Borneo Photos and more at www.orchidphotos.org

[Eric Hunt]

(This post is for the folks who don't monitor a.b.p.o)

Greetings from San Francisco!

I spent most of March 2007 traveling through Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo.

Borneo straddles the equator, southwest of the Philippines and southeast of the Thai/Malay Peninsula. It has extensive lowland tropical rainforests and the tallest mountain in southeast Asia, Gunung Kinabalu, at approx 14,000 feet (4000 meters).

Even though it was not peak blooming season, I photographed well over 100 different species, some in situ, others in various nurseries:

In addition to the orchids, the number of tropical plants boggles the mind, especially to someone from temperate North America. Those photos can be found at:

I was most excited to see and photograph Nepenthes, and I wasn't disappointed. Mount Kinabalu is one of the only habitats for the indescribable Nepenthes rajah, the largest pitcher plant in the world. Photos of N. rajah and many more Nepenthes can be found at:

One of my favorite tourist activities is visiting local markets, and Borneo did not disappoint. I visited three different markets from Kuching, Ranau, and Kota Kinabalu. Borneo is famous for the dizzying array of tropical fruits endemic to the island. Check out Artocarpus odoratissimus! Those photos are here:

Finally, a small selection of scenery shots. Here you'll find some nice views of Mount Kinabalu, urban scenery from Kuching, Kinabalu cloud forest images, and lovely shots from our longboat ride up the river along the edge of Gunung Mulu National Park at:

A special shout out to my traveling companions, all from Australia, most of whom are here on r.g.o: John V., Peter M., Phil D., Alan H. and Stephen T. - thanks for letting a Yank tag along!

After my return to San Francisco, I had the pleasure of joining noted photographer and flower expert Ron Parsons for a wildflower walk through the moss forest on the western flank of Mount Tamalpais, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. We encountered Calypso bulbosa and Corallorhiza maculata in bloom, along with many other spectacular wildflowers. Those photos are at:

Finally, I'm always indebted to the graciousness of Tom Perlite at Golden Gate Orchids for allowing me to periodically visit his busy nursery and take photos. This last visit saw a plethora of unique plants in bloom including Masdevallia notosibirica, Bulbophyllum aff. mastersianum, several breathtaking Pleiones, and 5 different Paphiopedilum species. Those photos are at:

Enjoy the show!

-Eric in SF