Snared: As dusk settles in, a young man reels in a catch at Nusa Dua beach in this weekend shot. Hordes of people flocked to the stunning coastline on Saturday and Sunday as the island – and the country – went into a weeklong holiday mode during the Muslim Idul Fitri celebrations.

Jean Burling, a 61-year-old mother of six from Australia, is a life-saving instructor What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you? To believe in yourself and have patience, humanity and compassion. Read entire article… »

UBUD ~ Ubud’s famed Monkey Forest and its circa-300 inhabitants got a new, online look at the weekend, as officials unveiled www.monkeyforestubud.com at a press event. The website is part of an information campaign designed to showcase the area the sacred forests lies in and its people, culture and art, officials said. At the media [...]

WASHINGTON ~ The United States will press for a no-holds-barred probe into the murder of respected human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the State Department has said. Read entire article… »

Mad about horses, Francis Putrawan traveled from her native British island of Jersey to Bali, where she married local boy Ketut Putrawan, before spending more than two decades in Australia and eventually returning back to Bali and setting up a riding school in Canggu, north Kuta. The 54-year-old mother of two spoke to The Bali [...]

Australian Schapelle Corby, serving 20 years in Kerobokan Prison for drug smuggling, is to tell her story in a book, My Story, to be published soon. The tome, co-written with an Australian TV producer, will reveal details of the 29-year-old’s life in the crowded jail and reiterate her purported innocence in smuggling 4.1 kilograms of [...]

JAKARTA ~ Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the world’s largest paper companies, poses a threat to a massive peatland forest in Sumatra sheltering rare animals, conservation group WWF said in a report. Read entire article… »

Phil Kafcaloudes from Melbourne, Australia, co-presents Radio Australia’s Breakfast Club; during the Kuta Karnival in September he broadcast the show from Bali, where The Bali Times met up with the 46-year-old of Greek lineage. Read entire article… »

Deepavali festivities were held at the weekend in Denpasar, as Bali’s Indian Hindu’s marked the annual festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil. The island’s Indian community gathered at a temple on central Jl. Teuku Umar on Saturday to pray, eat and dance, said Putu Sudi Ayu, one of the organizers. “This celebration is [...]

As tens of millions of Indonesian Muslims ended their fast this week and rejoiced in the Idul Fitri celebrations – and millions more of other faiths enjoyed what has for many become a week-long holiday – they could take heart in the knowledge that the country is finally back on track after years of calamity. [...]

SEMINYAK ~ Readers of Hong Kong-based Smart Travel Asia have voted Bali the best island destination in Asia, beating out Thailand, China and the Maldives. Read entire article… »

Ari Astina – known as Jerinx – is a native Kutan and drummer of acclaimed punk rock band Superman Is Dead, as well as fronting and playing guitar with other musical outfits. The 29-year-old vintage car enthusiast who would like to go back in time and meet Elvis, and who also runs a bar and [...]