A Visit To The "Garden Of Eden"

Bob Simon Travels To A Pristine Paradise In Indonesia

(CBS)  This story was originally broadcast on Dec. 16, 2007.

It's hard to imagine there are still new frontiers on earth -- places untouched by man. So when a group of scientists found such a spot two years ago and made news around the world with the discovery of dozens of new species, 60 Minutes took notice. And when the scientists described the mountain rain forest on the Indonesian side of New Guinea as a sort of "Garden of Eden," it sounded like a good story for us.

It's about as far as you can get from civilization, or, for that matter, from anywhere. But as correspondent Bob Simon found out, getting there was half the fun.

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After a 20-hour flight to Jakarta, Indonesia, followed by a seven-hour plane ride to New Guinea, Simon and the team had concluded the easy part of the trip. They then boarded a single-engine plane with Bruce Beehler, the lead scientist from "Conservation International," which stirred the world with its discoveries in 2005. After an hour in the air, they were looking for a grass runway.

Their small plane skirted the treetops and touched down, landing right in the middle of a party of sorts. The guests of honor: Simon, the 60 Minutes team, and Beehler, all surrounded by dancing and singing Papasena people.

When the Papasena people like you, they dab you with clay, as Simon and Beehler got to experience firsthand. The village of Papasena was our jumping-off point for the final leg up to the rain forest the next day. Since the villagers own the land we wanted to visit, we needed their blessing.

Beehler was looking for one villager in particular, Pak Timothy, the Papasena chief, the man we hoped would serve as the host for our expedition.

The next morning, we loaded up a helicopter for the 45-minute journey up to the mountain. It's at least a two-week hike from the village and there are no trails.

We were going to a rain forest in what's known as the Foja Mountains, to the very place where Beehler and other scientists had discovered new species two years ago. The only place where we could set the helicopter down was a bog, if we could find it amidst the clouds. Suddenly, at 6,000 feet, the landing site appeared.

We hopped out, said goodbye to the helicopter, and hoped it would come back in 10 days as promised. We were now closed off from the outside world.

"We're about as far away from home as you can get," Beehler explained. "We’re basically at the edge of the Earth, as we would know it."

There's no sign of human activity, there are no footprints, no trails, and no Coke cans. There are no sounds except for the sounds of birds.

Only a handful of humans are known to have walked this ground. Beehler had been there once before. He had always wondered what might be hidden in this forest. But it took him 24 years of begging before the Indonesian government would let him set foot there. To help us set up a camp, we brought a few villagers from Papasena.

Beehler was already wearing his binoculars. "I’m looking for new birds. Or old birds that I saw the last time but that only live here," he said. "No place on Earth except the Foja Mountains."

In 2005, Beehler and his fellow scientists needed only 10 minutes to find their first new species, an odd looking bird. It didn't take Simon and the group much longer to spot it as well.

A new species of bird needs a new name, and Beehler had a quirky solution. "Well, I've got a wife," he explained, laughing. "And I thought, 'Wouldn’t it be nice to name it after her?' So I named it after Carol. Melipotes carolae. It actually has an English name, too. That's the Wattled Smoky Honey Eater."

"Now that's a mouthful isn't it?" Beehler said. "Most birds make a sound. As far as I know, this bird either never makes a sound or very rarely makes a sound. So we've encountered it now perhaps 40, 50 times. And it's always quiet."

[tvgirl5]

I don''t think CBS is the "first" to film that bird''s "batman" mating display. I''m pretty sure I saw that same bird in the BBC series "Planet Earth".
You might want to look into that...

[jolener-2009]

I thoroughly enjoyed this report! It was not only educational for me, I got a kick out of the male golden-fronted bower bird. To build all those sticks up, decorate it with fruits, lift his crest and dance for the female bird with a berry in his mouth was truly amazing and a wonderful sight to see. Too bad he got rejected but I''m sure he will eventually be successful. Thanks 60 minutes and I hope you do more reports like this in the future.

