Bill spent much of his life traveling and writing. His saga took flight in 1971, he began an eight-year hiking trip in 65 countries and has undertaken to make the trip of a life that would later be reflected in his highly acclaimed guide books. The Sunday Times of London called Bill Indonesia Manuel "One of the best guides ever written on all countries".
When did you arrive first in Indonesia?
I first touched down on Indonesian soil in Medan, North Sumatra in 1972 and over the next four decades, I visited hundreds of islands in the archipelago.
first road trip: Ruth, Bill and Judy Dalton - 1948
Why did you decide to settle in Indonesia
I got a job as editor in- house for Island Life magazine. It was an exciting time in Indonesia under the Habibie government reformer; tourism was on the rise after Soeharto resigned, there were high hopes in the air, wages and benefits were as good as that government ministers were receiving. Ah, that was the old days. Oh, did I mention that I fell in love with dangdut Queen?
Journey entered my blood early. When I was six or seven years in Massachusetts, my father used to come to my room in the middle of the night to wake me up and tell me to prepare. We ride in the family car and head out to California, Florida, or God knows where else. These trips were the first time that I know the ecstasy of the road, and they never left me.
Tell us about some of your famous Manuel Indonesia.
Indonesia Handbook was the only real guide in the country since the mid-1970s to early 1990. It now has over six editions. The guide was also the genesis of the Moon Publications, a publishing company that I owned and ran for 17 years. As a writer and editor, I do book tours across the United States, giving travel conferences and present slideshows Indonesia.
How Handbook Indonesia will materialize?
One afternoon in 1973 in Australia, I was typing some tips on travel through Indonesia. An old New Zealand journalist came and said, "You should not just give this information away. You must sell it, "I printed 800 copies of my travel tips, entitled it" Notes A traveler :! Indonesia, "the three stapled sheets together, and the next day took a ride on the back of a motorcycle down to Nimbin for the Festival. The first day of the festival, I set up shop on a blanket and sold my little booklet for 50 cents each. I made $ 150 the first day and sold completely on the third day. I knew I was doing something. This modest publication typed eventually became a publishing organization with more than 65 titles in 32 countries around the world.
well, I once stopped and interviewed during the Soeharto regime as a journalist troublemaker. They did not like me to call the wife of Suharto "Madam Ten Percent."
What are some of the most memorable travel experiences?
The best trip was with my 14-year-old daughter, Ari, aboard a Makassar schooner roaming Lesser Sunda Islands for a week. I remember happening on a small island in the Savu Sea where all the friendly people were - inexplicably to date - African features and all the people saw us down when we returned to ship
[ Is a single writer still capture Indonesia?
in the early 1990s, with the country's infrastructure explodes, and guides entering the market competition, it has become impossible for a single writer to research throughout Indonesia. Instead, the teams of writers were assigned to all major regions of Indonesia. Although guide books have been turned into smartphone apps, I still believe that the disciplined professional goals give the best version obtained from the truth.
I rarely use the guides. I glean fresh information other travelers I met along the way or novels, which give more of a feeling for the subtleties of the culture and character of the people. If writers are providing too much praise on the hotel, the beach or local, I hit the other way to avoid places that were sabotaged by their own success. It beats the hell out of throwing a dart at a map on the wall.
What complications did you encounter in your writing process?
Since I can not possibly visit every place that I am writing about, I have to use other means of obtaining information. I interview other travelers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, managers of Indonesian tourism, and collect information from emails from readers, guides, reference books, travel videos, brochures, calendars. As an insatiable vacuum cleaner, I just grab whatever is not nailed. It is a never ending job. And, obviously, it was difficult to travel as is to maintain stamina and ingenuity to persevere in the field for months at a time, looking for a new edition.
there writers you and your work influenced?
There are two books that have had a profound and lasting impact on me. The main character Philip Carey in Somerset Maugham The razor's edge I presented as a model of the ideal traveler. Another obscure book called Log A Surgeon James Abraham, describing a prewar sea voyage around the world, first instilled in me a love of exotic locations. Much later, in the early 1970s when we were both starting our guide publishing companies, Tony Wheeler of Lonely Planet sent me a copy of this Fussel abroad, one of the gifts more beautifully timed and well-meaning I have ever received.
As a prolific writer, do you have any advice for aspiring writers to travel?
for writing declarative travel, the most beautiful that emulates the great literature, go for it because if you are a natural born writer, you will never rest until you have at least made the attempt.
Bill can be contacted via his email pakbill2003 @ yahoo.com