THE name "Borneo" has long meant magic to travellers, and it remains a great place to explore. Today the third-largest island in the world is divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. The Malaysian part of Borneo is known as East Malaysia, and consists of the states of Sabah and Sarawak.

By CATHY HAWKER LET'S start with the bad news. Borneo, the third-largest island in the world, is a good 15 hours flying time away from London via Kuala Lumpur, with a difficult eighthour time difference. Now for the good news: just about everything else about Borneo is very good.