Where are all the Country Houses?
When it comes to ostentatious shows of wealth, no one does it better than the Europeans. Backed by generations of...
History/Culture
The Sad Story of Pieter Erberveld
There are a number of versions to this story. Depending on the narrator, the good people of Batavia were saved...
Food for Thought
In this 21st century, Bali is rarely referred to as a paradise. Aldous Huxley in the mid-20th century wrote a...
Have You Tried The Missionary?
Cannibalism has long been linked with the islands that now make up Indonesia. The ancient Greek proto historian Herodotus identified...
Beep Beep
Last night I had the experience of a lifetime as far as taxi drivers go. I stepped into a...
Chinese-Indonesians: The Identity In Between
As the “ancestral homeland” of over 300 ethnic groups, Indonesia is one of the most multicultural countries in the...
Does Gang Land Mean Gang Warfare?
Indonesia’s political philosophy is “Unity in Diversity” or “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” as every school child learns in the second grade...
I Made Mangku Pastika: A Governor of the People
The story goes that when I Made Mangku Pastika was a young boy, a neighbour hung himself over his gambling...
Once Upon a Sinking City: The Perpetual Floods of Jakarta
It is said that in life only two things are certain: death and taxes. But if you live in Jakarta,...
Nyepi: Parade of the Demons
Work has already begun on a mysterious five metre tall creature hidden behind a huge tarp with Styrofoam shavings lying...
Love, Sex, and Harmony: Bedtime Stories from the Heart of Java
Most of us have heard of India’s Kama Sutra and Tunisia’s Perfumed Garden. Every ancient agricultural society has its own...
Indonesian Heritage Society
Located on the 17th floor of Sentral Senayan 1, a square office tower next to the Sogo side of Plaza...
Legal Realities of Indonesian Expatriates – Family Matters
The purpose of this article is to explain some of the main family law related topics in the context of...
Finding Love in Bali
Finding true love anywhere these days is difficult or it seems maintaining the love buzz is more of the...
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...