Top 5 Must-Visit Museums in Bali
Bali is a paradise for travellers; beautiful beaches have become the main destination for tourist. However, Bali also has many...
History/Culture
A Right Royal Yogyakarta Weekend
Indonesia isn’t a normal country, anyone living here will know that things are done differently here; for better or worse....
Honouring the Shared History between Indonesia and the Dutch
In Indonesia, a cemetery is synonymous with spookiness. I never thought that a cemetery could be a place filled with...
Adolf Heuken: Never Forget the Past
Adolf Heuken’s publishing experiences offer a droll comment on the interests of Indonesian and expat readers. The prolific writer produced...
The Birth of Batavia: The Local Resistance Was Brutally Crushed
Four hundred years ago, Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen founded Batavia, creating a Dutch enclave on the island of Java. But...
Guide to the Heroes Monument and Museum of November 10 Surabaya
If you only have a day to learn about Surabaya’s past, then the Heroes Monument and Museum of November 10...
Indonesian Antiques
Due to the intertwined histories of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, some “Indonesian antiques” actually share their roots with our Malaysian...
Hotel Majapahit, Surabaya
Hotel Majapahit is a majestic hotel located in the heart of Surabaya which has witnessed first-hand the changing history of...
The History of Mapping Australia
The mapping of Australia holds a special place in the history of cartography, as both the search for the mythical...
Surabaya: A Journey Through Time
Have you ever wondered why Surabaya is nicknamed the City of Heroes? Well, here are two historical places in the...
Success in the Sky: The KLM Story (Part One)
The letters most commonly associated with the history of Dutch aviation are “K.L.M.,” which stand for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (“Royal...
Bena and Tololela – Preserving tradition in Flores
Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province is a combination of sea and forested mountains with meandering highways cutting the...
The Betawi – A Look at the History, Culture and Cuisine
Nowadays Kemang is a favourite residential area of foreigners, and a trendy hangout hotspot with a wide range of restaurants,...
Corruption and Mismanagement in the Times of the VOC
The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) was established in 1602. The company was initially granted a 21-year...
The Resurrection of Krakatau
When Krakatau erupted in 1883, it became the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history. Scientists stationed in Batavia (Jakarta)...
Precious Indonesian Artifacts Being Looted by Treasure Hunters
Precious Indonesian artifacts in the paddy fields of Sukoharjo district, Central Java, are being dug up by illegal treasure hunters who...
The Dutch Pioneering Voyage to the East Indies
The last decade of the sixteenth century heralded the emergence of the Dutch as the colonial power that was to...
The Living Dead
Benjamin Franklin once said, “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’’ While one occurs...
Preserving Indonesian Fabric: Sumbanese Tenun
The government, private associations and other local initiatives are now beginning to use tenun ikat Sumba–traditional, handwoven textiles from Sumba–to...
What the Temples of Indonesia Tell Us
We live in a vast archipelago nation alongside 129 active volcanoes. Traditional wooden houses in this region have withstood the...
Get Ready To Wave The Red And White
With the Independence Day holiday fast approaching and the country already painting itself red and white, August is always a...