Here is a selection of quirky architectural details found on a project site at Kampung Tinangol Sabah. Kampung means village in Malay and is synonymous with things improvised, honest, basic and hardworking, to use just a few adjectives. The long house. Note that many posts are wonky. I learned recently that bent posts serve as rudimentary braces in lieu of triangulation, thus keeping the structure more stable. The long house veranda is popular for the afternoon snooze, presumably because the slatted bamboo floor feels...

Plain-pouched Hornbills in flight photo by Jasmin & John Steed Other photos and text by Ian Hall 19th August 2008 It was five o clock in the evening and all the day’s heat was pouring out of the red earth of the bola sepak pitch. I had my umbrella to provide shade from the sun but it was awkward to hold binoculars and monitor a telescope with only one free hand. Luckily the evening hornbill flight does not really get going until 6pm but we had to be there at five to ensure that the count included the early...