammar."
On getting her driver's licence…
"I failed the first time which surprised me because I’d been driving for about two years without a licence! I did get it on the second go. I’m a good driver. I’m confident and smooth in my changes and my hill starts. I think I’m quite good!"
How would you rate your parallel parking skills on a scale of 1-10?
"Oh, amazing. I’d say an eight. Not to be too up myself!"
How awful is your driver’s licence photo – on a scale of 1-10?
"Oh so bad. Like a three – it’s really bad. I’ve had the same one forever!"
How would you rate your navigational skills – on a scale of 1-10?
"Terrible like three really bad. I have no idea where I’m going!"
In heavy traffic do you merge patiently or sneak up the inside lane and pray someone takes pity and lets you in?
"No. I get nervous doing that and I don’t like to annoy other people, so I wait. I’d be waiting. Not patiently though, being in a bad mood. In Bali [however] I’d 100 per cent do that - that’s just normal merging. But not in Australia."
Mother to four children, Rama-Ellis knows a thing or two about kids in cars. But living in Bali brings a unique set of challenges.
"My kids are not great in the car because they’re always on motorbikes here.
"Goldie [Rama-Ellis’ youngest child] gets car sick. All the kids struggle in Australia. In Bali, you don’t have seat belts and car seats. Goldie is always on someone’s lap, Britney Spears style.
"They don’t like to be restrained or in there for a long time. In Europe a couple of years ago on one of those big road trips, it was a nightmare, lots of vomiting! We stopped a lot to break it up but it’s not enjoyable. And they’re not kids to fall asleep in the car - ever.
"It’s very difficult. It’s different for children that have never had to have a seatbelt and be strapped in. To have Goldie completely restrained is claustrophobic for her. I know it sounds ridiculous and so unsafe the way we live here. Even on social media, when we ride our bikes people will DM me saying where are your helmets. No one has helmets here. It’s how we do things. We’re never going fast.
"I find it difficult when I go back to Australia to drive. There are so many rules that it freaks me out. I'm constantly thinking I’m doing something wrong. So many signs and there are so many things to look at. I’m not even concentrating on the road because I’m looking at this sign here, that sign there and looking at my dashboard. It’s mayhem! Then [I have] this feeling like I’m constantly breaking the law. It’s horrible. I’ll be terrible after a year here on the island."
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