BBC’s Panorama Reports a New Threat to Borneo’s Rainforests

Male orang-utan at Semenggok Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Borneo

Tonight at 8.30pm the BBC’s Panorama programme will report on the destruction of  Borneo’s pristine rainforests in order to grow palm oil crops, which in turn, is used in products we buy like biscuits and toiletries.

The bottom line is: the rainforests being destroyed are home to some of the last and greatest wildlife havens in Southeast Asia and species like the orang-utan are now threatened more than ever.

Audley efforts to stem Borneo’s deforestation
Here at Audley our Southeast Asia team will be raising funds through various events and initiatives to help the World Land Trust (WLT) continue with land purchases in the lower Kinabatangan River basin.

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Interested in Vietnamese Culture?

Image: From the film 'The Story of Pao' which was filmed in Vietnam's Ha Giang region.

Between now and the end of this month there will be a series of events in London’s South Kensington, celebrating the Vietnamese arts and culture. 

You might find the film offerings of particular interest if you have been or are contemplating visiting Vietnam, and in particular The Story of Pao, which was filmed in the remote and fascinating Ha Giang region of the country.

For more information and to book tickets visit the Vietnamese Festival of Culture website.

DEC appeal for Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam

Appeal on behalf on the Disasters Emergency Committee.

In one week from Saturday 26 September the East Asia region was hit by 3 separate natural disasters; Typhoon Ketsana swept through the Philippines that day and onto Vietnam on the 29th causing extensive damage and flooding; on 30th September in Indonesia an earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale struck western Sumatra followed by an aftershock of 6.6 a day later.

We are now a week on from the devastating disasters that struck East Asia and the full extent of the damage caused is starting to become clear.

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Bird-eating frog discovered

New to science: a bird-eating fog.

With the world population approaching 7 billion, you’d think us humans would have found by now just about every land-based life-form bigger than say, your average insect – but not so it seems. 

In the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, a new bird-eating frog has been discovered, along with several other interesting species, such as a leopard striped gecko, a tube nosed bat and a bird called the Nonggang babbler.

This news comes on top of a recent BBC expedition - and subsequent TV programme called Lost Land of the Volcano - to Papua New Guinea, which found newly identified species like rats as big as cats and tree-climbing teddy bear-like marsupials.

The world is indeed stranger than we thought!

‘Last Chance to See’ on BBC2

'Last Chance to See' on BBC2

Have you been watching the BBC’s news series ‘Last Chance to See’ which began on 6th September? Presented by Stephen Fry, the programme is a remake of a radio series from 1985 and book of the same name, released in 1990 as a companion to the radio series.

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BBC2s ‘By Any Means 2′

Charley leaving Sydney with a huge biker escort on the first leg of his trip to Tokyo.

Just a reminder that Charley Boorman has embarked on his second series of By Any Means, this time starting his adventure in Sydney and travelling to Tokyo.

This latest series, if you’ve never seen it, features Charley Boorman (son of famous film director John Boorman) travelling on any type of transport he can he can get his hands on, through several countries within the Asia Pacific Rim.

So, if you’re thinking of travelling with Audley to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines or Japan, then you’ll get just a small flavour of what to expect by following his progress.

You can see Charley’s next adventure, through Indonesia, on BBC 2 at 9pm on Sunday 18th October.

PS. Don’t forget that you can watch previous episodes online for a limited period via the BBC iPlayer.

Changing times for Burma?

The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Burma

We were pleased to see reports this week that Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma opposition leader, has changed her views on tourism to her country.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Last week she was reported to have said that she now believes tourism should be welcomed and encouraged as long as it is run through private operations and not through the government.

We will be watching this story with interest as we have always had a very close affinity to the Burmese people. We believe that our clients themselves should be the ones to make an informed decision as to whether or not to travel there.

If this recent change of heart has encouraged you to find out more about Burma and the arguments for and against travel there, try the “Visit Burma” section of our website.

Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey on BBC2

Rick Stein in the Far East

Tonight at 8pm on BBC2 is the first in a series of programmes which sees the chef Rick Stein undertake an epic culinary journey by river, sea and overland to discover the diverse food cultures of the Far East.

“I’m here to discover not just the food,” Stein promises, “but what makes places like Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam tick. What’s so special about Bali, Sri Lanka, Malaysia or Bangladesh? Well – the food of course. But beyond that it’s the people. People talking about food…”.

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Update: Paya Ngoto School in Burma

Children playing in their rebuilt playground

Back in May 2008, Audley staff decided to raise money to rebuild Paya Ngoto School in Burma, after it was badly damaged by Cyclone Nargis. Now one of our Burma specialists updates us on the final stages of the project.
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Road trip round Northern Thailand

Nick and Charlie pause for a break to take in the view on their Northern Thailand tour

Charlie and Nick, two of our Thailand specialists, recently returned from a great trip by car around Northern Thailand. I caught up with them today to see how it went, where they ended up and find out what they thought.

When telling people I was about to embark on a self drive trip with my colleague Charlie around the north of Thailand I was met with a mixture of interest and concern. “Have you seen how they drive in Bangkok?” But driving in Thailand outside the frenetic capital is a very relaxing experience due to the quiet, spacious roads and fabulous scenery. Having the independence to stop wherever you like is a great way to interact with the locals and adapt your pace of travel. Continue reading »