Indonesia Archives - Insideotherplaces

Posts tagged "Indonesia"

Indonesian toilet inspirations

In the glamorous world of international toilet design the Indonesians are beginning to make a name for themselves with the kind of commitment to ethnic diversity you could only find in a nation of over 17 000 islands. A firm support for ancient traditions is complimented by visionary, yet measured steps into the modern world. The primary factor distinguishing Indonesia from the two giants of Asian toilet design, Tajikistan and China, derives more from differing cultural understandings. Simply, many more…

Dear Indonesia – we need to talk

Dear Indonesia Firstly, so as there is no misunderstanding, let me state quite clearly that I love you, sincerely and deeply. Rarely have other places in the world treated me so well but a few issues have come up in our relationship that I need to talk to you about, so I hope you will understand. Do you know what pavements are for? I think it is instructive in this instance to use the American term sidewalk, as it conveys…

The torture never stops

As if the gore splattered meat market in Tomohon wasn’t enough fun, the extra curricular entertainment of cock-fighting is also available for your edification, so I put on my sports correspondent hat to check out a match for you. It is popular throughout south-east Asia and is well over a thousand years old in Indonesia, so hardly a cultural practice to be ignored. If you only watch for a few minutes in the early stages, you could be forgiven for…

Indonesia on wheels

Quite what has inspired Indonesia’s love affair with small wheels will probably remain a mystery but it seems as though the country has embraced the modest wheeled vehicle like no other. Many countries have their iconic forms of transport: jeepneys in the Philipines; decorated trucks in Pakistan and the London Bus, just to name a few, but Indonesia has adapted bicycles and motor bikes to perform a whole range of functions. You won’t get very far, anywhere in the country before…

Kolorful Kalimantan

As its new year I am sure you all need a bit of colour to cheer you up, particularly after some of my more gruesome posts recently. If you are languishing in post-Christmas poverty, having mortgaged your soul to pay obscene heaps of food and booze to wash away the pain of regular employment, let me at least offer you a hint of sunshine. After a few weeks in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, buildings back home are going to seem rather…

The bus stops of Toraja

Passing through the many villages scattered over the hills of Tana Toraja in the central Sulawesi highlands, you soon begin to wonder why they have so many bus shelters, sometimes several in one village. Some may be modest affairs but many are decorated with bright colours and patterns, clearly built with love and care. Even the design of traditional homes and rice stores is replicated for some. In reality the function of bus stop is just a fringe benefit, for…

A dog is for lunch, not just for Christmas

Warning: animal lovers may find some of the images distressing Tis the season of good cheer to all God’s creatures, or at least that is what the Christmas card manufacturers would like us to believe. However, as you are probably aware by now, I am that nagging voice in a dark corner of the travel blogging world, reminding you that things aren’t always as nice as the travel brochures want you to think. So, I hope you have fully digested …

Beach holiday showdown: Bali vs East Timor

If your idea of holiday heaven is to be packed onto a beach with thousands of like-minded souls, knowing that MacDonald’s tastiest treats and a Starbucks Latte are only a stagger away, then Bali is the place for you. Even if days of sun-drenched inertia raise a twinge of guilt you could always go for a day trip to something cultural to justify your sandy stasis. Or, you could just say, “fuck it! I’ll have another beer”. After all the…

Welcome to the new colonialism: West Papua

You may have thought that colonialism had been consigned to the dusty, historical cupboards of European guilt but in one corner of Indonesia it is alive and well. In a slight twist on the old school model, many West Papuans (who are dark-skinned Melanesians) converted to Christianity under the influence of Dutch colonial rule but are now under the yoke of the largely Muslim Indonesians. The central pillar of the injustice is the 1969 Act of Free Choice initiated by…

A strange kind of tourism: Sidoarjo Mud Flow

There can’t be many disaster areas that you can drive past and not notice but Sidoarjo in East Java is one such oddity. Back in 2006 a drilling operation caused a natural gas well blowout, creating the world’s biggest mud volcano. All these years later and it is still merrily chugging away, spewing out mud and steam. Although the rate has slowed considerably it has the potential to continue for years. As letting it gradually overwhelm the entirety of this…

Tag: Indonesia

Indonesian toilet inspirations

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Dear Indonesia – we need to talk

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The torture never stops

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Indonesia on wheels

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Kolorful Kalimantan

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The bus stops of Toraja

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A dog is for lunch, not just for Christmas

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Beach holiday showdown: Bali vs East Timor

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Welcome to the new colonialism: West Papua

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A strange kind of tourism: Sidoarjo Mud Flow

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