It was a cacophony. An accordion bellowing, djembes beating, the dambus strumming, a KORG keyboard wavering on a note played by a determined big toe. Even the resident Sanggar cat yowled to her own beat. Was it music or noise or….? I sat on the corner of a cigarette-stained rug, swaying in the sound and … More How to Tune a Didgeridoo (and other things I’ve been up to)

News of Indonesia rarely reaches the U.S. unless something sensational like executions or elections happen. For this reason, I doubt that the disaster that afflicted my home here last week made the news overseas. Bangka island and Pangkal Pinang — the provincial capital and my home here in Indo — experiences the worst flood in … More The Flood