Recommended Resources
Culture & Travel
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Most
recommendations
are available through amazon.com
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for purchase details.
Culture & Travel
Lonely Planet Indonesia (Lonely Planet Indonesia, 7th Ed)
published November 2003. The most comprehensive guide to Indonesia
on the market! It is comparable to an encyclopedia, covering everything you
might ever want to know about this fascinating country, whether you plan to
travel there or not. It has detailed information about each of the major
islands, along with a myriad of maps and a fair amount of color photos too. This
volume is highly recommended for those with a rapt interest in learning as much
as possible about Indonesia.
Insight Guide Bali (Bail, 17th Ed)
published February 2002. As with most Insight Guides, this one is packed
with high quality, full-color photos that capture the spirit of the last
remaining Hindu island of Indonesia, featuring both the most commonly seen, as
well as lesser known attractions. This is a solid guide for those planning a
trip, as well as those who will travel to Bali only in their mind.
Going Places: Bali
published 1999. This fast-moving, up-beat video was one in a series of PBS
travel shows called Going Places. It is a well-rounded taste of the
typical tourist attractions in Bali. Recommended for those who are wondering what
it would be like to visit Indonesia's most popular international tourist
destination.
A Little Bit One O'clock A touching yet amusing true story of William and
Jean Ingram and the Balinese family they grew to call their own. This delightful
book certainly offers western readers valuable insight into Balinese life and
culture. A must-read for a visitor or even an armchair traveler interested in
the non-tourist side of Bali.
The author and his wife still live in Ubud, Bali and run a small non-profit organization known as
Threads of Life,
which is contributing to the preservation of textile weavers and dyers in
Indonesia. Their warm affection toward the people of Indonesia lives on in their
work.
Culture Shock: Indonesia Though it is not the newest book around, it is chock full of
excellent cultural information that is difficult to find elsewhere. Though it
is intended for expatriates who are planning to move to, or are already be living in
Indonesia, it is an excellent source of "inside" information seldom seen by by
tourists.
If you are considering a move to Indonesia or wonder what it would be like to
live there, be sure to also check out the
Living in Indonesia
website which is designed especially for expatriates, based in Jakarta.
The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-On Traveler
3rd edition. This excellent guide shows you how to
pack what you need for any trip, and not what you don't. It also clearly
illustrates an innovative way to "fold" your clothes so that you can pack more
and wrinkle less, no matter what kind of luggage you have. This book is complete
with suggested packing lists and blank forms for you to customize. It is written
for both the minimalist and those who usually attempt to travel with their
entire closet.
Going Abroad This is a must for every first-time world traveler!
Most guidebooks lamely make a passing remark about bathroom conditions for the
westerner who may encounter their first squat toilet in their travels. But the
reality is that no one is there to help you when you've "got to go" and you are
faced with a hole in the floor, nothing to sit on and no paper! This book will
not only teach you how to handle the situation with grace and confidence, but
give you plenty of laughs along the way. Highly recommended for everyone who
ventures outside of the USA on their travels.
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Food
Lonely
Planet World Food: Indonesia A compact,
yet comprehensive guide to everything concerning food in Indonesia, from
historical as well as cultural influences on how Indonesians eat. There are
sections covering culinary staples, those strange multi-colored, chewy
fruited drinks, regional specialties, as well as healthy tips, and even a
language guide and glossary. Indonesian food is certainly as vibrant as its
people.
Eat Smart in Indonesia: How to Decipher the Menu Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure Everything you should know about eating in Indonesia
before you travel there, as well as many authentic recipes you can make yourself
at home. There is a helpful resource listing of sellers of hard-to-find
Indonesian foods in the USA, as well as travel agents and other organizations
specializing in Indonesia. There are also helpful phrases, a menu guide, and
foods and flavor guide for use on the spot when traveling. A small section
includes color photos of typical foods and marketplaces.
Indonesian Street Food Secrets
Far more than simply a cookbook, this is a virtual journey into Indonesia!
Enthusiastically recommended for an authentic experience. This hardcover volume
contains 230 glossy color photos Just one of the reasons to love this book is
because the recipes are presented with the American kitchen in mind, including
ingredients that can be obtained locally. Delicious traditional Indonesian
street food favorites can now be enjoyed with ease here in the West, thanks to
this book, which brings to life the everyday culinary and cultural experiences
of Indonesia. This is one FUN book!
The Food of Indonesia: Authentic Recipes from the Spice Islands This hardcover cookbook, as well as the next book,
The Food of Bali, are excellent cookbooks in themselves with many
authentic recipes and accompanying glossy photographs. But these volumes contain
so much more. They are packed with behind-the-scenes cultural information and a
travelogue of sorts from the authors. Both books have sections on authentic
techniques and utensils, as well as a helpful illustrated glossary of ingredients. These
books are far from sterile; they not only give you the flavors of Indonesia, but
an open-hearted appreciation of the people and their cultures as well.
