7 places to visit in the ‘Abode of Peace’

Brunei Darussalam, with its “strict” Islamic laws and high cost of living, is an unlikely travel destination, even for tourists from neighboring Southeast Asian nations. The country, if not totally unheard of by others, is only arguably famous for 2 things – its oil and its Sultan, who was once the richest man in the world before the advent of tech billionaires.

During my travels in Indonesia and Malaysia in 2012, I’ve made many Bruneian friends who intrigued me with tales of their country. This, aside from the fact that we shared the same humor and interests, made me want to go to Brunei. So I made a promise to visit them when I had the time and money.

In April 2015, I was finally able to fulfil my promise when I went to Brunei (and Kota Kinabalu) with my college friends for the Holy Week. When I told my Bruneian friends that I’ll visit them when I booked our flights in September 2014, they were very excited. I knew we were going to have a good time.

We arrived in Brunei International Airport via Royal Brunei Airlines from Manila on April 2. The flight took less than 2 hours and it was quite an experience flying in a Muslim-owned airline. I’d recommend RBA for any traveller for its comfortability and service.

‘Logistical concerns’

Public transportation is either difficult or expensive to access in Brunei. There are no busses or trains from the airport to the city center and cabs are expensive. Make sure you arrange an airport transfer from your hotel, as we did. You’d pay a much cheaper price compared to taking a taxi.

Aside from public transportation, it’s also difficult to find cheap accommodation in Brunei since there are very few choices for travellers. So it’s a good thing we booked our hotel a month before our arrival through Agoda. We paid a relatively cheaper price for 2 rooms and 3 nights compared to the usual 4-star and 5-star accommodations available in the country.

The welcome I had from in Brunei is one of the warmest I’ve ever experienced. Since it was difficult to take public transportation, my Bruneian friends drove us around the places of interest. They showed us the cheap but excellent food places to eat in and even invited us for high tea in one of their homes. It was Bruneian hospitality at its finest!

That being said, here are the 7 places that I suggest for travellers visiting Brunei.

1) Masjid Jame ‘Asr Hassanil Bolkiah

As the name suggests, this mosque was built to celebrate the current sultan’s 25th year in power in 1992. Its 29 golden domes are symbolic of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s place as the 29th ruler of his dynasty.

Located in one of the suburbs near the city center, the magnificent Masjid Jame, as the locals call it, is one of the most beautiful ones in Southeast Asia and the largest one in the country. It is intricately decorated with picturesque gardens and quaint fountains.

Inside the mosque are huge decorated prayer halls for men and women. Every pillar and stairway shows the devotion of Bruneians to Islam.

Tourists can actually go here for free as long as they wear the proper attire. Women are required to wear black robes before being allowed to roam inside the mosque. People can visit any day except Fridays when Bruneian men have their afternoon prayers in Masjid Jame.

2) Masjid Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saiffudien

Considered as the major landmark and tourist spot in Brunei, this mosque tops the beauty of Masjid Jame. It was finished in 1958 by the father of the current sultan. Since then, no buildings were allowed to be built higher than this masjid – about 52 meters – so it naturally dominates Bandar Seri Begawan’s skyline.

It’s a great example of modern Islamic architecture with marble minarets and golden domes. Beside the mosque is an artificial lagoon and barge, which was added in 1967 to commemorate the 1,400th anniversary of the coming down of the Quran.

The interior of the mosque, adorned with imported items from across the world, is actively used as a place of worship for Bruneians. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the prayer hall but tourists can go around the vicinity of the mosque for free.

We visited the mosque at sunset and the view was breathtaking.

3) Royal Regalia Building

As if the mosques they built are not yet enough testaments to the wealth of the Brunei royals, they’ve also built a museum to house the treasures they own.

The Royal Regalia Building is home to the royal regalia – the royal chariots, crowns, and jewelry, among others – of Brunei’s monarchs. Since this was built to celebrate the current sultan’s silver jubilee in 1992, all the gifts from foreign presidents and kings are also displayed here.

Among the sultan’s collections were golden swords from Middle Eastern countries and small replicas of famous landmarks from across Southeast Asia. Even former president Corazon Aquino’s gift to the sultan was displayed, proof of the longstanding good relations between the Philippines and Brunei.

The museum is located in the center of Bandar Seri Begawan. Tourists can enter for free but are only allowed to take photos in the main gallery.

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Exploring Micro Brunei

We had a short stop in this micro-nation, taking in mosques, a billion dollar country club and a stilted village! I am writing this blog as if it was up to Stephi, she’d simply say don’t bother with Brunei!

After seeing the amazing Orang-utans in Sepilok, we returned to Kota Kinabalu. We caught two ferries out of Malaysia (via the tax-free island of Labuan where we stocked up on duty-free chocolate) and into another Singapore-like country; Brunei Darussalam. Brunei isn’t known for its tourism, but as we were so close, we (but mostly I) wanted to pop in and see what it had to offer.

Brunei and the UK share a special relationship, formed from when the Sultanate was a under the protection of the British (but remaining an independent country) from 1906 to 198, with the UK still coming to Brunei’s defence if invaded now.

Due to its naval strength, at its height the Sultan of Brunei controlled most of the island of Borneo, as well as some of the present day Philippines.

