"To Anggia. I was lost and found you, then I found myself."
There have been countless contributions, suggestions and ideas from friends which has led to the construction of The Hotel Travel. In particular I would like to thank Stuart McAdam, Damien Pierce, Jitender Jassal, Fran Moore and John Stewart. Stuart acted as my de facto editor and in this role always provided sensible advice as to story structure, character consistency and writing quality. In other words he reined in my tendency towards self-indulgence. That is what a good mate does. Damo had been there, done that and shot the bloody pic! He also was generous enough to provide the game plan. Jitu employed his creative skills, work ethic and common-sense to present the writing in a virtual forum that showcased its strengths and rectified its failings. Fran gave me the hope and guidance to take the work from a rough manuscript to a finished novel. Her enthusiasm and professionalism made me understand the art of the possible. John has been the constant encouragement in the equation of my writing struggle. That it was an encouragement tempered by forthright advice gave it a richer integrity.
I am proud that this is an original work. There are inclusions from other writers which have been reproduced as stated excerpts. These excerpts are from songs, books and works that have had a particular resonance for me personally. I also owe a debt of gratitude to one of my favourite writers, Paul Theroux, whose structure of narrative set pieces in the Malay File and the London Embassy was one I borrowed from. Although I have tried to make THT a unique piece of writing through placing the stories in a different context and with a greater degree of personal involvement from the protagonist. I would also like to acknowledge a number of sources. First, an article from The Economist which described the remarkable qualities of the mosquito used in the conversation with the Danish entomologist at the Windermere Hotel. Second, the description on Calcutta taken from the Encyclopaedia Britannica helped me flesh out the Major's comments on the Howrah Mail. An Esquire article on Ricky Williams the Miami Dophins running back gone walkabout to Byron Bay Chris Jones inspired the colour to the card game which required more passion. A BBC Documentary on the Beatles gave me background for the dialogue on the respective merits of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. In addition, the idea for kicking the football at the Tsien Tien graveyard was taken from a personal recollection in an article written by Rohan Connolly, chief football writer of the Age.
The other absolute attribution is to those lovers, friends (especially Hamo who lives on) and others I met on the road including at the Taipei Hostel and other idiosyncratic accommodations. This is your story. I tried to tell it honestly so forgive me for any disrepect. I hope you like it.
Finally thanks to Carlos and Sinta, Mick and Allysha, Stu and Neng, Pete and Sela, Pete and Jade, Bruce and Purwadi for their indulgence and accommodation, the Jakarta Bintangs Football Club for its fantastic mateship, Ren and Pat and my three sisters for being themselves, and most importantly to Anggia, Renee and Jaya for putting up with me.
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