Finding Love in Bali
Finding true love anywhere these days is difficult or it seems maintaining the love buzz is more of the...
History/Culture
Owning Your Own Personalized 19th/21st Century Map of Jakarta
The recent flooding followed by the inevitable Jakarta traffic grid-lock must make us look back wistfully to a time when...
The Ancient Puzzles of Borobudur
The Borobudur Temple is considered by many to be a wonder of the ancient world. We all probably have heard...
Counterpoint: Dutch Colonialism Versus the Divisive Legacy of the British in South Asia
As an Indian-American currently living in Indonesia, I was surprised to read Mr. Rooseboom’s recent article comparing the Colonial experiences...
Raffles Unravelled
Raffles and the British Invasion of Java Tim Hannigan Monsoon Books 2012 368pp ISBN 978-981-4358-85-9 As a lad growing up...
Honouring the Faiths in Java’ North Coast
Being the multicultural country that it is, there are many ways of celebrating Christmas in Indonesia. Even the weather is...
Colonies – Dutch East Indies vs. British India
Examining a map of the world, preferably a globe, one cannot but wonder how a few nations, occupying but a...
Thomas Stamford Raffles and The History of Java
If I were to ask you, who Stamford Raffles was, you would most likely answer: the founder of Singapore. In...
An Old Suburb and an Invasion
Tugu means memorial and memorial is an apt name for this old suburb up in North East Jakarta by the...
The Truth Behind ?Oktoberfest?
The first Oktoberfest took place in October 1810 to celebrate Crown Prince Ludwig’s wedding to Princess Therese von Sachsen Hildburghausen....
Marriage Curstoms-Balinese Elopement
I was browsing my Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch Indië, not looking for anything specific as I was curious who or what...
Wali Songo
The Wali Songo are revered throughout Indonesia as the wise men who brought Islam initially to Java but ultimately...
The Path to Perfection through Action
I hug trees. Some trees hug me back. Learning about the sculptures around the place I live and work from...
The Importance of Being Charming
My home village of Batur may be more spectacularly beautiful, but Ubud is where tourists choose to linger for longer....
Mads Johansen Lange: A Danish Adventurer Nicknamed ?King of Bali?
Most people know Kuta as a hedonistic beach resort where anything goes. It’s a Phuket-on-Bintang, just about the only place...
Four Faces Needed to Face Bali’s Brave New World
On July’s windy days, the skies of Denpasar fill up with kites. These grand birds and fish dance and glide...
The Comfort Woman
As job titles go it is difficult to think of any more crass, more cynical than ‘comfort woman’. To the...
JAKARTA – from Health Hazard to Traffic Jams
Batavia, as Jakarta was called during the colonial days, was once styled the “Queen of the East”. This label was...
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...
Miguel Covarrubias’ Visual Notes
Miguel Covarrubias’ father was a Sunday painter. As a very young child, Miguel liked to sit by his father, watching...
Bandung’ Colonial Legacy
Bandung, with its factory outlets and bakeries selling the ubiquitous brownie, this city has long been a favourite destination for...