My quest through Borneo to find the elusive Rafflesia flower..( Amoldi )

In 2007 a magnetic force took hold of me with such intention and purpose it was impossible to ignore , that force was Borneo and it's elusive, seductive Rafflesia flower ( Amoldi ) this particular flower , the largest in the world , only grows in a very select few locations on the planet , in Borneo , The Malay Peninsula and Sumatra .

I was lucky enough to "stumble" upon my first Rafflesia flower on my Sumatran adventure a few years prior , completely mesmarised by the intense beauty and contrast in colour it has to it's jungle surrounds, I felt it's natural invisible claws inbed themselves within me , quite aware of the fact these claws would once again beckon my return to this beautiful part of the world.

Determined to discover new varieties of the Rafflesia I turned my attention to the mountain of Kota Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. Now the Rafflesia flower only grows at extreme altitude so this particular adventure would require my bicycle to be packed as light as possible in order to achieve the altitudes required to reach the habitat of the Amoldi.

At roughly 2000m above sea level and 4 days of non-stop climbing , I reached an area on the side of Kota Kinabalu mountain , perfect habitat for the Amoldi , another 2 days of leech infested mud and trekking through the jungle I am finally rewarded with what I can only descibe as a visual orgasm , one of the most insanely gorgeous sights I have been lucky enough to see.

There she was ... the Amoldi in all her perfect glory lighting up the jungle floor like a ball of fire , one of those little moments in life where you take that extra long breath , goose bumps engulf your skin like a swarm of butterflies. hmmm...

This gorgeous gift from nature is being threatened by logging and deforestation in the region , I think of that moment I shared with that flower , how hard I worked to see it , how much value it added not only in the moment but still today and feel this moment should be there for others to enjoy on their quests.

Where do we draw the line? Do we really need to loose more species to gain timber ?