House boat on Camp Leakey River
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Sumatra Morning Coffee

One of the best times of the day - morning coffee. Let me describe where I am having my coffee. My bungalow is built into a hillside on the edge of one of the last remaining rainforests on Sumatra - Gunung Leuser National Park. I am sitting…
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It’s Not Easy Being Green….

Today we drove over 3 hours from Medan to Sei Betung which is a part of the Gunung Leuser National Park. I am traveling with the SOCP (Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Project) team to visit their restoration site. On the way to the restoration…
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Jami: Another Day with the 52

I spent another day in the quarantine center again with the “52” orphaned and rescued orangutans. Some of the animals that live there have such sad back-stories and will have to remain there for the rest of their lives. But most will be…

Cutest little “monkeys”….errr….I mean orangutans!!!!!!

I have three nieces: Heather, Hannah and Heidi. From the day that they were born, I called them "my little monkeys". I still call them that because all though they are fully grown, they are as cute as can be. Well, the faces that you will see…

Precious cargo contained!

This trip has already started with lots of excitement. I arrived in Medan, Sumatra late last night. It is extremely hot and humid. I am so happy that my room has air conditioning (and wifi)! After I settled into my room I checked my email to…

Theo’s friendship with King Kusasi…and how they shared a brotherly drink

It was in the year 2000 when I met Kusasi, one of the most memorable characters in the natural world. He rose from a rescued orphan orangutan to king of the jungle around Camp Leakey in Tanjung Punting National Park located in the southern part…

How much stuff do we need? Theo losing the battle…….

I have declared war on advertisement! And it looks like I am losing the battle. I have advanced to an age where I deserve and highly cherish my afternoon siesta nap at home. Unfortunately my wife’s office is right next to the bedroom and on…

Orangutan Project: Jami

Days 1 - 3 After leaving New Mexico (and Theo and Gershwin) and then flying through Los Angeles, I flew via Tokyo to Jakarta, Java. I over-nighted in Jakarta after arriving at my hotel at 2:00am and then caught a flight to Bali the next morning…

A place where you can hear silence

Do we still know what silence is? Do you believe “to hear silence” is an oxymoron? I don’t. Let me explain. I would like to start with a simple question: “Have you ever been to a place where there was no noise at all?” No traffic noise,…