18 November 2012 | last updated at 08:31AM
OUTSTANDING PHOTOS: Australian captures unique scenes of Sabah, Sarawak in 'Enchanting Borneo'
KOTA KINABALU: AUSTRALIAN David Bowden spent 20 years to accomplish the "Enchanting Borneo" coffee table book that would potentially lure readers to come and experience the places here.
The 80-page book has enticing photographs of the peak of Malaysia's tallest mountain, world's largest cave in Sarawak's Mulu National Park, unique images of natives as well as some of the world's most exotic wildlife.
Bowden, who is also a freelance photojournalist, also wrote the extended captions for the outstanding pictures.
He started compiling the beautiful scenes of Borneo when he had "sensory overload" during his stay in a small hotel near a renowned Filipino market here.
"From my window, I saw women with colourful clothes and fishermen lugging in their catch.
"Then, I discovered new smells including durian, heard a riot of sounds and was madly touching all these new and exotic products," he said during a recent launch of his book.
Further discovery of the city here made him feel at home as many things were also available at his hometown.
"I was walking along the water villages that once lined the city's foreshore and was immediately welcomed by kids who followed me around."
Being a consultant for the World Wide Fund Malaysia's projects in Sabah at that time gave him the opportunity to visit Kinabatangan, Danum Valley, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and Mount Kinabalu.
"I spent several months there and every weekend, I was off discovering something new and taking some photographs that were used to illustrate the book.
"I was amazed at the abundance of tourism products that Sabah has to offer."
Present at the book launch was state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who commended Bowden's effort in creating a new chapter to promote the state.
"To have someone write about this state will definitely trigger people's interest to discover more about Sabah."
The "Enchanting Borneo" is available at major bookstores at RM55 for hard cover and RM45 for soft cover edition.
Comments
Post a Comment