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Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey

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British brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair set out in the 1960s on a marvelous, thought-provoking, ten-year adventure through the 3,000-mile length of the remote Indonesian archipelago. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Alfred Russell Wallace's The Malay Archipelago -and his nineteenth century voyage of scientific exploration and discovery--their unforgettable odyssey set sail out of the Celebes (Sulawesi) for the Spice Islands on a perilous schooner crossing with the seafaring Bugis. Tossed to and fro from home port Makassar to isolated Aru Island-stalked all the way by rotting ship beams and the specter of pirates-they were rewarded with one of the rarest sights on earth-the fluffy white plumage of the elusive Bird of Paradise.
Metaphysical, anthropological, and intellectual in tone-with a healthy dose of dry wit and humor-the Blairs take you along as they confront komodo dragons, chew betel nut in Sumba, witness a traditional Pasola battle, and herald the annual arrival on shore of the sacred nyale sea worms. Full of naive courage and boundless curiosity, they sought out Asmat headhunters/cannibals in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Undaunted, these dream wanderers went eye to eye with the fiery blast furnace of simmering Krakatoa. They commandeered a longboat upriver and trekked through the leech-ridden jungles of Borneo with native guides on an arduous land search for the secretive, traditional Punan hunter-gatherers. Ring of Fire chronicles their cultural encounters on Java as they visited the sultan's court (and sacred "kris" knife) and an acupuncturist who harnessed yin/yang energy to heal the sick with self-generated electric charges. Open-minded and non-judgmental about the diverse religions and customs they encountered, the Blairs became deeply enchanted by trance, and by the shadow screen nether world of the wayang kulit. Their travels took them back to Sulawesi for the funeral of the last king of Tanah Torajah-into a unique architectural-animist pocket where boat-shaped roofs rise out of the cool forest floor representing ancestral sky ships on their descent from heaven to earth.
The thrill-seeking, nomadic Blairs unexpectedly found themselves permanently landlocked and suspended-mind, soul, and body-in the island Shangrila that they discovered in Bali. An artist friend in Pengosekan-a vibrantly creative community of farmers and painters-invited them to build a new house on his land. In true, cooperative Balinese style, the brothers had only to pay for the necessary raw materials (bamboo, coconut wood, and elephant grass) and the religious celebration at the completion of the structure. The people of Pengosekan freely contributed their skilled labor and artistic expertise; this shared investment in and commitment to each other's dwellings works to further bind the village together. Sleeping and learning in their open-air platform obervatory perched high above the sculpted jade rice terraces, the Blair brothers came to call Bali their very own, lifelong island of the gods. They would return time and again-in between sometimes dangerous, always enlightening meetings with natural peoples along the equatorial frontier-to their permanent home base in Bali. It is here that they fell in love with one culture and one island out of the hundreds that they visited. Lawrence and Lorne fully explored their adopted pied à terre-from startling footage of the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963, to the cremation of famous 116-year-old Balinese artist Lempoad, to the opulent funeral procession of the last rajah of Gianyar. (When Lorne died on his beloved Bali in 1996, he was cremated and his remains returned to the sea in accordance with Bali-Hindu religious rites.) Their amazing adventures (available in book or video format) are the stuff of storybook legends-from the hidden rainforest peoples of Borneo, to islands where magicians still hold sway, to the sun-speckled spiritual haven of heart-shaped Bali.

I was blown away by this book, as much by how spiritually aware it is and how well it was written. Wow! What an adventure!

I had the pleasure of working with both Lorne and Lawrence Blair, separately, in Indonesia in the 1980's and 1990's. I have an autographed copy of the hard cover version of this book, "The Ring of Fire," as well as another book, "The River of Gems" about Borneo autographed by Lorne ("together we traveled the seven seas..."). Both Lorne (the older brother and videographer/writer) and Lawrence were magnificant story tellers (Lorne is deceased), and both were well-versed in the local "trade" language (Bahasa Indonesia - which became the national language of Indonesia after independence), traditions, religions, history and customs of the people living on the multitude of islands in Indonesia. Both lived on Bali at the time, and they often traveled with us on expeditions as interpreters, guides and lecturers. Through the two of them, I came to love Indonesia like no other place on earth, and some of my fondest memories are of those times and trips. Lawrence's spirited, spiritual, engaging speaking style spills over into his writing, and I can guarantee you, whether you have a current interest in Indonesia or not, you will become enchanted while reading this book and watching its companion DVDs. I would be willing to bet that you will go back to their source and read Alfred Russell Wallace's "The Malay Archipelago," the story of the original trip "the brothers Blair" recreated in their adventures while writing and filming "The Ring of Fire." And from there you will become curious about who really came up with the theory of "The Origin of Species," Darwin or Wallace (at the time of his death Lorne was trying to prove a theory that it was Wallace). And from there... oh, just read this book and watch the DVDs and become fascinated with another world, another land, another time...

This book and the companion videos are near and dear to my heart. It kept my dreams of returning to Indonesia alive through a long a crippling illness. Lawrence and Lorne Blair were the adventurers I wanted to be. Openminded, good humored, and willing to try new things. This book kept me good company through some baaaad times. But there is far more to recommend this book than armchair travel lust. The writing is excellent, photography spectacular, and all in all a great story. I highly recommend it to anyone curious about Indonesia. I did finally get to go back and even explore a little. I'm forever grateful to the Blair brothers for this gift of a book!

An incredibly interesting tale and at times quite deep account of a 10-year joureny through the remotest islands in Indonesia. I wonder if the author is aware of how couragous he and his brother were to go to the places they went and meet such people as cannibals and headhunters and come back to tell the story! Not to mention the more subtle metaphysical comments here and there about the various religions they encountered and all of it presented with a very dry wit.

Goes beyond your usual "travel tale", it is a marvelous adventure and thought provoking regarding the natural peoples of the earth. The chapter on the Dream Wanderers of Borneo will open doors of perception for an alternative world view. The author writes with clarity and quite a lot of humor. The entire book is very personal in its tone and gives the feeling of actually having shared the experience of the amazing journey.

This is defintely my favourite book, and I am a prolific reader. There is not much I can add to the several eloquent reviews here except that this is true adventure: Swaying palms, smouldering volcanoes, intrepid travel, "lost" cultures. The list goes on. Most importantly the writing is non formulaic and from the outset evokes the wonder of Indonesia. Definitely treat yourself to the DVD set which is vintage National Geographic and early David Attenborough! Both the book and the DVD set are available in most book stores in Bali should you not be able to purchase on Amazon.[[ASIN:B0001I54S4 Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey]