Indonesia's Steve Irwin Wannabe

The Fiddler on the Bus

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November 25th 2006
The air hung heavy with heat and humidity and the stagnant smell of clove ciggarettes. I was tempted to smoke too - anything just to kill time. The man up ahead was enacting a sort of repetitous rhythm: light, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale... His breath was the only means by which the air around us moved. Thin strands of smoke weaved and danced their way upwards until they slowed, merged and even ... read more

Asia » Indonesia » Java » Yogyakarta

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The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hos... ... read more