Letters Home from the South China Seas: Adventures in Singapore & Borneo (1989)

Singapore is a tiny island city-state at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. Almost five people per square foot live within its borders, representing almost every culture, cuisine and religion in Asia. It has risen to the status of a jet age travel and commerce crossroads, boasting some of the finest accommodations, cuisine and shipping in the Orient, and the forward-looking government has transformed this spotless garden country into a model for developing nations all over the world. Yet, underneath its Westernized surface, mysteries of the Orient still linger in the shadows of skyscrapers. Borneo lies only 250 miles to the east of Singapore, but it might as well be a world away. Here on the third largest island on earth, civilized man ekes out a living along the banks of the muddy rivers than wind for hundreds of miles into dense jungle. Beyond lies the legendary allure of headhunters, hidden kingdoms, and the "Wild Men of Borneo" which has captured the imagination of adventure writers and armchair explorers everywhere. Travel with Rick Ray on a personal journey across these two islands. Fly to the very center of Borneo for a visit with ex-headhunters who have only made contact with the West since the 1940's. Discover the splendor of Brunei, a little known kingdom ruled by the richest man on earth. In Singapore, participate in the horrifying ancient Hindu ritual of Thaipusam. Frolic with the "Wild Men of Borneo", who live in trees and are strict vegetarians. Join Rick for these and many more adventures among the unique and varied faces of the South China Seas.