Into the Heart of Borneo

This twenty-five year old tale of two Brits being transported by their faithful guides into the deepest jungle of Borneo is amusing and interesting.Redmond O'Hanlon and the smoking (as in smoking) James Fenton (improbably) the Queen's Poet Laureate embark on a journey to discover the highest mountain of Borneo and hopefully the white Rhino, possibly an island dweller and certainly unseen in decades.O'Hanlon takes a whimsical approach to this travelogue. The stars are his faithful tribal guides and the locals he meets as he journeys up river and away from modern life. Particularly enjoyable are the village stops where he and his crew are (usually) met with feasts, libations, dance and the occasional memory from the local chieftain's female relatives. The clash of cultures provides many funny moments without slipping into condescation.Although there is a lot of discussion of birds and waxing about the various properties of rushes, finches, yellow-bellied-sap-suckers and the like, the book is informative and interesting with the occasional chuckle thrown in. Altogether an enjoyable arm chair trip.

O'Hanlon is a nature writer, an avid birder, and a very droll fellow. This is his first book and I put off reading it for a long time because i'm not really interested in Indonesia. I first read his Amazon book and while the first few chapters were rough going the rest was fantastic and I reread it often. His adventures in the North Atlantic also merit a look. I'm a real fan. Last summer I gave it my brother-in-law to read on the plane back to England; I was amazed he had not heard of him. It would be like not knowing who Stephen J Gould was in America since they both were regular contributors to well known environmental rags. Anyway since he was both an avid birder and worked in Indonesia for three years he also quickly became a fan.I'm sure you will too.

Yes and no. Yes, because these two old British stuffies set off on this journey just the way most "inexperienced" travelers would -- by the seat of their pants. No, because I think I would like a better idea of cuisine before I went.This charming narrative of two British amatuer travelers inspires humor and awe. Of course they get into all sorts of problems and handle them with dry wit. But they also give stunning and lyrical descriptions of the people and the places they visited.This was a living travel adventure without a tour-guide in sight.Best of all, our intrepid souls showed respect and genuine affection for the native peoples they met. I didn't see any bigotry in this book -- except that which they found in themselves and discarded with ease.Readers should be warned that many of the descriptions of the cultures they visited are very vivid and weak stomachs may not enjoy the unflintching pictures the story evokes.

With the exception of the first two or three chapters and about 20% thereafter, this travelogue/jungle study is a real snooze.The best of the book begins on page two where a Major Malcolm explains the potential dangers that lie ahead for the men. It ends on page six. Perhaps you are best reading only those pages in the library and then putting this back on the shelf.One thing you will learn for sure if you make it halfway is that Bertram E. Smythies wrote "Birds of Borneo." The author refers to both about every five pages. If you are someone who likes knowing the Latin name for all species encountered on a trip through a jungle, you're in for a treat. If you are an ornithological aficionado or expert of any kind, this is no doubt a must read.But unless you are the kind of person who enjoys plowing their way through a tired, often confusing account written a man plodding through the jungle, I suggest you forget this one. Supposedly Redmond O'Hanlon has written better. Personally I'd try my luck with any number of other travelogue writers before trying another of his.

I'm afraid I found this book to be a slog on par with the author's own slog through the jungle of Borneo. The writing is turgid and, really, nothing much happens besides the extreme discomforts of insects, overwhelming heat, and the boredom of eating fish and rice every day. Most of the book comprises expansive descriptions of various plants and birds, along with their Latin designations and excerpts from ornithologists and botanists from the 1800s. This is a waste of words and space. Given a written description of something that contains twenty (or more) adjectives, no reader can form a useful image of the referent, and so just starts to skim over such descriptions. Yes, there are occasional instances of British ironic humor that work, but hardly enough to motivate page-turning. I overcame a very strong urge to give up on this book several times, but persevered only because of my odd compulsion to finish reading what I start.

I just reviewed In Trouble, I read Borneo first, at recommend of Richard Dawkins, I loved both, please read them in sequence for full effect, great adventure and humor, I esp enjoyed his decriptive expertise and interest in birds and other wildlife.

Interesting book about trip within Borneo. Written with some humor. Painted a picture of Borneo that made me think it was much too hot, humid, and mysteriously buggy for me to make a trip there, but thoroughly enjoyed traveling via print!

This was a great surprise. Borrowed it from a relative and found it was absolutely hilarious. Made us want to visit Borneo, but not to visit Borneo (you'll understand if you read it). I had to buy another of his books after reading this one.

This is an entertaining account of an 1983 expedition into the centre of Borneo by river and overland. Full of little stories about the Iban people who supported the expedition and about the cameraderie between the author and his travelling companion, this is a humorous and charming read.The changing way of life of the people of the Borneo interior is made clear - and given that 30 years have elapsed since this book was written presumably much more has changed subsequently.No Oran-utangs were seen on the trip, and the author's search for the Borneo Rhinocerous was not really successful. The journey itself makes this well worth reading though- especially if you are not fazed by leeches...

I'm moved to write my first review for Amazon by this classic of the travel genre. It moves effortlessly from humour to history, from adventure to scientific account. Like all the the best travel books, it takes you there without having to go to the expense of airline tickets. I got a real flavour of Borneo, borne out by a trip there which would have been all the poorer had I not read this book.

A very entertaining account of a trip into Borneo, with lots of cultural interest, but with a very sad sting in the tail.

Absolutely hilarious !! also very informative and,who knows,the last narrative of a soon to be lost world...loved the book.

nearly finished this sadly,I am loving it and enjoy the many referances to wildlife. great book.