Weekly Photo Challenge: Close Up

A little green lizard from Kuching, Borneo, with the most amazing details upon close inspection. You can see other entries in this week’s photo challenge here.

Saloma, Queen of the Jungle

From the moment Saloma arrives to pick us up at the curb outside the hotel, we know we’re in for a special experience. We load our bags into the back of her spotless SUV and drive toward the jungle outside of Kuching. Saloma’s smile and enthusiasm put us immediately at ease — not that we’re anxious, but when you sign

A Barrel of Monkeys at Bako

Bako National Park sits on a tiny peninsula of Borneo, north of Kuching. To get there we caught a speedboat at the riverside jetty of the nearby village. We skimmed down the river, past mangrove forests into the confluence of the Sungai Tabo and the South China Sea. Fishermen were out for the morning catch — some with nets and

A Person of the Forest at Semenggoh

While in Borneo, we stopped at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre outside of Kuching. Semenggoh has been successfully rehabilitating orphaned and injured wild animals since 1975. These animals are taught how to survive in their native habitat and then re-introduced into the wild. Semenggoh’s orang-utan rehabilitation program has been particularly successful, with many having been released into the surrounding forest reserve —

Weekly Photo Challenge: Texture

Meet Cris, a Bronchocela Cristatella from Borneo — otherwise known as a crested green lizard. He’s a resident of the fountain at the Nanga Damai homestay near Kuching. We hung out for about an hour. We stared at each other, made funny faces and I took lots of photos. At one point he ran off and caught an insect, then

Kota Kinabalu Produce Market

On our first morning on the island of Borneo we stopped to pick up a few things at the local produce market in Kota Kinabalu. Hot, packed with vendors and smelling of ripe fruits and vegetables, the market offered everything from jackfruit to lychees, cinnamon to chilies, tofu to sweet treats. We stocked up and were on our way to