Reading recommendations for curious travellers
The ETG Book Club: Indonesia
The Malay Archipelago
Famed amongst students and scholars as the originator of Wallace, an imaginary line which marks the transition zone from Asia to Australasia flora and fauna, Wallace spent nearly a decade cataloguing plant and animal species which inhabited the unique geographical area of the Malay Archipelago.
“The original and still the best book about the flora, fauna and general culture of the spice islands of Indonesia”, Nick Nugent, former Asia Editor, BBC World Service
The Spice Islands Voyage: In Search of Wallace
An account of the author’s expedition in the Spice Islands in 1996, retracing the steps of pioneering naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace. Severin travels in a replica of the boat that Wallace sailed in 140 years before him. Not only do they discover the unusual flora and fauna that Wallace had recorded in his travels but they also observe the smuggling of rare birds, the destruction of the rainforest and the selling of endangered species for small fortunes, as well as the survival of ancient rituals in tribal rule and the emergence of an environmental awareness among the Indonesian islanders.
The Ring of Fire
Lawrence and Lorne Blair
In this vivid first-person account, English brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair recount their extraordinary journeys through Indonesia in the 1970s and 80s, travelling deep into remote islands and little-known cultures. Blending adventure, anthropology and spiritual exploration, the book is filled with encounters with headhunters and healers, man-eating dragons and leeches, dream-wanderers, ritual life and moments of startling natural beauty, capturing a region and a way of life rarely seen by outsiders.
Indonesia Etc: Exploring the Improbable Nation
Declaring independence in 1945, Indonesia said it would “work out the details of the transfer of power etc. as soon as possible.” With over 300 ethnic groups spread across over 13,500 islands, the world’s fourth most populous nation has been working on that “etc.” ever since. Author and one-time foreign correspondent in Indonesia, Elizabeth Pisani travelled 26,000 miles around the archipelago in search of the links that bind this disparate nation. Very readable, entertaining and informative.
River of Time
A celebrated writer’s candid account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion and what she really wanted out of life as she travels in true ‘find yourself’ style to Rome, an ashram in India and to Bali, where a toothless medicine man of indeterminate age offers her a new path to peace: simply sit still and smile. Subsequently turned into a film this tale has in turns been described as a self-indulgent ‘me-moir’ and an inspiring, meaningful journey.
A House in Bali
A House in Bali, first published in 1947, tells the story of writer and composer Colin McPhee’s obsession with gamelan music and his journey to Bali to experience it firsthand. The young composer writes about his growing understanding of an astonishing culture where the arts are a prime preoccupation, and of the arts, music is supreme. Much has been written on Bali, but this remarkable, classic work from 1947 remains the only narrative by a Western musician.
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The Curious Traveller’s Guide to Indonesia
Discover the hidden wonders beyond the mighty temples and the country’s most unique hotels, all in one handy guide.
