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Kopi Dulu: Caffeine-fuelled Island-hopping through Indonesia
A journey through the world's most invisible country
A journey of 15,000 kilometres - by rail, road, on foot and under sail - through about 50 Indonesian islands, shining a light on what has been described as the world's most invisible country.
From tracking tigers (and the mythical 'short man') in the Sumatra jungle to the mystical Dayak tribe that lives near the geographical centre of Borneo, this book touches on some of Indonesia's most intriguing secrets. The author meets Tana Toraja's 'living dead', the Bugis people (once known as the Bogeymen) who build and sail the spectacular Sulawesi schooners and the villagers who are literally besieged by dragons in the Komodo archipelago. He surfs the legendary reefs of G-Land, Nias and Occy's Left (and pioneers a previously un-surfed wave in the remote Alor Archipelago). He road-trips across Sulawesi and Flores and sails in the wake of Alfred Russel Wallace around Spice Islands, which have remained largely unchanged for centuries.
A journey of 15,000 kilometres - by rail, road, on foot and under sail - through about 50 Indonesian islands, shining a light on what has been described as the world's most invisible country.
From tracking tigers (and the mythical 'short man') in the Sumatra jungle to the mystical Dayak tribe that lives near the geographical centre of Borneo, this book touches on some of Indonesia's most intriguing secrets. The author meets Tana Toraja's 'living dead', the Bugis people (once known as the Bogeymen) who build and sail the spectacular Sulawesi schooners and the villagers who are literally besieged by dragons in the Komodo archipelago. He surfs the legendary reefs of G-Land, Nias and Occy's Left (and pioneers a previously un-surfed wave in the remote Alor Archipelago). He road-trips across Sulawesi and Flores and sails in the wake of Alfred Russel Wallace around Spice Islands, which have remained largely unchanged for centuries.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
404 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2022
12 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Mark Eveleigh
32 books8 followers'A borderline insane modern-day explorer' – Maxim magazine.
Mark Eveleigh has been a full-time magazine writer and author for almost 30 years. A British citizen, he grew up in Ghana and Nigeria and has spent more years based in Spain, South Africa and Indonesia than he ever did in UK.
AUTHOR:
'Vagabond' (the book about Mark's 1,225km solo hike up the length of Spain), published by Summersdale, was listed among the '6 top travel reads for 2024' by National Geographic.
His Indonesian travel book 'Kopi Dulu' (PenguinRH SEA, 2022) was listed among the best books of 2022 by Jakarta Post.
His debut novel (in 2023) was 'Driftwood Chandeliers', a hard-hitting magical-realism novel set in a remote village in Bali.
He also wrote 'Fever Trees of Borneo' and 'Maverick in Madagascar' (published in German by National Geographic.)
GUIDEBOOK WRITER:
He co-authored Secret Bali and Secret Bangkok guidebooks along with several Lonely Planet guidebooks including Borneo (2023); Tanzania (2023); Madagascar (2023); Ecuador (2024); Spain (2024).
TRAVEL JOURNALIST:
As a travel journalist Mark (a fellow of Royal Geographical Society) has published more than 850 full-length travel features for more than 120 international publications, including BBC Wildlife, BBC Earth, BBC Travel, CNN Travel, Conde Nast Traveller, Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, Boston Globe, Travel Africa, Sunday Times, Africa Geographic and National Geographic Traveler. He's written for the inflight magazines of countless national airlines, including KLM, Qantas, Etihad, Qatar, Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Brussels, Kenya, Uganda, Philippines, Gulf Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.
When he's not on assignments he can often be found in West Bali where he has some well-stocked bookshelves and a small shed that's crammed with surfboards.
Mark Eveleigh has been a full-time magazine writer and author for almost 30 years. A British citizen, he grew up in Ghana and Nigeria and has spent more years based in Spain, South Africa and Indonesia than he ever did in UK.
AUTHOR:
'Vagabond' (the book about Mark's 1,225km solo hike up the length of Spain), published by Summersdale, was listed among the '6 top travel reads for 2024' by National Geographic.
His Indonesian travel book 'Kopi Dulu' (PenguinRH SEA, 2022) was listed among the best books of 2022 by Jakarta Post.
His debut novel (in 2023) was 'Driftwood Chandeliers', a hard-hitting magical-realism novel set in a remote village in Bali.
He also wrote 'Fever Trees of Borneo' and 'Maverick in Madagascar' (published in German by National Geographic.)
GUIDEBOOK WRITER:
He co-authored Secret Bali and Secret Bangkok guidebooks along with several Lonely Planet guidebooks including Borneo (2023); Tanzania (2023); Madagascar (2023); Ecuador (2024); Spain (2024).
