Into the Heart of Borneo

by Redmond O'hanlon

Release Date: 12 September, 1987

Edition: Paperback

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At times screamingly funny

This the fifth book I've read on traveling in Borneo, and in certain ways it rivals my favorite (Eric Hansen's "A Stranger in the Forest"). O'Hanlon is not only literate and well-informed on the subject (Borneo) but he's one of those highly educated writers who doesn't take himself (or his elderly, unathletic) traveling companion (a famous poet) seriously. Part of the screamingly funny parts are when O'Hanlon is either making fun of himself or the Borneo natives are making fun of his ineptness. O'Hanlon is fat and out-of-shape and his small, powerfully strong, local guides never let him forget it for a minute! O'Hanlon is able to write characters so well, one feels as if you are on the boat with them; the three guides are lovingly drawn. For those with an interest in the ecology of Borneo, birds, or river journeys, there is much to learn through this engrossing read. I recently saw a documentary that filmed the "remote" areas where O'Hanlon's journey took place and I am sad to say, it has been totally deforested by the Indonesian timber industry; huge corporations that are destroying the Borneo rainforest due to graft and a lack of enforcement by the Indonesian goverment... subjects that O'Hanlon writes about in this book. Think twice about buying teak furniture, much of it comes from poached wood that is illegally cut from Borneo's rainforest, a sad coda to this funny book.

This book is a treasure

There are three things you should know about Redmond O'Hanlon's Into the Heart of Borneo: it's very educational, it's very funny, and it's a heckuva good adventure. The premise is that two middle-aged British academics, poet James Fenton and naturalist Redmond O'Hanlon, are dispatched to Borneo in search of the rare mountain Rhinoceros. Whatever their ultimate goal, after two pages you're hooked by O'Hanlon's clever writing and self-deprecating wit as he describes the preparations for their epic journey.
You can learn a lot from this book. For example, did you realize that Borneo is the world's third largest island? that over 1,700 different species of parasitic worm can infest your bloodstream? that a bite from a Wagler's Pit Viper will lead to nothing worse than near-death? On the more substantive side, you will also learn about Borneo's history, native cultures, geography, flora, and fauna-especially its amazing birds! And funny? the education you'll receive about Borneo is a bonus because the book could carry itself quite successfully on O'Hanlon's hilarious writing. Imagine two English intellectuals travelling by foot and canoe through remote rainforest with three Iban tribesman; one of whom, Leon, could host the Letterman Show.
I giggled continually throughout this book. One passage describing how Redmond and the Iban planned to "take Jam's head" upon returning to camp where a nervous but unsuspecting James was waiting had me laughing with glee.
As a fellow middle-aged, balding, and slightly pudgy man, this book gave me great hope that I too could travel to Borneo and survive such an adventure. Read it to learn about Borneo. Read it to laugh. Just read it! You won't be disappointed.