Drone fine art photograph — aerial photography by Xynn Tii

For this rainforest, I shall remain forever grateful. The elevated morning air I breathed as misty clouds kissed the tree tops. Hues of juniper and brunette casted by virgin light piercing through the valleys. The silhouettes of Hornbill’s soaring through a contrasted sky.

The crackling fire pit, sterilizing raw water before it is consumed by the villagers. That rustic Indonesian cuisine; indomie noodles and nasi goreng. Subtle noises of the flowing river directly outside a bedroom window while resting inside the mosquito net.

Forever grateful, I shall remain. For this rainforest guided me far beyond my comfort zone, delving into greater comprehension of immaterialism and simplicity. A life-enriching journey amongst the environment of Southeast Asia. Forever grateful, I shall remain.



Part 2. The great rainforest of Jantho, Aceh in Sumatra Indonesia. Extremely remote.

Jantho and Banda Aceh are Indonesia’s northernmost regions, predominately forest.



Village women wake up at 3 in the morning everyday to make breakfast for the men.

Regardless of rising temperatures and discomfort, their skin must remain covered.



We lived adjacent to Jantho’s orangutan quarantine. Drone surveillance skills.

No internet or phone reception. You actually have to talk to people in person.



Your body goes through physical, immunity changes in order to adapt to this habitat.

Electricity is limited, so what I consider ‘old-school’, the natives see as the only way.



We were so high in elevation, a lot of the ‘aerials’ were not shot with a drone.

Regardless, Noche, the name of our smaller drone, captured the tough angles.



And then off-roading happened. Remember when I said Jantho was remote?

You cannot get there in a typical sedan. We got stuck in the mud many times.



Ian, Tell Us That Story

About The Three-Legged Pig

To reminisce on those bumpy rides in and out of Jantho’s rainforest. Ian Singleton. Matt Nowak. Katie Zacarian. Staff of Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. Thank you so much. These are memories that will never fade from my cognitions.

A rainforest must coexist with its natural inhabitants. Insects. Plants. Orangutans. Next, we unravel the culmination of our visit to Sumatra Indonesia: tracking orangutans and other primates through the rainforest and gathering data by studying their behavior.

We also learned more about palm oil cultivation and the negative effects this major exported ingredient is having on primates’ way of life in Indonesia. Palm oil is even impacting Earth’s atmosphere in ways that cannot be overlooked. Series 40.