Chatting with Bill Dalton, author of the Indonesia Handbook.

G’day Nick,

Bill Dalton is the one guy I would like to met also. He is like the Guru of Indonesian guidebooks!. Both of his guidebooks hold pride and place in my bookcase.

Be great to know when he arrives in Bali. Sure would like to meet him.

G’Day Nick,

Just finished reading Rof Pott’s interview with Bill Dalton. Fantastic insight to a brilliant traveller.

It was interesting to note [that then]he had only covered 40% of destinations in Indonesia. I cetainly hope he puts out another guidebook because travellers around the world could use his guidance and expertise.

In regard to peeing in the pool, I have heard repeatedly that many of the semi-drunken tourists who sit drinking for hours at the swim up bars, without ever leaving the pool, also have this delightful habit.

Only hearsay, but it makes you think, doesn’t it?

Barrie,

Rolf Potts is an interesting guy too, Sean and I met him in Bangkok a couple of years ago. His Vagabonding book is worth a read.

Hi Nick,
He’s right about Bali is fosillized ancient Java. I was moslem myself and still wondering today how’s Java look like if Islam never came to that island. Perhaps it would be a peaceful country with many local wisdoms applied in all ways of living including architecture, etc. I don’t want to say that Hindu is better than Islam, but when something new come it tends to destroy the old one. And Javanese hindu is a much different hindu than the one in India that has been developed thousands years making many local knowledge so useful for this environment and become a distinguish culture. Even, India has many things in common with Java in term of environment than in Arab Saudi. That’s why islamic culture/ arabic culture cannot and never be able to be fit in well with this country. Well I don’t have any hatred to a particular religion, just want to say the fact. And I miss that Majapahit time, if I only lived at that time…End of my amateur historian lecture

Kunjaya,

Isn’t culture interesting! I respect other people’s relgions and even became a Muslim (on paper anyway) so my wife can still practice the religion she likes). For me it is mazing how the psread of the Judeo-Christian religions has affected the world and how people buy into them. Hill tribes in Papua New Guinea have been converted to Christianity, so now they believe a mythology that was born in the palestine desert 2000 years ago. Ask a New Guinean what a desert is and he won’t know, but his new supporting mythology tells him that’s where he came from. Same thing with north Africans and Islam, they have a fantastically old culture, that has been smothered by this new comer religion.

I feel the same way about Indonesia. THe old beliefs still linger and perhaps ring truer. Javanese still beleive in spirits, worship volcanoes and consult holy men, they just can’t show it.

I think the Indonesian identity / spirit will one day outgrow Islam and take on a truer, more local mythology once people free themselves of politics, fear and the peer-pressure of others.

Bill had a good run with Moon Publications for many years, but financial problems forced him to sell the company to Magnus Bartlett in Hong Kong, who reorganized the company and cut author royalties from 10% of cover price to a much lower net basis. Bill slowly sold off his remaining interest in Moon, and finally sold rights to Indonesia Handbook back to Moon, who later hired myself and Bob Nilsen to update the final edition. It’s a goner now and will probably never be revived, but it was a masterpiece in its day.