In the Land of Living Dangerously: Bali, Borneo & Beyond

With “In the Land of Living Dangerously”, an adventure travelogue set in Indonesia, author Jay Cowan explores myriad issues experienced during his travels in the Indonesian archipelago from culture and history to politics and anthropology, from exotic endemic wildlife and huge environmental challenges to one-on-one encounters with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, the natural disasters that keep the region in the news. Cowan and his wife climbed 13,500-foot Mount Kinabalu, took river trips deep into the interior of Borneo, were on-site for the huge eruptions of Mount Merapi volcano in Java, got a close-up view of Indonesia’s infamous corruption in Bali and witnessed radical Islamic terrorist activities that have rocked the region — all while trying to avoid getting bird flu, dengue fever, malaria, Bali belly and a variety of other brutal tropical diseases that run rampant in the area and are now focal points for battles over who controls the viruses and their potential vaccines. As well as getting up close and personal with Indonesia’s famous Komodo dragons, the author tracked down other seriously endangered species in their native habitats including orangutans, pygmy elephants, tarsiers, giant yellow-lipped clams, proboscis monkeys, mouse deer and several dozen more imperiled species of animals and birds. This exciting and informative travelogue also includes discussions of US President Obama’s childhood in Java, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visits to the area, a plane ride with Indonesia’s then-Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, and an interview by the author with the Foreign Minister of China on a beach in Bali.

Hours to read: 10 - 11
Total words: 130k