Blogs from Brunei, Asia - page 3

Amazing virgin rainforest in Brunei We return from our exciting jungle adventure to Kota Kinabalu in time to meet Ruth who has flown in from Singapore. We spend the next day in KK and have a celebratory lunch for my birthday and a goodbye lunch for Carole who is heading back to Tasmania. Ruth and I are quick to start the next adventure. We decide to travel to Kuching in Sarawak taking in Brunei travelling on local buses, on boats up and down rivers and on ferries across bays of the South China Sea. A distance of about 1000 miles. Borneo is huge - the third largest island after Australia and Greenland, and this way of travelling help us to appreciate the scale of the island and get a feel for the landscapes, the peoples and ... read more

Arriving in Kuching on Sunday we were very surprised at the lovely town that we found, ditching our belongings we walked around the town and found the people very welcoming and friendly. Kuching is a large town with the Sarawak river running through it, we walked along the river which had beautiful gardens and grassed areas. Young and old people were sat relaxing and stalls which sold drinks and ice creams, while across from the park a road and busy restaurants and shops selling spices, and tourist shops selling timber cats and tribal art. Cats you say! well Kuching means Cat. so every cat is Kuching is quite special not a scraggy Moggie to be found' they are all well fed and healthy and clean even for street cats. In the evening we walked around the ... read more

On a windy October morning, the estuary of Bandar Seri Begawan’s river is buzzing with activities. From the tables of a food stall, the locals are waking up along with the sunrise while nursing cups of coffee, watching a parade of sweaty runners and parents holding their kids’ hands. While there’s a dearth of cars plying the wide roads, the busy vibe of the bus station near the river is obvious. On the river, a number of motorboats glide through the waters, going to and from the Kampong Ayer. A host of vendors are shouting, announcing their wares to passersby. This Friday tableau is common to someone who grew up in a city. People like me who grew up in Manila often take such chaos for granted. But to witness such bustle in the capital of ... read more

HARI DUA (3 JUN) Selepas garapan pagi di hotel, kami berlepas ke Tenburong dengan bot laju. Perjalanan ini mengambil masa lebih kurang 45 minit. Setelah meletakan barang barang di bilik tempat penginapan di FREME forest lodge, Kami meneruskan perjalanan ke Sekolah Menengah Pengiran Anak Putri Hajah Masna. Di sekolah tersebut, kami balajar mata pelajaran yang diajar dan dipelajari oleh pelajar-pelajar tempatan. Setelah meninggalkan sekolah tersebut, kami menaiki bot untuk melawat ke air terjun. La adalah pengalaman yang baru apabila dapat merasai kesejukan air seperti ais yang mencurah ke atas badan bersama-sama anak-anak ikan yang menggigit kalei yang dimasukan ke dalam air. Kami pulang ke tempat penginapan lodge dan malanan malam disediakan oleh pekerju-pekerju di FREME lodge. Kami menikmati makan malam BBQ yang enak. Perjalanan untuk hari ke 2 berakhir dengan berakhir ya ... read more

HARI TIGA (4 JUN) Setelah sarapan pagi yang agak awal, kami meneruskan perjalanan ke Sekolah Rendah Selagan. Kami diajar beberapa permainan tradisional dan merasai lebih banyak makanan tempatan yang enak melalui interaksi dengan pelajar-pelajar Sekolah Rendah tersebut. Saya juga sempat tanya Cikgu Zuridah yang berumur 34 tahun yang mengajar di Sekolah Rendah tersebut mengapa dia sanggup tinggal di perkampungan Temburong dan tidak berpindah ke bandar. Dia berpendapat yang Temburong berlainan daripada bandar. Ianya sangat aman dan ada tempat-tempat unik seperti air terjun dan rumah penginapan kaum Iban yang dikenali sebagai rumah panjang. Dia berpendapat yang negara Brunei adalah negara yang menarik di mana Sultan mereka juga sangat murah hati. Kami berkelah di Bukit Patio Recreational Park dimana kami terserempak dengan ular hijau yang beracun. Kami dilarang mendekatinya. ... read more