Franz Junghuhn (*1809 in Mansfeld, Germany - 1864 Lembang, Java) completely explored Java's geography, geology and botany. He created the first reliable map of whole Java and countless of particular maps of Javanese regions, including the Dieng Plateau. He was also the first who mapped the southern Batak territories on Sumatra. A breakthrough in botany was the successfull cultivation of Peruvian bark trees (quinine) on Java. His biography reads like a 19th century adventure novel.

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Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen (1834-1918) is almost a mystical personality in the Christian Batak countries of north Sumatra. Nommensen came in 1862 to the then 'Dutch East Indies' to mission the Batak People in the area around Lake Toba. After several of his predecessors have been victim to the cannibalic practices of the Batak People of the time, Nommensen survived several assassination trials. At the end of his life the christian parish counted 180,000 members. His mission is counted as one of the most successful christian missions in modern history. Nommensen also translated the bible from Greek into Batak language.

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Stamford Raffles (*1781 - 1826) is definitely among the most fascinating personalities who are related to Southeast Asia. He is a legendary person, comparable to Lawrence of Arabia (Thomas Edward Lawrence). Both have in common a deeper understanding and sympathy for the native people in the countries they lived for years and effected them. Both of them came in conflict because of their disagreement with the political implications of imperialism, who are crucial for an empire. Raffles is commemorated for the founding of Singapore in 1819.

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Inside a typical street restaurant in Muang La, Laos. Image by Asienreisender, 2010

There is no easy approach to the People of Laos, for the huge ethnical diversity. Since the 6,200,000 inhabitants (2010), of whom some 60% are ethnically different from the Laotians (the largest ethnic), are falling apart into 70 - 120 different languages, of whom some are not yet scientifically explored; well, there is much to say on this topic.

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There could be made a long outline of all the different ethnics and customs in Southeast Asia; for a general understanding I want to point out an interesting observation.
Crucial for an understanding of people in any culture is the understanding of human childhood development...

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Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)

In 1854 a man arrived in Singapore who can be counted as one of the greatest minds of the 19th century. Alfred Russel Wallace, a former land surveyor from England, who spent already a couple of years in the tropical Amazon region collecting animals (mostly insects), came to expand his collection and studies in the Malay Archipelago. In the following eight years he made 70 journeys through the whole, huge archipelago, what is nowadays Indonesia and Malaysia. In 1858 he came to the clear and elaborated conclusion that animals are not representing a fixed shape and capabilities, but being highly versatile, ever adapting to their changing environments. Species are undergoing a permanent change respective development, and the driver for that change is natural selection. Russel wrote a great deal of essays on this topic and sent letters to England to reconfirm his position. One of his pen pals was Charles Darwin, an already accepted member of the scientific community in England. Darwin became over the time more and more impressed by Russels ideas, particularly when he received a letter in June 1858, in which Russel outlined the 'theory of evolution'. That was exactly the concept which was stored in Darwin's drawers since 20 years, but who hesitated to publish it. Russel even used mostly the same key terms for his theory as Darwin did.

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