>I am scheduled to go to Kuching, Malaysia (Borneo) for a week on Nov. 5th for work. It's a 20 hour flight there and back that I'm not looking forward to but it will be interesting none the less.
I understand one of Malaysia's largest exports is timber and I'm hoping to find a little piece to bring back with me. Maybe for a small box or some pens.
Does anyone have a suggestion on species to look for? I'm not sure that where I'm going will have anything available since it's a fairly modern city supposedly, but maybe I'll get lucky.
>I cannot help you there, and I wish you luck, but you may have trouble getting wood though customs. They are spooky about it brining in bugs that have no natural enemies.
>I was in Maputo Mozambique several years ago. I brought back a 15"x32"x1 1/4" hunk of PauRosa and a 10"x4"x20" hunk of Chafunta back. I losely wraped it in cardboard and made sort of handles out of cardboard and straping tape. You could see the corners of the wood where the carboard didn't quite cover. At customs I was asked what was in the cardboard. I pointed to the corners where you could see the wood and I said "wood". The customs guy said "oh" and I was on my way.
I have no idea if I got lucky or if there was no interest in wood at the NY airport.
I would definetly get a few board feet of wood. If customs wants to keep it you will be out perhaps $20. As I recall the cab ride from the hotel to the lumber yard in Maputo cost more than the two hunks of wood I came back with.
BTW I went looking for pink ivory wood. What I came back with was better. Instead of going with plans for a particular wood let the oportunity provide the selection. Ask where the lumber yard is. They likely won't know what you are talking about but if you explain enough about what they do at a lumber yard you should find one.
>guy at my job goes to philipines and bornea/cambodia..he's brought back tons of wood burls etc and doesnt have a prob with customes.i was surprized,
its easier on the foreign nation side to get things in/out.i lived in Romania for a year when i was in my teens and took clothing items to sell.$20(months salary then) to the customes lady and i was new best friend lol. nowadays thats a scary thing'
>Raymond. I would check up front what you can and can not bring in and if you need any paperwork to declare that the wood is pest free. You can try and just bring it in, but the is the risk you may get in trouble and there is also the risk of bringing in a pest like the Emerald Ash Borer ( currently destroying all ash trees in Michigan and south western Ontario, or the Asian Long-horned beetle (which has had various out breaks some cities attributed to packaging crates from china)
Here is a link to a article on imported pests http://www.freep.com/news/mich/tree4_20020304.htm . An internet search brings lots of information.
With a little pre trip checking hopefully you can find some treasures and bring them home with easy heart. Enjoy your trip.
>If your return flight stops in California, be prepared for aggressive Agriculture Inspectors. They are VERY fussy about letting people bring in anything that might contain insects.
