As one of Asia’s hotbeds of young, creative and inspiring talents, Indonesia’s rich cultural and artistic heritage remains undisputed. Hot in its heels is its burgeoning blogging community, one that is slowly but surely making their mark in today’s digitally connected society. This issue of Top 10 of Asia features Indonesia’s top bloggers responsible for producing a number of noteworthy blogs over an interesting range of subjects. From fun-loving food and travel bloggers to entrepreneurial fashionistas, here’s a peek at the 10 bloggers that you should follow.

Bowie

1. Bowie Holiday | The Travel Junkie| www.thetraveljunkie.org

Bowie has been blogging his travel experiences since 2010 and has garnered a readership that spans over 150 countries, with nearly 100,000 hits per month. The minimalist-designed blog is a pleasure to browse through with no annoying pop-up ads to detract from the experience. Bowie’s breathtaking photos dominate his entries far more than his whimsical descriptions of the places he has been and the food he has eaten, making this award-winning blog a winner in our books.

Diana Rikasari

2. Diana Rikasari | Hot Chocolate and Mint | dianarikasari.blogspot.my

Diana Rikasari wears many hats and she wears them all so well, you’d have to wonder where she finds the time to be a fashion blogger and designer, entrepreneur, brand ambassador, author and philanthropist. She started blogging at Hot Chocolate and Mint way back in 1997 about her daily life, fashion inspirations, and riveting products while garnering several blog awards along the way. The blog was ranked #1 in IndonesiaMatters.com as the country’s most-visited blog in 2011 and 2012. Her book #88 Love Life which contains 88 thoughts on love and life was a best-selling book in both Indonesia and Malaysia. When not blogging, she is busy running UP, an online shop for made-to-order shoes, with part of the proceeds donated as scholarships for low-income children.

Stanislaus Hans Danial

3. Stanislaus Hans Danial | eatandtreats | eatandtreats.blogspot.my

Food and travel often go hand in hand, and Stanishlaus Hans Danial does a good job at waxing lyrical about the two on his eatandtreats blog since October 2012. It started as a hobby, an outlet for his love for food and photography, but within one and a half years, the blog reached a significant milestone of one million hits and 7,000 hits per day. Apart from his blog, Hans Danial has gained traction with 116,000 followers on his Instagram account and the numbers are growing.

4. Adis | Whatever I’m Backpacker | www.whateverbackpacker.com

His tongue-in-cheek and conversational style of writing has gained Adis nearly three million views since he started his blog Whatever I’m Backpacker in 2011. The friendly blogger interacts warmly with his fans who leave numerous comments on each blog entry. Adis writes extensively about his travel experiences in Asia and shares helpful tips for fellow travelers on backpacking, how to travel on a budget, how to be a travel blogger and many more.

5. WimarWitoelar | Perspektif | perspektif.net

Born in 1945, WimarWitoelar is a mature blogger with a career in academia and research spanning 41 years. His blog, which was created in 1996, has spun from his highly-acclaimed television talk show,Perspektif (1994) before the Soeharto government banned it. Adis, who is an adjunct professor, media personality, PR Consultant and author of several books on business and life reflections, blogs about his insightful perspectives on a myriad of topics ranging from politics to climate change.

Budi Putra

6. Budi Putra | Notes From Asia | budiputra.com

Since 2007, Budi Putra utilises Notes From Asia as a platform to share his golden nuggets about technology in Indonesia and Asia, as well as his thoughts on entertainment, culture and science. Thoughtfully written and filled with engaging product reviews, tips and tricks, the blog’s popularity helped Budi, who is the Head of Digital for RGE Indonesia and former CEO for the Jakarta Post Digital, gain recognition as a respected figure in the areas of technology and blogging.

Ong Hock Chuan

7. Ong Hock Chuan | Unspun | theunspunblog.com

Filled with opinionated and unconventional insights on politics, business and public affairs in Indonesia and Malaysia, Unspun is an outlet for Ong Hock Chuan to unleash his desire to ‘unspin the spin jobs’ he sees around him. The corporate communications professional has no qualms telling things like it is, and is open to comments and discussions, but ignores personal attacks which he deems to be ‘intellectually dishonest’. In a sea of lacklustre online content, the irreverent Unspun is truly a breath of fresh air.

Michelle Koesnadi

8. Michelle Koesnadi | Glisters and Blisters | glistersandblisters.com

Michelle Koesandi started Glisters and Blisters in 2009 to capture her random thoughts on life. Over time, what started as an escape to her studies and daily stresses became a fashion blog filled with fashion tips and photos of Michelle garbed in trendy outfits of the day. It was there that she discovered her passion for photography and styling. In recognition of the quality of her work, Michelle garnered the Blogger of the Year award at the Elle Style Awards 2011. Unfortunately, due to a growing family and a promising career in freelance styling and photography, Michelle blogs less frequently now.

Anak Jajan

9. Julia Veronica & Marius Tjenderasa | AnakJajan | anakjajan.com

A labour of love from a husband and wife foodie duo, AnakJajan has grown to a hugely popular blog with more than 5 million hits since it started in 2011. ‘AnakJajan’, which means a team (Anak) who loves to snack or eat (Jajan), not only contains drool-worthy entries on food, but also extensive jottings on the Julia Veronica and Marius Tjenderasa’s travels. Julia is responsible for penning the words while Marius contributes the breath-taking photos that grace this well-organised and highly engaging blog.

10. Yos Beda | Yos Beda | www.yosbeda.com

Yos Beda is a full-time blogger, photographer, designer and singer-songwriter who hails from the small town of Wonogiri. His eponymous blog contains his thoughts on his many passions ranging from the latest tech and photography gadgets, apps and even boxing. Apart from his Yos Beda blog, he also maintains popmagz.com, mediajurnal.com, techcracky.com and sportnesia.com.

Issue 11/2016