5/29/2017 6:13:17 PM
"The orchid family is considered to be the largest family of flowering plants in the world with about 25,000 species, which is split into 5 families, all of which are represented in Borneo and Sabah. Borneo has about 1,600 named species in over 160 genera, Sabah with 1,200 species in 134 genera and therefor considered to be in the top 10 hotspots of diversity in the world. Since Sabah represents just 10% of Borneo, it therefor contains over 60% of all the known orchid species with nearly 40% being endemic to the island of Borneo, many of which are only found on Mt. Kinabalu and Sabah. Most of the orchid species are distributed in the hill and montage forest between 1,000m. and 2,000m. and about only 150 species occur below 100m. in the lowlands. Sabah also contains many of the species of the so called primitive orchids including the Apostasia and Slipper Orchids."
-From The Rainforest Discovery Center Sepilok Education Board
5/16/2017 5:05:33 AM
Durian fruit...the name can send shudders down some people’s spine and sheer joy to others. You either love it or hate it…I for one, am in the middle. I feel it has a cinnamon/butterscotch/vanilla/caramel flavor with a sticky-sweet texture and smell, but as I said, some people are actually repulsed by it, especially the smell. Non-the-less, it is a very popular fruit in S.E. Asia. It is known for many health benefits; boosting the immune system, improving digestion, lowering blood pressure, strengthening bones, reducing inflammation and reducing anxiety and stress. It is often called “the King of Fruits” and is native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
I have come across durian in the form of the pure fruit, dehydrated snacks, chocolate covered, milky sweets, added to tea and really any form of confection one can think of. There are also many grades of durian depending on the water in the flesh, the different creamy textures, light or strong flavor, heavy or gentle smell, bitter, dry, gooey and the size of the seeds. There are some people that get hot after eating durian, it seems to raise heat levels in the body and it is not recommended to take alcohol with this fruit. To decrease the heat in the body after durian I have heard of people swearing to drinking fresh water out of the shell of the durian and that helps to reduce the heat more-so than just a glass of water. There may be some chemical in the shell that prevents the heat from rising which would not surprise me. Most plants that have any kind of “bad” effect have within it a cure or there grows a plant next to it that does in the wild. Nature has a way of staying balanced, it is our job to learn from that…I did a watercolour pencil of the durian for fun as I have been tasting different durian products these few weeks in Sabah and made the background a strong “heat” colour coming out!!! Sunglasses may be needed!!!
5/5/2017 9:41:13 PM
The ethnic tribes; Sungei, Rungus, Murut, Kadazendusun, Bajau & Bisaya here in north Borneo, in the state of Sabah, (Malaysian side as opposed to the Indonesian side), I find there is an overwhelming display of tradition medicinal plants to be exposed to, a lot of them I have never heard of before even in their English names. In Kota Kinabalu, there is a wonderful museum that displays these plants and various tribal information also. I am off for 5 nights tomorrow staying in two different places to explore some of the more rural areas of the land here over-nighting in places they call "homestays" where you are taken in by the local people and they show you around places a bit out of the way and off the beaten track from the tourist trade. I am also going to be introduced to more local foods. The rice harvest festival is next weekend and I will be back in KK for that so will get to see a lot of the indigenous people wearing their full regatta clothing in real life, not just wearing them at the expensive to get into "cultural centers" here...so I lucked out on that one! It only happens once a year! Then Mount Kinabalu looms overhead as I trek into the mountainous areas of this green expanse of Borneo...TBC!
