Iconic Island Sumba
Jointly moving towards 100% renewable energy Billions of people have no access to (clean) energy. They cook on firewood and...
Outreach
Salyem: The Jamu Lady
Salyem is 39 yrs old and has been selling her herbal-based medicines for eight years. Her Aunty educated her in...
Legal Realities of Indonesian Expatriates ? Land Ownership
When individuals move to Indonesia for the purpose of expatriation, the process usually involves a large number of personal and...
Fame and Fortune (Almost)
One night in 1998 after a gig in Manila, a woman approached me and my band and asked if we...
East is West and West is, well…
Anthony Burgess’ begins his marvellous series of novels, The Long Day Wanes, (aka The Malay Trilogy), with Flaherty, a British...
Get on the Bus
My Pembantu, Mami, who has worked for me for eight years mentioned after my asking how her weekend was that...
Dreaming of my Home Near Ubud
It’s 11:30 pm on a Tuesday night and we’ve just finished installing some final touches on our emerging eco café...
Winning and Losing on the Slots
When I was 15 years old I used to work on weekends as a glass washer at a country...
Ibu Meut: The Fish Selling lady
Ibu Meut has a charming smile, which belies the fact she works extremely hard selling her dried fish to the...
The Golden Arches
Several publications, including The New York Times, ran pieces recently detailing the Jakarta phenomenon of young people congregating in local...
The Legend of Kebo Iwa
If you frequently travel between Sanur and Ubud, there’s a fat chance you’ve seen the big baby statue sitting in...
Selamat Datang di Indonesia
In Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Jakarta) you may have had an unpleasant experience to share. By the end of this article, I...
A Little Perspective Please?
Sitting in the Bali domestic airport it can be easy to forget the reasons why I call Indonesia home, no...
Akasayapudin: The Shoe Repair Man
If you happen to be at home in Kemang and you hear the gentle, lyrical call of “Solbatu” there is...
Bed and Breakfast and a Bogus Baby
In the 1980s I was working as an agency truck driver in Oxford on my days off from the fire...
The Jaksa Position & Jl. Palatehan
Jalan Jaksa and Jalan Palatehan have been serving the needs of tourists and expatriates in different ways for decades. Jaksa,...
Sutejo : The Recycling Man
Name: Sutejo Age: 62 Sutejo floats around the rivers of South Jakarta on a blue foam mattress which enables him...
A Bottle of Wine and a Playroom
In Eastern Promise (EP) we now have a playroom for kids. During recent trips to New Zealand and Australia, I...
Pocket Guide to How to be a Bureaucrat
Follow these simple rules to being a good Bureaucrat and enjoy countless benefits for you, your friends and your family....
The French Spirit of Wine
Wine is the only subject that I can’t handle as the “Grumpy French Man”. Wine is not only alcohol for...
Humorous Educational Experiences: Raising Children
If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide. ~ Mahatma Gandhi ~ Is there...