In 1998, the poet John Mateer arrived in the Sumatran city of Medan, his intention merely to write a handful of poems and investigate the origins of Cape Malay culture. But with a keen eye for detail and a fascination with everyday life, Mateer was soon recording his daily experiences. The Indonesia of Semars Cave is not that of the television news. Whether describing a package tour to Lake Toba, meditating at Borobudur or discussing literature at an embassy party in Jakarta, Mateers insights into Indonesia today are measured and precise. Neither travel writing nor reportage, neither exotica nor history, Semars Cave is what may be expected of a poet of his caliber an understated yet challenging reflection on the ethics of travel, writing and being Australian in Indonesia.