On 15th August 2010 in the celebration of the Independence Day of India Republic, the community of India citizen and Balinese in Bali proclaimed a friendship institution called Balinese Indian Friendship Association (BIFA) in Ball Room Bali Dynasti Hotel, Kuta. This international event attended by not less than 500 invitations. Half of them are belongs [...]

Visitors to Bali cannot fail to be delighted by its warm, clear sea and white beaches, writes Hamilton Wende – but the island’s special charms also include its cheeky wildlife. It was in Bali that I punched my first monkey. A cute, furry beast it was, gray and white with a long tail and an [...]

I have a neighbor named Richard. He’s a prime example of what I call a Baby Boomer Bummer. Richard was a globe-trotter in the late ’60s and ’70s, before exotic travel became popular with the masses.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika announced Friday that he had rejected an investment offer from PT Anantara to develop Lake Buyan in Buleleng into an eco-tourism resort. “I have rejected PT Anantara’s request to develop Lake Buyan. I signed the rejection papers on Friday,” he said during a meeting with the Forum for the Protection [...]

The mantle of royalty sits lightly on the shoulders of Tjokorda Raka Kerthyasa. Born into Ubud’s royal family, the blood of ancient kings runs through his veins in a line dating back to the Majapahit Empire: a line broken last century when Dutch colonization reduced kingdoms to regencies.

Hundreds of thousands of people were gathering here Tuesday to cremate two Balinese royals in what promises to be one of the largest funeral rites of its kind in local memory. Ubud royal family head Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, who died in March after a long illness, and lesser royal Tjokorda Gde Raka who also [...]

Traditional dancer I Gusti Ayu Raka Rasmi still remembers when she struggled to learn Balinese traditional dancing. Born in Peliatan, Ubud, Gianyar Regency, in 1939, Rasmi was introduced to traditional dancing from the early age of nine. “I was among the youngest dancers back then,” she recalled.
From I Ketut Marya, who was later known as [...]

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik will replace President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in opening the 30th Balinese Traditional Arts Festival (PKB) on June 14 next Saturday, Governor Dewa Beratha said here on Monday.
Earlier in the day, the governor had said President Yudhoyono was scheduled to open the festival but it turned out that because of [...]

Residents of Bondalem village in Buleleng regency, Bali, on Tuesday officially launched a 3 square kilometer sea conservation area and reef monitoring center that will be used as a center for education and information on coral reef ecosystems. The signing of a stone plaque by Buleleng Regent Putu Bagiada and the presentation of 40 blocks [...]

Being in Bali is like being in a malfunctioning time machine, where past and present coexist without any hints of contradiction. Bali is 80 per cent Hindu, but their rituals seem to be a world away from those we see in India. For those of us who’ve glimpsed the cavernous, dust-filled and eerie crater of [...]