Lushly Tranquil. Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia
From my hotel window in Singaraja I see this lush green and a backdrop of the calm sea north of Bali. A fine view. It's very different from what we would have seen on June 28 and 29, 1846. The Dutch colonial power based on Java decided that it was time to bring Bali to heel. So a campaign was launched that's known as the Bali-Dutch War 1846-1848. On that day in June, Buleleng and Singaraja (a kilometer or so east) were bombarded by a Dutch fleet commanded by rear-admiral Van den Broek more or less where I took this photo. Much of the towns was destroyed and the rajah and his forces had to retreat to the hills just south. Reading about this campaign is thrilling but at the same time chillng: the Balinese were subjugated to The Netherlands, and Indonesia increasingly became a Dutch colony. Independence was only achieved after a bloody war in the aftermath of WWII, a century after that Dutch assault beneath my window.
Lushly Tranquil. Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia
From my hotel window in Singaraja I see this lush green and a backdrop of the calm sea north of Bali. A fine view. It's very different from what we would have seen on June 28 and 29, 1846. The Dutch colonial power based on Java decided that it was time to bring Bali to heel. So a campaign was launched that's known as the Bali-Dutch War 1846-1848. On that day in June, Buleleng and Singaraja (a kilometer or so east) were bombarded by a Dutch fleet commanded by rear-admiral Van den Broek more or less where I took this photo. Much of the towns was destroyed and the rajah and his forces had to retreat to the hills just south. Reading about this campaign is thrilling but at the same time chillng: the Balinese were subjugated to The Netherlands, and Indonesia increasingly became a Dutch colony. Independence was only achieved after a bloody war in the aftermath of WWII, a century after that Dutch assault beneath my window.