Besides the islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali, Couperus also visited Celebes (Sulawesi) and Borneo (Kalimantan) during his journey. Most tourists bypassed the latter two islands, but Couperus, sailing on the Tjikembang of the Java-China-Japan-line, had little choice but to call in at them. He was impatient to see the cherry blossoms in Japan, but the freighter on which he sailed needed to dock and load at various ports on its route. On Borneo’s east coast Couperus visited the refinery of the Batavian Oil Company (Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij, BPM) in the port city of Balikpapan. In his travel letters about Borneo he focuses exclusively on this ‘mighty creation of the “Koninklijke” [Royal Company]’, which he represents as a source of national pride. Nowhere does he mention Borneo’s architecture, nature or its various population groups - themes that he had devoted so much attention to in his writings about Sumatra, Java and Bali. For these subjects, his readers in the Netherlands had to consult such contemporary magazines as the popular De Prins der Geïllustreerde Bladen (The Prince of the Illustrated Magazines).
‘Onze Nederlandsche bezetting in Centraal-Borneo’, De Prins der Geïllustreerde Bladen 22 (30 September 1922), p. 149. [ S 911]
Java-China-Japan-line, Cabin Plans and General Information for Passengers. De Unie: Batavia [1935]. [9463 B 20]