Ogoh-ogoh parades take place between 7-9 pm throughout Bali. The aim is to confuse the bad spirits of the island. At the end of the processions, the effigies are burned in big fires. During these solemn, powerful hours, priests throughout Bali will perform a tawur agung, praying and ritually sacrificing a variety of animals to appease the demons and honor the gods in an attempt to harmonize the conflicting universal powers of good and evil....more

First up we've had the odd sight of a few thousand fish washed up dead along the shorelines from Kuta to Canggu, apparently killed off by some sort of poison in the waters of Bali. On further investigation it turns out that the culprit of the Ikan massacre has been the extremely warm temperature of the ocean for this time of year, which has caused the algae to produce toxins they don't in cooler sea climes...more

We quickly procure the best table right on the edge of the immaculately combed beach area of The Oberoi, at just past nine in the morning. On the beach, a couple make their way towards Kuta on horseback, past a beach seller who pauses momentarily to consider a sale in my direction, then thinks better of disturbing the tranquil expression on our faces and shuffles off towards a lost looking tourist...more