Bumthang kids, Bhutan

Borneo Travel Books

Into the Heart of Borneo, by Redmond O'Hanlon
O'Hanlon has adventured into some of the most remote jungles of the world, including Borneo, the Amazon, and the Congo. In 1983, the author and a friend (the poet James Fenton) journeyed into the center of Borneo, a trip not attempted for over 50 years.  

Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo by Eric Hansen
“Eric Hansen was the first westerner ever to walk across the island of Borneo. Completely cut off from the outside world for seven months, he traveled nearly 1,500 miles with small bands of nomadic hunters known as Penan. Beneath the rain forest canopy, they trekked through a hauntingly beautiful jungle where snakes and frogs fly, pigs climb trees, giant carnivorous plants eat mice, and mushrooms glow at night.

At once a modern classic of travel literature and a gripping adventure story, Stranger in the Forest provides a rare and intimate look at the vanishing way of life of one of the last surviving groups of rain forest dwellers. Hansen's absorbing, and often chilling, account of his exploits is tempered with the humor and humanity that prompted the Penan to take him into their world and to share their secrets.” —Amazon

Orchid Fever (A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy) by Eric Hansen
Whether you happen to be an orchid lover, or merely a curious bystander, "Orchid Fever (A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy)" will have you by turns helpless with mirth and seething with indignation, or else simply agog with incredulity from start to finish. An absolutely stunning piece of investigative journalism, dressed up as a tale of personal obsession and eccentricities. Written using plain language and with an outstanding witticism, it makes for compelling reading throughout, whether or not you know anything about orchids, or the orchid-growing and trading communities that it explores. —Amazon

Children

Little Sibu: An Orangutan Tale by Sally Grindley
Little Sibu, an orangutan, lives happily with his mother Hati and little sister Baka in tropical rainforest, swinging through the treetops and eating fruit. Yet when he turns seven years old, Little Sibu must learn to make his way in the world alone, as all male orangutans must. Sally Grindley's portrayal of orangutan life is factual, while the illustrations of rainforest life by John Butler are vivid and accurate. LittleSibu can make the endangered orangutan - and its equally endangered rainforest habitat - accessible to young readers.