A guide to travel books about Indonesia<\/p>\n
By David Jardine<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, in keeping with its size, has
\nprompted many English-language travel commentaries, some of
\nwhich, of course, have been very much more than mere travelogues.<\/p>\n
William Marsden's A History of Sumatra is a superb nineteenth
\ncentury example of a powerfully observant mind combining history
\nwith a fresh appreciation of a foreign land derived from his own
\ntravels. Thomas Stamford Raffles' magisterial A History of Jawa
\nalso embodies some of the best that a travel writer might
\nachieve, close observations of the people he lived with and
\ntraveled among.<\/p>\n
If we do not look for polymaths among today's travel writers,
\nthere are some worthwhile books to be found. Colin Thubron, a
\nBritish academic and Asia specialist, comes to mind. His books on
\nthe former Soviet Asia offer excellent insights into both the
\ncurrent conditions of such former USSR territories such as
\nUzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as the dramatic history of the
\nregion, Tamurlaine, Ulugh Beg and all.<\/p>\n
Norman Lewis' Empire of the East was a recent attempt to
\ncombine Indonesian travel with commentary on its current affairs
\nduring the dark days of the New Order. He mostly got it right
\nand, as always with Lewis, in exceptionally fine, lucid prose.<\/p>\n
But none of these books is anything like a travel guide as
\nsuch, although they undoubtedly provide invaluable supplementary
\nmaterial to the broad-minded traveler who genuinely wants to know
\nmore about this country.<\/p>\n
Where to look then for the best travel guides to Indonesia?
\nOf course, one must always bear in mind that a travel guide is by
\nits very nature obsolescent. Some of its contents are certain to
\nbe out of date by the time of publication. What we look for then
\nis the book with the broadest sweep that comes nearest to
\ncatching the flavor of a country. It helps to be well-written and
\nwell-presented as well as clearly knowledgeable.<\/p>\n
One of the leaders in the modern field is Bill Dalton's
\nIndonesia Handbook, banned for sale here by the New Order for
\nsaying too many close-to-the-bone things about Soeharto and
\nhis clan. This book, however, has stood the test of time. It
\ncontains a wealth of detail and insight -- Dalton has always been
\nmore attuned to local cultural forms than his Lonely Planet
\nrivals, for example -- and this Moon Publications issue contains
\nmany good maps of provincial cities such as Pontianak and
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
Dalton, however, has failed to keep pace with the development
\nof Jakarta: his nightlife information is stuck in a Tanamur rut.<\/p>\n
Lonely Planet, whose publishing range now appears to cover
\nvirtually every country on the planet with the possible exception
\nof Stalinist North Korea, has both an Indonesia edition and
\nindividual island coverage for the likes of Java. The series is
\nabidingly popular but has always, in my mind at least, suffered
\nfrom the \"watch out, you're about to get ripped off\" mentality of
\nthe earliest South-east Asia on a Shoestring edition. This
\ninfluenced many young backpackers to an alarming degree although
\nin fairness it must be said Lonely Planet seems to have matured.<\/p>\n
There are always niche markets in the travel guide book
\nbusiness. Far and away the best contributors in this area are
\nPeriplus Action Guides. As always with Periplus, these books are
\na treat to look at, full of superb photography and printing, as
\nwell as written to a high standard.<\/p>\n
I am no surfer but I must say that Surfing Indonesia is a joy
\nto read, witty, hip, informed, and a sight for sore eyes, some of
\nthe plates being of exceptional quality.<\/p>\n
As something of a birdwatcher, but no expert, I recommend
\nBirding Indonesia, which, again, is full of lively, witty writing
\n-- Victor Mason, British eccentric on birds in Bali is a fine
\nexample -- and superb plates.<\/p>\n
Birding Indonesia, which aims to direct birdwatchers to
\nIndonesia's best remaining locations, has but one fault. There is
\nno comprehensive identification guide. For that you will have to
\nrepair to McKinnon and Philips.<\/p>\n
There are local history and other specialist books available
\non Indonesia, All Around Bandung coming to mind, but nobody has
\ndared into the No Money, No Honey genre of books by David Brazil
\nabout Singapore's (ssshh!) sleazy nightlife. It could be done
\nhere and doubtless would form a niche of its own but its absence
\nis hardly an aching loss.<\/p>\n
Post-Soeharto Indonesia has become in some ways a startlingly
\ndifferent country, press freedom and all. In others ways,
\nIndonesia remains the same. The challenge for the next generation
\ntravel writers is to capture the strange metamorphosis the
\ncountry is undergoing.<\/p>",
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