I have lived in Indonesia since 1980, writing books, magazine articles, videos, and anything else that might help explain this multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-just-about-everything nation to the world.
My first book, Jakarta Jive,
looks at the lives of my Indonesian and expatriate friends during the
riots, economic collapse and other tumultuous public events the accommpanied
the change in government in 1998.
My second book, Bali Blues, continues
to explore the theme of common people in an uncommon time with an
account of living in Kuta, Bali, during the months following the
devastating terrorist bomb attack on two nightclubs in October 2002.
My next book, due in October 2008, will be a change of pace. My new found passion for bicycling has led to preparing Bali By Bike, a guide to touring Bali by bicycle. After the launch, I will embark on my own bicycle tour around the archipelago. The BikeBaik tour of Indonesia is intended to provide material for a ground-level look at Indonesians as they struggle to develop a modern nation.
Read about my life in Indonesia in my biographical notes