The Food of Bali: Authentic Recipes from the Island of the Gods The author of this cookbook, as well as the one
preceding this, owns and operates a restaurant and cooking school in Bali. Von Holzen's Bumbu Bali
in Nusa Dua is devoted solely to authentic native Balinese cooking. If you
are not planning to go to Bali and take an intensive half-day cooking class at
his school or enjoy an authentic meal at the restaurant, a true taste of Bali
can still be had in your own kitchen with the help of this cookbook.
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Language Learning
Tuttle's Concise Indonesian Dictionary: English-Indonesian Indonesian-English There are many two-way dictionaries available, but
this one is recommended because it is, as the title says, concise. It tells you
what you want to know lickity-split, including examples of usage, without any
extra technical information that you won't need in a hurry. It is also a small
size, so it is easy to take along with you on the road.
Periplus Pocket Indonesian Dictionary
This handy dandy little dictionary
in an economical up-to-date dictionary with the most common words used in
everyday conversation. Useful to both beginning language students who like to
learn-as-they-talk, as well as travelers.
Indonesian in a Flash (Tuttle Flash Cards)
The hotest new way to increase your vocabulary even if you have no time to
study. Just take along a few cards in your pocket so that while you're waiting
in traffic, commuting on public transportation, or waiting for a slow web sites
to load, you can learn new words and all their different derivatives in only a
few minutes a day!
Instant Indonesian: How to Express 1,000 Different Ideas With Just 100 Key Words and Phrases
This neat little pocket-sized book will give you just what you need to hit the
ground running. It delivers what it promises: One hundred of the most commonly
used words in everyday Indonesian conversation that can be juggled in different
ways to express 1,000 different ways in real-life situations. One of the fastest
ways to start learning bahasa Indonesia!
Lonely Planet Indonesian Phrasebook (Indonesian Phrasebook, 4th Ed)
Our absolute favorite phrasebook and so much more. Usually a phrasebook is for
quick reference, but this one is highly recommended in its entirety. There are
entertaining cultural tidbits, as well as invaluable tips sprinkled throughout
this pocket-sized book. The grammar section is also a great foundation for your
continued study.
Indonesian: Start Speaking Today (Language
30) This is an economical cassette learning course
that includes two cassettes and a phrase dictionary/ study guide booklet.
This is good to use while on the go as a supplement to a more comprehensive
method of learning, or if you only want to learn some useful phrases and increase your basic
vocabulary.
Talk Now! Indonesian
CD-ROM The advantage of this economical computer-based way of learning
Indonesian is it uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning
process fun and relaxing instead of the usual boring grammar exercises and
vocabulary drills. The element of fun will hold your attention and help you
easily absorb new words and phrases without realizing you are actually learning
to speak a new language!
Teach Yourself Indonesian Complete Course This self-teaching book and audio CDs has lots of
dialogue practices and quizzes using practical vocabulary. There are regular and
irregular verb tables that come in handy when learning to recognize root words
and grammar. Especially useful are the website suggestions to help with
continued language studies.
Colloquial Indonesian (Book
& Tapes) Probably still one of the best
courses on the market at a reasonable price. The teaching style is not as effective as Pimsleur's
method, but it is not run-of-the-mill dry either. Highly recommended for those
eager to learn how to converse in Indonesian with native speakers, rather than
simply mimic common travel phrases.
Pimsleur Indonesian (Compact) [CD] The well-known Pimsleur
method relies on interactive spoken training, so no book is needed with this
program, which makes it good if you want to learn bahasa Indonesia while doing
other activities. The language taught on this program is quite basic and geared
toward travel to Jakarta, but serves as a useful start for new students because
what you learn you will learn extremely well due to the teaching techniques
used. The program consists of 10 lessons. It is also available on audio
cassettes.
Star Interactive
also offers an inexpensive ($6.99 with shipping) CD-ROM program that is
interactive and good for beginners. To find it on their web site
click here and type "Indonesian" in the Search box on the top, left
of the screen.
How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own The author offers many great learning strategies,
even though this book is due for an update to include suggestions for using
interactive software. However, the author's own enthusiasm
and experiences with language learning are a great inspiration to anyone
embarking on the study of a new tongue. He is fluent in over 18 languages! Included in this
book are his experiences on learning the Indonesian language, of which he says,
"If I had never been drawn to foreign languages earlier, that moment [when he
first heard Indonesian spoken] would have done it." He continues, "Let me hasten
to point out that Indonesian is the easiest language in the world--no hedging,
no 'almost,' no 'among the easiest.' In my experience, Indonesian is the
easiest."
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Looking for More Indonesian
Resources?
Click on the following links to run the appropriate search for what interests
you most:
Current listing of available
videos about Indonesia
Current listing of available Indonesian
music CDs
The Indonesian Music Shop is
also a good source of traditional and modern Indonesian music CDs in the USA
Current listing of available
language learning software
Current listing of available
Indonesian cookbooks
Some books, videos, CDs and software programs can be found in city libraries, but
these are few and far between, since sadly, Indonesia is not yet well known (or
appreciated) here in the States. If you are looking for something in
general or specifically,
drop
us a line and we'll search all of our Indonesia-specific sources to see if
what you want can be found.
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