However with the emergence of Singapore as a key trading port and the increase in land attacks from Bornean tribes and Filipinos, Brunei was weakening and had to give away land to those who came to its military aid.

It ceded the Western state of Sarawak to James Brooke, a British explorer, and the Eastern state of Sabah to the East India Trading Company, a British funded outfit that brought Asian riches back to the homeland.

Later both Sarawak and Sabah joined with mainland Malaya to become present day Malaysia, leaving a very small Brunei.

Stephi arranged us a homestay via Airbnb with a young Bruneian man named Aziz.

Located around 10km outside the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, we had a spacious room, complete with TV, wi-fi and air-con, which was a real necessity considering the 33c heat!

Brunei is a very rich country due to its oil and gas reserves; leading to very cheap petrol (just 15p a litre) and nearly everyone owning a car.

When combined with very low tourism, it removes the need for public transport or even swathes of taxis (there are less than 50 in the whole country and you can’t book them in advance).

Thankfully Aziz and his friend Azrin were happy to take us places during our brief stay.

On our first morning, Azrin dropped us off in Bandar, home to most of the country’s tourist attractions.

Brunei is a deeply Islamic country, much more so than Malaysia or even Indonesia, so its greatest mosques were a must-see.

The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque was built for the country’s 28th Sultan (father of current Sultan).

With the bright sunshine, its huge golden dome and pristine white walls made it an impressive sight.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Exploring Micro Brunei

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Weekend in Borneo

We spent last weekend in a city called Balikpapan on the island of Borneo.  It was my first trip to an Indonesian island other than Java, where we live!

We left from Semarang airport which has only one tiny baggage carousel and no sky bridges- you just walk out onto the tarmac to board your flight.

Upon arriving at the Balikpapan airport we were shocked to be greeted by a giant, modern airport that looks a lot like the new Raleigh-Durham terminal. 

Balikpapan’s largest industry is oil so I guess oil money builds nice airports.

We found a restaurant called Ocean’s and ate there twice because it was delicious and right on the water. 

There were people sitting on the very end of this drooping pier during both of our meals but it didn’t look quite sturdy enough for me to venture out.

Joel and I were celebrating our anniversary so our goal for the weekend was some beach relaxation. 

Indonesian beaches are typically pretty dirty so our hopes for a trash free beach are a tall order.

Our hotel, Le Grandeur, has someone comb the beach daily so there was a stretch that is moderately clean. 

However, they pick up only directly in front of their building so you can still see giant piles of plastic bottles on one side and washed up debris on the other. 

It’s sort of like if someone were to take great care in manicuring their lawn but then throw all their garbage in the neighbor’s yard- it doesn’t really help the overall ambiance of the block.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Weekend in Borneo

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Competitive airfares can boost Sibu tourism

SIBU: The ‘Visit Sibu Year 2017’ campaign will require more competitive airfares in attracting tourists to come in large numbers.

In pointing this out, Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) deputy chairman Dato Andrew Wong hoped that there would be more choices to enable tourism to grow in the state, particularly here.

He was puzzled over why airfares were not regulated, whereas rates for other modes of public transportation such as taxis had been standardised.

“Does it mean that when we have Visit Sibu Year 2017, the (airlines) will raise (air ticket) prices due to the high demand of people coming to Sibu?

“If that is the case, it defeats the purpose of having a ‘Visit Sibu Year’ campaign,” Wong told reporters yesterday.

“Visit Sibu Year is an initiative by SMC and our concern is if there is a major event here, does it mean that airlines will increase prices (of airfare)?

“This issue has to be resolved. If Visit Sibu Year 2017 is successful, it will not only help Sibu in terms of putting it on the map, but also help in terms of air connectivity.”

Wong was met during the Swan City Ride at University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) here, which was held in conjunction with the fifth Sibu Bike Week 2015, where a convoy of 100 big bikers made a stopover at the university.

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Sarawak Museum aims to be centre for heritage

KUCHING: The new state-funded Sarawak Museum Campus — to be completed by 2020 — aims to be the main centre for Borneo Heritage collection by 2030.

State Museum Department director Ipoi Datan said the new museum will involve two main buildings.

“The first building at the former site of Dewan Tun Abdul Razak will be for display and the other building at where Sipec (Sarawak Industrial Promotion and Exhibition Centre) used to be will be for storage and conservation,” he told reporters at an appreciation dinner hosted by the department on Thursday.

“Dewan Tun Abdul Razak has been demolished to make way for the new building. Infrastructural work has been done, sooner or later the piling work will start, either this year or early next year.”

Ipoi said while the project was valued at RM300 million, the new museum would exhibit collections specifically on the various cultures of ethnic groups in Sarawak.

The new depository site, he said, would comprise topical and thematic galleries encompassing the early history of Sarawak besides featuring various historical developments.

“It will also focus on various aspects of different cultures and different ethnic groups in Sarawak.

“That is our stronghold even though we are diverse in culture. There are nearly 30 ethnic groups in Sarawak, but we are all united in our way of life.

“We observe mutual respect and live in harmony and unity,” he said.

Ipoi did not rule out the possibility of an entrance fee.

Continue reading at: Sarawak Museum aims to be centre for heritage

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