Galungan: Biggest Day of the Year
Celebrating the creation of the world by the supreme god and the victory of goodness or virtue (dharma) over evil...
Travel
Comedy, Comics and Sketches of Real Life
You might already be familiar with Sacha Stevenson’s How to Act Indonesian YouTube videos in which Sacha makes some astute,...
East Java’ Cottage Industries
Nestled in the Brantas River Valley, the cradle of the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit Kingdom of the 13th to 16th centuries –...
Going Green on the Slopes of Gunung Salak
This may sound as though I’m making it up, but did you know it’s possible to spend a weekend far...
Tabuik: the Waterfront Cultural Festival of Pariaman
Pariaman is a small town on the western coast of West Sumatra of only 73.36 square kilometres. Since the beginning...
Hiking the Hills Around Bogor
Forced urban dwellers like myself long to escape the confines, concrete and cars. I’m always on the lookout for a quick...
Two-Wheel Travel: Lampung, South Sumatra
Choice destinations for weekend cycling in West Java are often impractical because of poor access. Lido, for instance, is a...
The Dangers of Diving
Most articles about diving in Indonesia wax lyrical about the beautiful, warm, inviting underwater world, with a myriad variety of...
Changing Faces of Batik
I first met Serbian artist Mikro Kosmos (Miroslav Dukic) in Borneo earlier this year. He played a didgeridoo which he...
Balikpapan at a Glance
When I was growing up in suburban Surrey all those years ago, I knew little of the East beyond the...
Madura – Java’s Different Neighbour
The Javanese may tell you that the island of Madura – only 30 minutes away by ferry from Surabaya –...
Java’s First Photographer: Kassian Cephas (1845-1912)
The first rather rambling title for this article ran nearly three lines as it tried to convey that Kassian Cephas...
A Weekend Trip to Gunung Salak
Just two hours away from Jakarta, Gunung Salak is a large volcanic range in Halimun National Park (the largest tract...
A Pleasant Day Trip to Loveland
For years I was so strongly advised against riding the trains around Jakarta, and down to Bogor, that I avoided them:...
Bunaken: Two Sides of an Underwater Paradise
The Sulawesi city of Manado is known for many things: its spicy (and sometimes wacky) food, its cosmopolitan and beautiful...
The History of Coffee in Indonesia
Imagine a world without coffee! Even if you are not a coffee drinker, imagine the shopping centres and high streets...
Surabaya: Beyond Expectations
Look in a travel guide and the description of Surabaya won’t exactly allure you. For many years Lonely Planet described...
Embracing the Spirit of Ramadhan
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan is now in full swing. For recently arrived non-Muslim expatriates in Indonesia, it can...
Krakatau Sojourn
The mention of Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, arouses a variety of gut feelings to...
Staying Safe on Your Travels
This is the time of year when many of us are travelling on leave and staying in hotels. I have...
A Culinary Pilgrimage to Gresik, East Java
It was still midday, but the beautiful scent of stir-fried garlic and galangal paste had already made me hungry. My...