[seattlady]

I am in awe of new discoveries of wildlife on our planet. I wonder how the Planet Earth people missed out on this one. Perhaps they also had problems getting permission to film on the island. Congratulations on a great job.

[coolwind1]

Loved the "Garden of Eden" segment, but I was disappointed in Andy''s dissertation. He would spend money on 150-watt bulbs and personal taxis everywhere. He could spend his money more wisely to alleviate global warming. He worked against the beautiful "Eden" segment. He should be a better role model. (We need all the help we can get.)

[brianbwb-2009]

"Only a handful of humans are known to have walked this ground... But it took him 24 years of begging before the Indonesian government would let him set foot there."

Not quite true, I have been there, quite a few times, accompanied by locals. The first time, I was invited by an official, subsequently I didn''t need government permission to go. We set up a radio transceiver in the village, so the people could communicate to the outside. After the radio was up and working, we were taken to the mountains as the people wanted to show us the place as their way of saying "thanks". "Gunung Foha" also has hot springs, one in particular is the Papasena''s favorite, the high sulfur content of the hot water is known for it''s curative and rejuvenating properties for the skin, and the view, whether dawn, noon, sunset, or night can''t be described. The only things to be aware of are dinner plate sized wood spiders with half inch fangs, only mildly venomous but very painful, and a beautiful caterpillar that can sting like a jellyfish if brushed against.

Why it took "24 years of begging"? The government of Indonesia has always operated on a system of bribes, an artifact from Indonesia''s early days, when the government and military collected operating money directly from the people It is still in practice, having mutated, post Soeharto into "mafia" type rackets. Had he, 24 years ago, offered as little as $50 back then, to as much as $500 now to the governor, he''d have been there the next day.

[flazney]

I object to the implication that this is what the world was like before mankind spoiled it. You can only belive that if you have no understanding of the natural history of the world. This piece reminds me that the environmentalists are more about new-age religion than they would like to admit.

[brassmannin]

It''s an area of this hectic and congested world that I''ve always fantasized about going to....thanks for the journey, it was truly enjoyable.

[oleander8]

I hope the travel agents won''t be able to book tours and hotel moguls build resorts now that it''s been exposed to the world.

[ponceb]

What a marvelous visit to the Foja Mountains; Indonesia- in your "visit to the Garden of Eden".
Untouched and unblemished. So powerful-especially after just finishing the new book,
"The World Without Us", Alan Weisman..
Thanks to all of you and especially Bob Simon.

[christinea66]

Thank you so much for this segment. It was a real treat! It was as entertaining and informative as it was captivating. For a while I was in The Garden of Eden. This should win an emmy.
Thanks again.

[birdseeker]

The New Guinea birds of paradise, including the Sickle Bill from this 60 Minutes segment, were covered in David Attenborough''s video "Attenborough In Paradise" which was finally released in the US this year. I saw the program about 10 years ago on PBS and have waited since then to see it again. People need to see segments like this more often to be reminded of what treasures will be lost with the loss of habitat.

[marvelle123]

A beautiful story. Well done CBS. You''re the only US network show spending money to do stories like this. You are to be commended.

[saraangelyn]

What a wonderful piece on the "Garden of Eden" tonight. Great job CBS and Bob Simon!!!

[proaudubon]

The dance of the bower bird was almost as heartwarming as another exotic bird I caught on a Science channel special - but it''s good to know more species abound in Indonesia.

[lewiston14]

I loved that pygmy possum, one of the smallest possums in the world, couldn%u2019t get enough camera time"
That little critter was fun to watch

[lewiston14]

Morel of the story leave it as you found it.

[lewiston14]

Morel of the story leave it as you found it.

[perusing]

Thank you, Bob Simon. My husband and I have arranged to bequeath a portion of our estate to Conservation International.

[travelina-2009]

New Guinea has birds of paradise too, and there''s a photo gallery on National Geographic showing these extravagantly plumed birds doing their thing:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/birds-of-paradise/laman-photography