JAKARTA ? from Health Hazard to Traffic JamsHans RooseboomJuly 4, 2012September 6, 2017 by Hans RooseboomJuly 4, 2012September 6, 20170622 Batavia, as Jakarta was called during the colonial days, was once styled the “Queen of the East”. This label was...
The Legend of Kebo IwaKadek Krishna AdidharmaJune 18, 2012September 6, 2017 by Kadek Krishna AdidharmaJune 18, 2012September 6, 201703201 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 NotesBruce W CarpenterJune 18, 2012September 6, 2017 by Bruce W CarpenterJune 18, 2012September 6, 201702304 Miguel Covarrubias’ father was a Sunday painter. As a very young child, Miguel liked to sit by his father, watching...
Bandung’ Colonial LegacyAntony SuttonJune 18, 2012September 6, 2017 by Antony SuttonJune 18, 2012September 6, 201701989 Bandung, with its factory outlets and bakeries selling the ubiquitous brownie, this city has long been a favourite destination for...
Do as You’re Told – An Artful Welcome to BaliKadek Krishna AdidharmaJune 7, 2012September 6, 2017 by Kadek Krishna AdidharmaJune 7, 2012September 6, 201702418 “It appears that each Balinese native, from the womb to the tomb is creative,” rhymed Noel Coward in his irreverent...
BALI–Before The Tourists InvadedHans RooseboomJune 6, 2012September 6, 2017 by Hans RooseboomJune 6, 2012September 6, 201712732 Traders-colonisers from the coast of Coromandel brought Hinduism to Java. The religion was adopted by the Majapahit kingdom in the...
Run to New YorkAntony SuttonMay 21, 2012October 20, 2017 by Antony SuttonMay 21, 2012October 20, 20170781 The English, bless our little cotton buds, have always loved a gallant loser. Years of feeble cricket and football performances...
Not Losing Their ReligionKenneth YeungMay 21, 2012September 6, 2017 by Kenneth YeungMay 21, 2012September 6, 201701573 How many people know there’s an Indonesian god at Jakarta’s oldest Chinese temple? And who knew the city’s oldest church...
Literary Works Capable of ChangeAntony SuttonMay 7, 2012September 5, 2017 by Antony SuttonMay 7, 2012September 5, 201701059 Take an ambitious businessman drunk on being so close to power, a media baron who uses his political acquaintances to...
Bengkulu BluesAntony SuttonApril 24, 2012May 3, 2020 by Antony SuttonApril 24, 2012May 3, 20200886 At first sight Bengkulu seems an odd place for a trading post. It’s situated on the west coast of Sumatra,...
?Bintang, Anyone??David E. ParryApril 24, 2012September 5, 2017 by David E. ParryApril 24, 2012September 5, 201706207 Indonesia’s Most Loved Beer and the History Behind the Label A holiday spent in Indonesia most likely revolves around a...
Of Spice and ProfitAntony SuttonMarch 14, 2012May 3, 2020 by Antony SuttonMarch 14, 2012May 3, 20202 850 Nearly half a millennium before the world, slowly getting connected by grainy black and white TV images, was entranced by...
Love In The EastAntony SuttonFebruary 14, 2012May 3, 2020 by Antony SuttonFebruary 14, 2012May 3, 20201497 The early days of the expatriate in South East Asia back in the 16th and 17th centuries were fraught with...
Zheng He, The Chinese Muslim EunuchAntony SuttonJanuary 31, 2012December 3, 2019 by Antony SuttonJanuary 31, 2012December 3, 201908118 Zheng He is renowned today as a great explorer, honoured by both Chinese and Muslims throughout South East Asia. But...
Uneasy MoneyKenneth YeungNovember 30, 2011April 4, 2021 by Kenneth YeungNovember 30, 2011April 4, 20212 1581 Gambling, like prostitution and corruption, is an age-old vice that is part of Indonesia’s culture. Despite being criminalized in the...
Treading in Jogjakarta’s Ancient HistoryAntony SuttonNovember 25, 2011April 4, 2021 by Antony SuttonNovember 25, 2011April 4, 202101234 Jogjakarta and its Hill of Stones Anyone with but the flimsiest knowledge of Indonesia will know the pivotal role Jogjakarta...
How Indonesia’ Spices Unrolled the Map of the WorldClayton BondNovember 16, 2011December 10, 2020 by Clayton BondNovember 16, 2011December 10, 202012717 As Indonesia prepares to celebrate 66 years of independence it is an appropriate moment to turn the clock back 560...
Art and RevolutionBruce W CarpenterNovember 16, 2011September 24, 2017 by Bruce W CarpenterNovember 16, 2011September 24, 201702202 S. Sudjojono, 1913-1986 One of the ultimate tools of revolution is art. So, too, revolution ideas often stimulate revolutionary visuals...
Did You Know??Antony SuttonNovember 16, 2011October 23, 2017 by Antony SuttonNovember 16, 2011October 23, 20170878 In 1602 eight early British expats were dropped off in what is now known as Banten Lama by the first...
The Origins of the Piggy BankBruce W CarpenterNovember 15, 2011September 6, 2017 by Bruce W CarpenterNovember 15, 2011September 6, 201703846 In the west the Piggy Bank has long been a time-honoured rite of passage, a whimsical but didactic tool for...
Indonesia’ First Celebrity ArtistBruce W CarpenterNovember 15, 2011April 14, 2021 by Bruce W CarpenterNovember 15, 2011April 14, 202111003 Raden Saleh Boestaman (c. 1807-1880) This well-known photo of Raden Saleh, Indonesia’s ‘first’ western-style painter was taken in 1870 when...