TRAVEL JOURNALIST:
As a travel journalist Mark (a fellow of Royal Geographical Society) has published more than 850 full-length travel features for more than 120 international publications, including BBC Wildlife, BBC Earth, BBC Travel, CNN Travel, Conde Nast Traveller, Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, Boston Globe, Travel Africa, Sunday Times, Africa Geographic and National Geographic Traveler. He's written for the inflight magazines of countless national airlines, including KLM, Qantas, Etihad, Qatar, Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Brussels, Kenya, Uganda, Philippines, Gulf Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.
When he's not on assignments he can often be found in West Bali where he has some well-stocked bookshelves and a small shed that's crammed with surfboards.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 27, 2024
“Kopi Dulu” is Mark Eveleigh’s travelogue of his journey throughout Indonesia, which he claimed to be an ‘invisible country’ due to the fact that most of its territories remain uncharted due to its large expanse.
“Pelan-pelan” (tr: slowly) and “kopi dulu” (tr: coffee first) are the ubiquitous mantras that fit Indonesia’s pace of life, ones that Eveleigh takes to heart while he makes his way through the country over several decades. The travelogue is a compilation of his travels into areas often less explored than the more touristy sites. Through these anecdotes, we see how varied and diverse the Indonesian communities can be, where their cultures and traditions are only bridged over by their common language; in some ways, using Indonesian Malay as a national language has worked wonders in unifying these diverse tribes. I enjoyed the author’s experience, even if I may not quite agree with some of his Western views and values. For example, I don’t think rich Westerners coming to a particular Indonesian island and making it their playground is a sustainable way to create business for the local people; what happens when such business fails eventually?
Nevertheless, it’s clear that Eveleigh has much respect and empathy for the people he had met along the way, which makes this an interesting read if you're a fan of travelogues.
“Pelan-pelan” (tr: slowly) and “kopi dulu” (tr: coffee first) are the ubiquitous mantras that fit Indonesia’s pace of life, ones that Eveleigh takes to heart while he makes his way through the country over several decades. The travelogue is a compilation of his travels into areas often less explored than the more touristy sites. Through these anecdotes, we see how varied and diverse the Indonesian communities can be, where their cultures and traditions are only bridged over by their common language; in some ways, using Indonesian Malay as a national language has worked wonders in unifying these diverse tribes. I enjoyed the author’s experience, even if I may not quite agree with some of his Western views and values. For example, I don’t think rich Westerners coming to a particular Indonesian island and making it their playground is a sustainable way to create business for the local people; what happens when such business fails eventually?
Nevertheless, it’s clear that Eveleigh has much respect and empathy for the people he had met along the way, which makes this an interesting read if you're a fan of travelogues.
December 27, 2022
“I read, I travel, I become.” -Derek Walcott
Indonesia is considered the world’s most invisible country despite being the world’s fourth most populous country covering up to 17,000 islands. Mark Eveleigh bought us the reason why this shouldn’t remain like that in coming times, with traveling over 50 islands and unraveling the intriguing secrets of the country the author peaked a sense of curiosity to know more.
Kopi Dulu- ‘coffee first’, is a brilliant book, which made me feel like I have visited the most enigmatic and diverse country on the planet while reading it, and yet at the same time I am desperate to visit it in person. Not all books can balance out the fulfillment of traveling through their knowledge and the desperation of going there as soon as possible.
From Sumatra Blend to Java Jolt, witnessing Batak Tribes (cannibals) to the most mysterious Nias island, walking through the pungent smell of Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower to carrying the hope of finding Javan Rhinoceros, Krakatoa & several national parks, Borobudur and Prambanan temples, the wax-resist batik to taking us to the world’s longest fashion-parade catwalk- Jember, volcanos, dragons, insects, and plants, all the diversity in just 50 islands which the author traveled through road, rail, and water. Just guess how much more can those remaining islands hold.
But on another note, there are some horrifying and terrible details about the ways things are being operated, like the coffee which is considered the best in the world, if you will know the reason for its preparation, it wouldn’t remain that best. Reptiles were captured and killed to eat, animals on the brink of extinction, and many more. This book is a box of treasures and you might think like there can’t be more to discover, but keep turning the pages. I am really hoping and rooting for more books by the author’s favorite travel destination-Indonesia.
Highly recommended.
P.S. I have more than 20 pages of notes from this book, Indonesian words, and its culture, places, animals, etc.
Indonesia is considered the world’s most invisible country despite being the world’s fourth most populous country covering up to 17,000 islands. Mark Eveleigh bought us the reason why this shouldn’t remain like that in coming times, with traveling over 50 islands and unraveling the intriguing secrets of the country the author peaked a sense of curiosity to know more.
Kopi Dulu- ‘coffee first’, is a brilliant book, which made me feel like I have visited the most enigmatic and diverse country on the planet while reading it, and yet at the same time I am desperate to visit it in person. Not all books can balance out the fulfillment of traveling through their knowledge and the desperation of going there as soon as possible.
