By Mark Ulyseas For The Bali Times UBUD ~ Somewhere in Bali, nestling in the cracks and crevices of society, are the karma mechanics, aspiring avatars of the likes of Osho, Maharishi Yogi and their kind. They carry the weight of mankind’s troubles on their shoulders. And this is odd, because no one has asked [...]

By Paulo Coelho For The Bali Times I asked some friends to make a list of things that so-called “normal” people have to observe very closely. Here I end this inventory of absurd things: 25] In any kind of public transport, never looking straight into the eyes of the other passengers, as this may be [...]

By Amy Chavez For The Bali Times One of the things that amazes tourists when they arrive for the first time in Bali is how many languages many of the locals can speak. Not only do they know their native language; they also speak Indonesian, English and many times Spanish, German or Japanese. Indonesians are [...]

A.A. Bagus Sudarma is an art teacher in Junior High School 2 in Mengwi, Tabanan, a ngaben wadah (coffin) maker and a dancer, and lives in Mengwi, Badung Regency. The 48-year-old father of one son and a daughter shared his day with The Bali Times “My father and grandfather were also wadah makers and the [...]

Name: Ired Bedi Age: 59 Occupation: Entrepreneur Location: Jl. Sudirman, Denpasar Read entire article… »

JAKARTA ~ The national parliament has voted to review the government’s fuel price hike after 21 people were injured in violent student-led protests this week, officials and police said. MPs voted late on Tuesday to review the 30-percent price rises announced despite angry opposition in May as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government acted to rein [...]

Old as Time: As glorious dawn hues streak across the early morning sky at Sanur Beach on Sunday, an elderly Balinese man casts his net the traditional way. Modern fishing methods may be encroaching on Bali’s time-honored customs, but for many, simplicity suffices when feeding the family – and perhaps selling what’s left at the [...]

From the perspective of Faturrachman, 24, a cellphone dealer from Denpasar Read entire article… »

DENPASAR ~ Bali’s best-known foreign prisoner was on suicide watch at a hospital in Denpasar this week, after being admitted suffering from severe depression following an unsuccessful appeal to the Supreme Court against her 20-year jail term for drug smuggling. Schapelle Corby was taken from Denpasar Prison in Kerobokan last Friday to Bali’s main medical [...]

SINGAPORE ~ Regional officials praised this week Indonesia’s efforts to reduce a haze caused by forest fires which regularly choke Southeast Asia. The blazes, set by large plantations and farmers, send smoke into Indonesian skies and across boundaries into neighboring countries each year during the May to October dry season. “I wouldn’t say that there [...]

SANUR ~ Three whales became beached on Semawang Beach in Sanur late on Wednesday afternoon, and two died, local residents said. Local citizen I Wayan Kaligo said that the three-meter-long whales were discovered by a fisherman returning from a fishing trip, but other locals came quickly to help. “One of the whales was still alive [...]

DENPASAR ~ Bali Animal officials said this week that any dogs entering Bali to compete in a dog show must follow quarantine procedures. Animal entrance and exit laws stipulate that animals entering Bali must have documentation from a veterinarian declaring it healthy, and must have been quarantined for a maximum of 14 days in the [...]