Daniel Robinson, Adam Karlin, Paul Stiles, 2013, Borneo.

Horton, A.V.M.

Daniel Robinson, Adam Karlin, Paul Stiles, 2013, Borneo (Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, Footscray (Victoria), third edition, June 2013; pbk, 16.99 [pounds sterling]; ISBN 978-1-74220-296-9; 336 pp; maps plans tables figures illustrations index).

The production of a Lonely Planet guidebook is evidently a major operation requiring a military-style general staff. For a start, it needs three authors. The leader, Daniel Robinson (B.A. Princeton), who writes on travel for the New York Times, has been reporting from Southeast Asia and its rainforests since 1989. He has made many visits to Sarawak, which he covers in this book. Negara Brunei Darussalam and Sabah are described by Adam Karlin, who has contributed to thirty titles for the publisher. Paul Stiles specializes in islands, eco-tourism, and adventure travel; for this volume he completed the cross-Borneo Trek, crossing the potentially-lethal Muller Range in five days (p. 336). Many other things are done in twos: hence there are two "commissioning editors," two "coordinating editors," two "managing editors," and two "managing cartographers." The team also includes a "coordinating cartographer," a "coordinating layout designer," a "managing layout designer," a "cover researcher," an "internal image researcher," and a "language content" specialist. Seventeen more people (capacity unspecified) are listed on page 329. And these do not include the persons individually acknowledged by the authors (pp. 328-9).

To be fair, Borneo is a vast subject. Bisected by the equator, it is the third-largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea. It is fairly flat, more than half of the landscape being less than five hundred feet above sea level. The Rejang (350 miles) is Malaysia longest river; similarly, Indonesia's three longest rivers are all in Kalimantan. Mountains dominate much of the center of the island, running on a NE-SW axis from Sabah into West Kalimantan; but none of them is volcanic (p. 287). In some areas, water has dissolved the limestone to form vast caves, notably at Gunung Mulu and Niah (p. 288). Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea, is one of two World Heritage Sites on the island, the other being Mulu.

The main attractions of Borneo to tourists, judging from this guide, are the rainforest, the wildlife (especially the orangutan), and the multiculturalism. The best sites are the national parks (such as Tanjung Puting in Kalimantan, established largely at the inspiration of Professor Birute Galdikas and now home to the largest single population of orangutans anywhere in the world, p. 251), the longhouses, and the mountains. Kuching is the island's "most sophisticated and dynamic city" (p. 121). Borneo is also a prime location for the adventure holiday, such as diving, trekking, jungle river safaris, cave exploration, and mountain-climbing. For those of a more sedate temperament, there is no dearth of museums, war memorials, bird-watching facilities, markets, places of worship, restaurants, nightlife, and shopping malls to engage their attention. There are also festivals (such as the Borneo Jazz Festival, usually held in Miri in mid-May, and the Rainforest World Music Festival, held in Kuching during the second weekend of July).

Borneo certainly fulfils its principal purpose as a practical guide for visitors to the island. The bulk of the volume comprises a place-by-place survey, starting at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah ("hard not to love," p. 40) and ending at Loksado (in South Kalimantan), "an absolutely charming hamlet of gingerbread cottages" (p. 263). Basic data are provided: details about accommodation, restaurants and cafes, how and when to travel, the main local attractions, the various activities on offer, what to see and what to avoid. General information is supplied, such as emergency telephone numbers, internet access amenities, medical services, and postal facilities. Maps are provided along with plans of the principal settlements. The polychrome photography is inviting. The final part of the book provides a dossier about Borneo, its current affairs, history, peoples and cultures, cuisine, land and environmental issues, and wildlife. There is an A-Z directory (which actually fails to get past 'W', and has nothing under D, H, J, K, N, O, Q, R and U), advising prospective visitors about, for example, "business hours," "electricity," "legal matters," "money," "public holidays," and "visas." The friendliness of local people is mentioned along with the reciprocal duty of visitors to engage in responsible tourism.

There is timely warning of potential pitfalls, including the heat, diseases such as rabies, dengue fever, leptospirosis, and malaria, not forgetting insect bites and stings, skin problems, and diarrhoea. Hazards to "safe travel" (p. 306-7) include a "high threat of kidnapping" in eastern Sabah; "dodgy" transport standards in Kalimantan; violent crime in the cities; and alcohol-related disturbances. "Saltwater crocodiles are a very real danger in waterways, especially in muddy estuaries" (p. 307). Jungle-trekking can be "like marching all day in a sauna with a floor as slippery as ice" (p. 21). The Muller Mountains section of the cross-Borneo trek is "very difficult" and can be fatal, as indicated by the local grave of a Dutchman who died in 2011 after hitting his head in a fall. Indeed, the first crossing, by the eponymous (Georg) Midler in 1825, ended with headhunters claiming his scalp (pp. 235-6). By comparison, the leeches are merely a minor irritant.

Places to avoid include Kutai National Park (p 236); Banjarmasin (pop. 610,000), which "offers very little for its size" (p. 259); and Pontianak, which does not have much to recommend it (pp. 242-8). Kandangan (45,000), on the other hand, is "one of the more attractive towns in Kalimantan," and Sukadana is "a most welcome surprise." Samarinda (726,000), Borneo's largest urban area, has "a jarring profusion of highs and lows." Balikpapan (459,000) is Kalimantan's "only cosmopolitan city" (p. 220).

The book is not couched in academic language and its exclamatory style grates after a while; nor is the text entirely free from the bossiness and self-importance typical of travel-writing. And there is an overload of gushing adjectives: to cite a few plucked at random, "mind-boggling," "truly breath-taking," "eye-popping," "uber-luxurious," "adorable," and "gut-wrenching." A bibliography is lacking.

Handy for a (large) pocket, and invaluable as a source of tourist information, Borneo is lightweight in more senses than one. There might well be a gap in the market for a calm, measured, and scholarly guide to Borneo. Meanwhile, a price tag of 16.99 [pounds sterling] is fairly expensive for a paperback. The back office staff has to be paid after all.

(A.V.M. Horton, Bordesley, Worcestershire, United Kingdom)