Blogs from Brunei, Asia - page 2

Brunei is certainly not top of everyone's list when it comes to travelling around South East Asia. The town of Seria is probably even further down anyone's list of priorities. The only people who visit are probably involved in the oil industry or the British military. Alternatively, like us, they may have friends connected with either of those industries. It's a curious place though, and really shouldn't be so easily dismissed. Like many visitors, we were surprised at how "un-rich" Brunei seemed to be. Seria is a nice enough town but it could do with a little sprucing up. There is a lingering subtle smell of oil in the air, but that's hardly surprising when you see the nodding donkeys and the storage tanks all over the place. Most of the town is in the streets ... read more

Geo: 4.94867, 114.951I didn't sleep well - by the time I got to the hotel, spoke to Melissa and messaged Peter and mum to say I was here safe, I didn't turn light out until 2am then didn't sleep for ages. Having the alarm go off at 7am was not appreciated. Made it to breakfast with twenty minutes to spare. So much nice food and no time to indulge. So upset. Had an omelette but no pancakes or waffles or Asian food as tour was booked for 8am. Went and excitedly waiting in foyer. And waited and waited. Lady never turned up. I fb messengered her, emailed her , emailed the company, fb messages the company. Nothing. So at 9.30 I headed out myself but had no maps and no plans and no ideas. Well - ... read more

Been reading blogs about Brunei especially the capital Bandar Seri Begawan and it made me curious to experience the country and find answers to my questions. Arrived around 2am on the 22nd of April 2016. Everyone is picked by private cars except me. Taxis are not available at this time. Decided to familiarize the airport and glad to find a city guide posted on the wall outside. It has every details on how to go around the city especially the bus numbers. There's also a mosque of modern Islamic design that I enjoyed taking pictures. It was very touching and a bit dramatic to be closer to this house of prayer for it's my first time. Ooops... if you don't have enough $1 bills, you can exchange at the Car Park Office outside the airport and ... read more

Celebrating with the Sultan We arrived in Brunei during the month-long celebrations for the Sultan's birthday. Having been postponed due to Ramadan, a big event was taking place in the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, throughout August. While searching for a place to have breakfast, we noticed a large crowd gathered in and around the marquee erected in the town centre. From a park ledge we looked into the sea of smartly dressed members of the military and public servicemen and servicewomen. To our surprise the Sultan of Brunei, his brother and two sons were out greeting the public as part of his birthday celebrations. Many people were walking around clutching white boxes and it wasn't long before one was placed in our hands - complementary birthday cake and water for everybody! We followed alongside a ... read more

BRUNEI - Bandar Seri Bagawan (BSB) Brunei, (pop 410,000) a small sultanate, has the largest oil reserves in south east Asia. This tranquil nation is the realization of a particular vision: a strict, socially controlled religious state where happiness is found in pious worship and mass consumption. It has the largest water village in the world dating back over 1000 years. Kampung Ayer is home to an estimated 20,000 people and consists of 28 contiguous villages on stilts in the Sungai Brunei. The Brunei Times reports, that to bring more remote areas into the fold, the Information Department's Nationhood and Community Section have introduced a programme to strengthen the relationship between people and Government. It involves a face to face approach to raise awareness and produce a civic community that loves their religion, nation and Sultan ... read more