It's the Climate, Stupid!

Back in 1992 when he was running for President of the USA, Bill Clinton was trying to emphasize the state of the economy. One of his staffers wanted to remind the campaign workers of this and put a big note up in the campaign office saying "It's the economy, stupid!". This became a bit of a catch cry for the campaign. Nowadays, global warming and climate change are the big issues facing the world. Unless we fix those problems, a lot of other things are going to get worse, including the economy, poverty, land degradation and so on. Yet there are still a lot of world leaders and people in big business who want to procrastinate, delay and obfuscate. This song is for them.

Note to Dictators: On Your Bike

There's a lot of problems in the world and Bali is a good place to forget about them. Still, they aren't going to go away. I wrote this song with one particular mad crazy dictator in mind. But in fact the message is the same for all of them. Go away and leave the people alone. Your oppression of the people and abuse of power is totally unacceptable. Get on your bike.

Bali

Bali is a beautiful island. Despite being somewhat over-developed and commercialized in the south around Kuta, there are many wonderful places, generous people and fascinating sites. My favourite area is up around Ubud, where the cluster of villages is merging into a town, while retaining ample charm. The village of Penestanan has a plethora of art galleries and little cafes selling the delicious Balinese coffee. It is a calm and soothing place to hang out for a day or two or a week or two or a month or three.

The second time I went to Bali, I stayed in a sweet little bunch of bungalows in the southeast corner of town, in an area called Padangtegal. The bungalows looked out over a gorgeous green series of rice paddies, and the swimming pool had an infinity edge that made you think you were right there in the paddies themselves. It was a great spot to while away the hours.

Out in the east of Ubud is a place called Peliatan. On the mountain side, what they call Peliatan Kaja, the road snakes down into a little valley, where a gurgling creek winds its way among the tropical vegetation. From time to time, the rice fields go almost down to the stream. The bird scarers spin and clatter in the breeze, and the farmers pick their way along the tops of the narrow paths atop the mid walls of the paddies.

In the main street of Ubud is the temple Pura Taman Saraswati. A big pond with water lilies graces the front, and at night dance performances are held. The trick is to get a seat in the adjacent Cafe Lotus to view the evening performances, while dining on some delicious Balinese specialties such as sate lulit (mince satays) or babi guling (spit roast pig).

Pura Marajan Agung is the temple for Ubud's royal family. It's just up Jalan Suweta from Jalan Raya Ubud. It has an impressive gate, and the restaurant next door is a little gem.

Up in Bobonaro

Bobonaro is a beautiful mountain town in the west of East Timor. You drive out along the coast until you nearly reach the Indonesian border. Then you go up into the mountains to Balibo, where the western journalists were murdered by the invading Indonesian troops in 1975. You go down into a big wide river valley, then up into the mountains again to Bobonaro. Up there the mists hang on the mountain tops and the air is cool and crisp after the humidity and heat of the coast.

Panic on the Streets

I remember clearly the day the trouble really started. We'd gone for lunch at an Indonesian restaurant across the road from the barracks. We were heading out the door, when suddenly a strange wind blew up the road, and everyone out there began to run towards the hills. The restaurant proprietor quickly locked the grilled front gate, and we all waited anxiously for about a half hour. We could see a big plume of black smoke rising up from somewhere in the direction of the parliament building. The rebels, who were protesting at the parliament, had broken through police lines and started smashing and burning cars and motorbikes. Somehow news of this reached the people on the street, and they ran.

Hot Pursuit

The international security forces came in and tried to sort out the mess. They did a good job of stabilizing the security situation. The place has few street names, so at first it was hard for the peacekeepers to find their way around. They'd chase offenders, but their hot pursuit would soon turn cold as their prey easily disappeared into the narrow alleys of Dili's neighborhoods.

Rebel Mind (Remix)

In East Timor, the rebels had defected from the army and found a leader and hero in one of the local army commanders. Unfortunately, this supposed hero was quite unstable. His pronouncements were erratic, and his behavior was dangerous. This song reflects his confused state of mind.

Dili Rock

I lived in Dili in East Timor for about 15 months. Sometimes at night there was not much to do, so we hung around the apartment playing with Garage Band. Looking back on the stuff I made then, it reflected some of the exciting things that happened when civil unrest broke out in May 2006. This song, Dili Rock, anticipates the adrenalin rush of living in a city where you never know where the next gang of rock throwers is going to strike.