Indonesia’s old manuscripts are waiting to be deciphered
Mehamat Boru Karo Sekalu, a lady working in North Sumatra Museum reads an ancient book written in Batak letters, eloquently....
culture
Dancing in a Foreign Land
French resort entertainer Guillaume Sanchez shares how his journey to Central Kalimantan changed his way of viewing life and performing...
Trouble in Paradise: Komodo Island, Tourism and Conservation
With Komodo Island gaining popularity in recent years as a favourite expat destination, it’s easy to only come for the...
Taman Daun: The Whale Hunter’s Library and Art Space
As I first lay eyes on Taman Daun, I had to ask myself, “Where am I?” Having spent the past...
Tambora: Mysteries of a Lost Civilization
In addition to changing the global climate through “The Year Without Summer” and losing nearly half of its original altitude,...
Rebuilding Bima: An Expat’ Perspective on Resilience in the Face of Disaster
After encountering generous and passionate locals in the historical royal city of Bima in October of 2016, Grace Susetyo was...
Opinion: Saving Indonesia from the Mistakes of the West
Indonesia is a place that travellers speak of as a paradise. Advertisements for leisure travel depict pristine white sand beaches,...
Reason for the Seasons: A Portrait of Indonesian Spirituality
Travelling throughout Indonesia, religious affiliation is a question I’m frequently asked. My forename gives away my Christian background. Lately, I...
Out of Eden: Mountain Spirits from the Heart of Timor
“Timor’s very own Garden of Eden,” Grace Susetyo recalls a description someone once told her of Mount Mutis’s bonsai forest....
Artpreciation: Preserving Culture through Tourism
The Internationally recognized Agung Rai Museum of Art is one of the venues for a new type of tour called...
History in the Making: Meet Michael Nicholson
Michael is an HR Consultant and Executive Coach, and founded the BritCham Toastmasters Club in Jakarta when he was on...
Art Appreciation: Meet Bruce Carpenter
Author and co-author of more than 20 books and numerous articles on Indonesian art, culture and history, Bruce W. Carpenter...
Rebuilding Ruins: PT Pembangunan Kota Tua
Most of Jakarta is made of new developments and expanding suburbs, however look to the North and you’ll find Kota...
The Mapping of Java
The islands of Java and Bali located 8 degrees south of the Equator in the Indian Ocean are two of...
Kamasan: An Ancient Living Tradition
Imagine you are a master Balinese painter, and your King has recently commissioned you to do a piece of work....
The Kids Went Wild in Batavia
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.” – Louis Armstrong Joey Alexander’s nomination for two Grammy...
Rights as Citizens: The Strife for Reconciliation of Indonesia’s Indigenous Communities
With nearly 70 years of independence, Indonesia prides itself as a nation founded upon the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples...
Going, Going, Gone: In Search of the Ultimate Longhouse
Along with blowpipes, traditional tattooing, mastery of plaiting crafts, canoe-building and the custom of wearing huge bunches of metal earrings...
Cruising on a Borneo River
There is a special feeling that Borneo invokes. There really is no other experience that comes close to cruising on...
The Mysterious, Phantasmagoric World of Javanese Wayang Theatre
The morality and messages conveyed in Wayang Kulit plays still permeate Javanese thought and daily life. The spellbound audience is...
The Pasola Festival of Sumba | When the Worms Didn’t Come
In 1994, when travel journalist Ron Gluckman observed the Pasola ritual in Sumba, all of the “signs” were good –...