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An Indonesian Klotok Proboscis monkeys sit in the trees, high above us, and look down nonchalantly. They’re probably wondering what is this strange contraption floating along the river beneath them. It’s not an unusual sight – dozens would pass the monkeys every day – but it does have a strange noise. It’s not like the ...

Ramayana Ballet, Yogyakarta, Indonesia It’s appropriate that with the ancient Prambanan Temple in the background, you are transported back to a time of demons, heroic animals and epic royal quests. It’s a mythical world illustrated through dance and music that is the setting for a love story centuries old. The Ramayana Ballet is the most ...

Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia “Chark-a, chark-a, chark-a, chark-a”, and on… the chant goes. Almost hypnotic, trance-like, the thirty or so barechested Indonesian men sway with the rhythm. They’re sitting on the ground in a circle – and in the middle the drama is unfolding. Two young princes; a demon king; a damsel in distress; a ...

Mount Bromo, Indonesia There aren’t many reasons tourists take the road south from Surabaya. To be fair, there aren’t many reasons tourists would even be in Surabaya in the first place, but let’s overlook that for now. Because the city is the staging point for the 120 kilometre journey down East Java to one of ...

Visiting Bali, Indonesia There’s a dichotomy to Bali. It’s all, ultimately, about belief and perception. It’s about how you see the world, how you see your place in it, and how you judge the reason for it all. On this Indonesian island, there is a pervasive spirituality. The Hindu doctrines which have influenced it for ...

Taman Sari Water Palace, Yogyakarta “The sultans had two hobbies”, the guide is explaining. “Hunting and hunting.” “They hunt for four-legged…”, he pauses. “And they hunt for two-legged.” It’s to investigate this second type of hunting – the one that certainly sounds more salacious – that I’m on my way to the Royal Water Palace ...

The Keraton, Yogyakarta At the palace in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, there are two honours passed down through the generations. In both cases, when a son is born, the father knows his child will one day take on a special responsibility. It is the right and the duty of the child to follow in ...

Pink Beach, Indonesia When the sun catches the sand, the beach glows. But it’s not a pure yellow radiance. Shining and shimmering in the Indonesian heat, the open beach blushes a shade of pink. I’m here, far from civilisation on Komodo Island in the south of the country. It’s at least an hour by boat ...

Komodo Island, Indonesia Some people will tell you, sincerely, that the movie King Kong was inspired by an expedition to Komodo Island. Others will tell you, with as much conviction, that the island was the basis for Jurassic Park. Neither is necessarily wrong, neither is necessarily right. Regardless, stepping off the boat, walking down the ...

Komodo National Park, Indonesia Maen still has nightmares about that morning. About those few minutes in which he almost died. About the time he was attacked by a man-eating reptile and had to fight it off to save his life. “I don’t like to tell more my story because when I tell again, when I’m ...