I am sitting in a tiny internet cafe on Jl. Campuhan taking a break from the Writers Festival in Ubud.
This morning I rode from my house around 6.30am to Kuta then shot over to Ubud (actually Sanginggan ) and the Indus restaurant where the Ubud Writers Festival is being held.
At 9am I sat in the front row of an audience of about 50 and listened to Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet and Bill Dalton the founder of Moon telling how they met and founded their respective companies. The chair was Ryan ver Berkmoes editor of the new LP guide to Bali.
Both guys were engaging and cut loose with personal opinions. Tony told us that they first met Bill in 1971 sitting in the curb in Kings Cross Sydney selling copies of his ‘Indonesia notes’ which he had photocopied. That was the start of Moon books.
Tony told us that he and his wife Maureen wrote the first copy of ‘Asia on the Cheap’ (which turned into SE Asia on a Shoestring) in the back room (room #2) of the Palace Hotel which was some pokey budget place in Singapore. It took them 3 monthes to write. After they finished Tony recommended the local printer to Bill and said “If you want a cheap quiet place to write the book go to room #2 at the back of the Palace Hotel.” This was where Bill wrote his ‘Indonesia Guide’. I think Tony regards Bill as ‘the expert’ on Indonesia and Bill certainly is a character to go with it. I love it.
Bill told us a funny story of about the time when he used a tip from another traveler about a hiking trail in Sumatra in his guide book without properly checking it out. Several months later he got a letter from a guy who had followed his advice and had the most unpleasant night in the jungle as the directions were flawed. Bill said the guy was covered in leeches and mosquito bites and included a tape with his letter….’Bill if I ever meet you in person….if I ever, ever….etc.”
This talk was followed by 3 travel writers Larry Buttrose from Australia, Fleur Bourgonje from Holland and Inez Barany from Australia. The chair was writer Terry McDonagh.
The topic was called ‘The Strangest Journeys’ and each writer told personal stories or personal thoughts on travel and what it meant to them. Travel like everything else is so subjective. I found myself agreeing with some comments and totally disagreeing with others. Fleur read a very nice section from a book about how her Dutch relatives from 50 years ago crossed Holland and set up a blacksmith’s in a part of the country they’d never been to before. She talked about how they’d overcome their fears and took on the challenge of new things, learning all the way. She then went on to say that she personally thinks the most important part of travel for her is to create memories. I have to say that for me this is not true. For me travel forces me to experience new things, new challenges and ‘live in the moment’ as opposed to going through the motions and living according to someone else’s gameplan (the boss) at home. Memories are a nice by product but not the reason.
Sitting next to me was a very friendly older gentleman from the US who now lives in Ubud. I asked him for his opinion on the events. He said Tony and Bill’s stories were great but the other session was ‘banal’. He said he especially didn’t like being ‘read at’.
I am attending 3 events today, the last being ‘A guide to Bali’ featuring Tony, Bill and Ryan ver Berkmoes which starts at 2.45pm and finishes at 3.45pm.
The ‘expat rate’ is 150,000rp for a 1 day pass or 35,000 per event. I took 3 events for 105,000rp. They didn’t ask me to show any ID, they just asked if I was an expat and I said yes.
Photos will follow and I can recommend this event for people in the Kuta area. Just show up on the day and you can hear some interesting people share their thoughts.
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What did the guy from the U.S. mean by being “read at?”
The story of Bill and his unchecked hiking trail was not particularly funny, especially to that one man and others who depend on guidebooks for accurate information - more of a guidebook to use at your own risk.
Yes, Nick, travel is personal and what each gets out of it is also personal. That’s why I get tremendous pleasure from reading travel books. They always give another perspective whether you agree or not. Everything is valid.
Great article. Sounds as though you’re getting a lot out of this festival.