From Sumatra Blend to Java Jolt, witnessing Batak Tribes (cannibals) to the most mysterious Nias island, walking through the pungent smell of Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower to carrying the hope of finding Javan Rhinoceros, Krakatoa & several national parks, Borobudur and Prambanan temples, the wax-resist batik to taking us to the world’s longest fashion-parade catwalk- Jember, volcanos, dragons, insects, and plants, all the diversity in just 50 islands which the author traveled through road, rail, and water. Just guess how much more can those remaining islands hold.
But on another note, there are some horrifying and terrible details about the ways things are being operated, like the coffee which is considered the best in the world, if you will know the reason for its preparation, it wouldn’t remain that best. Reptiles were captured and killed to eat, animals on the brink of extinction, and many more. This book is a box of treasures and you might think like there can’t be more to discover, but keep turning the pages. I am really hoping and rooting for more books by the author’s favorite travel destination-Indonesia.
Highly recommended.
P.S. I have more than 20 pages of notes from this book, Indonesian words, and its culture, places, animals, etc.
March 29, 2023
This book has so much heart, and tries its best to represent Indonesia and Indonesians in the colour and warmth they deserve. An inevitable problem (but also a strength) with trying to cover everything about this vast archipelago is that the snippets are necessarily light and bite-sized. It made me want to go back on the road and see new things about my southern neighbour again. It made me realise how little I had seen of Indonesia.
July 30, 2025
The best book I’ve read on travels in Indonesia. Author focuses mostly on culture, history and nature, less so on contemporary politics.
November 6, 2025
[3.5]
Exploring and learning about Indonesia via words can be daunting with its immense size, biodiversity and numerous cultures spread across thousands of islands. For someone who was in that boat (phinisi?), I felt like I was an ideal reader for Kopi Dulu — for the book was about exploring a whole lot of Indonesia in a pelan-pelan (or slow) manner. And while Mark Eveleigh does tread a lot of ground, socialise with multiple communities and go through unique experiences, all-the-while showcasing utmost respect for locals (and receiving their hospitality in return!), the read does leave you yearning for more in its writing.
Each chapter corresponds to a region in Indonesia (Sulawesi, Borneo, Java, etc.) and the book traverses them in a west-to-east fashion. I started off with the impression that the travels were written as they happened chronologically — this is revealed to not the be the case at the end, and the book is in fact an amalgamation of experiences over many years and journeys, laid out as it is to make it reader-friendly.
Since each chapter is made up of a lot of snippets, some aspects and events are terse in description. This happened in more instances than I was happy with (and soured my read to be frank); some regions' histories are one-liners, interesting architecture and clothing get described in a short and insipid manner, and so on. I realized how much better this could be when I was randomly Googling things on the side during my read. I understand that detailing everything is infeasible; however, as a reader I prefer more comprehensiveness than what I got here and thus feel like the book should've had some more detail in places.
Eveleigh mentions taking a lot of photos (with a few captures described in detail), so it's a shame that this book has none of his pictures (or any pictures for that matter). Helpful maps are lacking as well — there's a single map of Indonesia, but it's too high-level for the book (and low-res as well).
Nov '25 update: Just read Indonesia, Etc: Exploring the Improbable Nation, and would recommend that for a travel book that would give you a better understanding of the country while being entertaining and interesting throughout.
Exploring and learning about Indonesia via words can be daunting with its immense size, biodiversity and numerous cultures spread across thousands of islands. For someone who was in that boat (phinisi?), I felt like I was an ideal reader for Kopi Dulu — for the book was about exploring a whole lot of Indonesia in a pelan-pelan (or slow) manner. And while Mark Eveleigh does tread a lot of ground, socialise with multiple communities and go through unique experiences, all-the-while showcasing utmost respect for locals (and receiving their hospitality in return!), the read does leave you yearning for more in its writing.
Each chapter corresponds to a region in Indonesia (Sulawesi, Borneo, Java, etc.) and the book traverses them in a west-to-east fashion. I started off with the impression that the travels were written as they happened chronologically — this is revealed to not the be the case at the end, and the book is in fact an amalgamation of experiences over many years and journeys, laid out as it is to make it reader-friendly.
Since each chapter is made up of a lot of snippets, some aspects and events are terse in description. This happened in more instances than I was happy with (and soured my read to be frank); some regions' histories are one-liners, interesting architecture and clothing get described in a short and insipid manner, and so on. I realized how much better this could be when I was randomly Googling things on the side during my read. I understand that detailing everything is infeasible; however, as a reader I prefer more comprehensiveness than what I got here and thus feel like the book should've had some more detail in places.
Eveleigh mentions taking a lot of photos (with a few captures described in detail), so it's a shame that this book has none of his pictures (or any pictures for that matter). Helpful maps are lacking as well — there's a single map of Indonesia, but it's too high-level for the book (and low-res as well).
Nov '25 update: Just read Indonesia, Etc: Exploring the Improbable Nation, and would recommend that for a travel book that would give you a better understanding of the country while being entertaining and interesting throughout.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews