Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo

by Eric Hansen

Book Overview

Eric Hansen was the first westerner ever to walk across the island of Borneo. Completely cut off from the outside world for seven months, he traveled nearly 1,500 miles with small bands of nomadic hunters known as Penan. Beneath the rain forest canopy, they trekked through a hauntingly beautiful jungle where snakes and frogs fly, pigs climb trees, giant carnivorous plants eat mice, and mushrooms glow at night. At once a modern classic of travel literature...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140095861
• ISBN13: 9780140095869
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

....and I keep coming back to 'his' jungle

What a WONDERFUL BOOK! .... this should be on everyones top 10 lists ..... makes you think about NOT buying those next exotic wood chairs.... Eric has such a marvelous way of making you live the jungle and its rhythm....I was sad when the book ended....it was better than Motoring with Mohamed.... wish he would write MANY MORE books .... a gifted writer and free spirit.... love this book

Where few have traveled

Eric Hansen has gone where few have traveled, and few have wanted to travel. His epic adventure is more than a guide to the region: it is a rare glimpse into an unimagined world. Despite National Geographic type articles, one would never have dreamed of this world of extraordinary people, going about what they consider ordinary lives. He did not just breeze into their country with an expedition mindset, guides and porters, al la the ordinary expedition management styles; rather he moved slowly and quietly, at a pace set by the people of the villages through which he passed. I felt priveleged to have been able to glimpse (albeit secondhandedly), his trip, and the lives of the very courageous people who not only live in Borneo; but have made a wonderful life for themselves, people who have a vast knowledge of the resources of their forests and the wildlife in them. From a modern worldview, these people may seem primitive; but he reveals them to be quite sophisticated within their world, and to have the character traits which lead to a good life in their world. It is one of the most appealing adventure stories I have ever read, written in a simple straightforward style, full of humor, pathos and intelligence. Excellent reading!

Enthralling insite into a completely foriegn way of life.

Eric Hansen is one of the most insightful, sensitive travel writers I've encountered. This book is a delightful window on the world of forest nomads in the jungle of Borneo. Hansen captures their incredible lifestyles that tie them to so intimately to the land but never lets you forget that they are modern human beings, as sophisticated and brilliant at moving through their world as any from what some might call the "civilized" world. As he travels with them, he is like a child in their world and his respect for and dependence on them is evident as they teach him how to survive their jungle.