This is an account of life and work in Sarawak, Papua New Guinea and Brunei. The author began his association with South East Asia through national service during the Malayan Emergency. Then, after living on a boat on the Thames, he married and moved to Kuching where his three children were born. Six years as headmaster of Dataks, Chinese and Malays were especially rewarding and full of adventures. He spent a total of fifteen years in Papua New Guinea where his interests in land tenure and enviornmental protection were developed. As part of this research and work for SPREP (the South Pacific Regional Enviornmental Programme) he visited many of the Pacific Islands. He spent much of the last third of his working life at the University Brunei Darussalam. The university also proved a very good base for further exploration of Borneo and the countries which formed the region. The author describes how national parks have been developed there and the plans for a "Heart of Borneo" project.