Saturday 18 June.
Up at 5:40 and on the bus back to KK at 7am, 330kms, arriving at the hostel at 2:30pm, due to KK's inconvenient bus system. No time to do much sightseeing this afternoon so got late lunch, wandered around, then got the shuttle bus out to 1Borneo, the hypermall to get my festival ticket.
Dinner at the night food markets again.
Sunday 19 June
After breakfast at the hostel, I walked to Jessleton Point and bought my boat ticket for tomorrow. Then along the bay for half an hour to the Annual Chinese Dragon Boat Racing. The German family had quite rightly told me not to expect too much so I wasn't disappointed when, despite the crowds, the racing wasn't very exciting. I caught the end of a race; the boats were not decorated at all and were quite a way from the beach. So i walked back into KK.
After second breakfast I walked most of the way to the Sabah museum, jumping on a passing bus for the last bit. The main museum had displays of tribal costumes of Malaysia, exhibits about the spiritual importance of rice to the tribes, photos of Miss Harvest Festival down the years, and a collection of ceramics, some of which, it said, had been recovered in the 1990's(?) from a Chinese shipwreck 1000 years ago. There were lots of large pots on display, some of which had been used to store the dead.
In another building there was an exhibition about the early history of TV and Radio in Malaysia, mainly since their independence in 1963. There were some old TV cameras and Radio mixing desks and some old BBC analog tapes. Another building had a small random science exhibition, and upstairs was some local art and some interesting photos taken by George Woolley in the early 1900s. Back downstairs was a display about the history of trains around the world, and specifically Malaysia.
A 10 minute walk away, past some discarded large stone snowmen(!), was the Museum of Islamic Civilisation. There were some interesting displays but most of the stuff was only from the last century, and there didn't seem to be a point to it all.
I walked back to the (replica) Heritage Village which has longhouses (tribal dwellings) from each of the main Malaysian tribes, as well as a life-size boat, a wooden bridge and a lily pond. All very pleasant and I am hoping to visit a real such village in the coming weeks.
I got a bit lost but then found the Sikh Temple, which was originally built in 1930(?) but which was recently renovated. As the nice lady outside requested, I took off my shoes and socks, and washed my feet, and donned a head scarf, before entering the small modern temple. We had a good chat, about the The Golden Temple in Amritsar, and Birmingham where she visited while working for Brunei airlines. She is 2nd/3rd generation Malaysian, her Grandfather came over from Punjab and married a local.
I then crossed the road and visited the modern State Mosque. They gave me a long black gown to wear (well i was in an old t-shirt and shorts). There were a few people praying downstairs and then the security guy ushered me upstairs to the main hall which was empty at that time.
I easily got a bus back into KK and wandered around the malls for a bit then back to the hostel. Later I went up the hill behind the hostel to Signal Hill where there is a viewpoint, to watch the sun set behind an island across from the harbour. It wasn't that clear but it was ok.
Food night markets for dinner, but I seem to keep ending up with fried noodles even when I try to get something different!
Monday 20 June
Today, I came to Brunei. Got the 8am passenger ferry from Jessleton Point to Pulau Labuan (still in Malaysia). The boat was comfortable, like a plane or a bus, I slept a bit. We arrived at 11:30am and waited around a couple of hours and changed some money, then exited Malaysia on another ferry and arrived in Muara, Brunei an hour or so later.
There was no bus at the port, so I shared a taxi with a German couple, half an hour to the capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan. Because of their oil, Brunei is well-developed and the roads are like at home. We checked into the Pusat Belia Youth Centre and I got a dorm room to myself.
There is not so much to do here so I have saved the sightseeing for tomorrow. I just walked as far as a restaurant and got tasty Murtabak Ayam (like a pancake with chicken and vegies with a spicy dipping sauce). Then came back and had a swim at the pool ($1).
In the evening I went for a short walk, the mosques look good all lit-up, it's not too hot, there is not much traffic and there is a calm atmosphere. Had soto daging (beef noodle soup) at the night market. Looking forward to a proper look around tomorrow.
Tuesday 21 June
At 7:30am, the German couple and I went down to the water taxi for a cruise on the Sungai (River) Brunei. We went past the water villages and along the river where we soon spotted some probiscus monkeys (the funny-looking ones with the comedy faces), much closer than we had seen them in Sabah. Some were high up in the trees and others were among the mangroves which we drifted into. They jumped and swang between trees.
We headed back and did a tour of the Kampong Ayer, the water village which is actually made up of 28 villages. The houses are wooden and on wooden stilts with raised boardwalks connecting them to eachother and the modern mainland. Each village has it's own Chief, as well as it's own primary and secondary schools, police station and fire station. Most of the villagers work for the government. Fresh water is sent along a network of pipes to each village. Finally he took us to some trees where many large birds were nesting and feeding.
After breakfast, I walked up to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the main mosque in the town, which looks very modern, built in 1955. The outside is mainly white with gold trimmings and quite spectacular as I wandered around the outside. Non-muslims (i.e western tourists) are allowed inside outside of prayer times. I donned a jubah (that's the right word for 'smock') and had a look inside. It's mainly white inside with a colourful glass mosaic in the dome above. It all reminded me of a meringue. Being modern, the mosque doesn't seem to exude any ancient spirituality but it is certainly a building to admire.
I visited the Royal Regalia museum, and it certainly houses alot of regalia, some of it interesting, some of it pointless. On the ground floor is a recreation of the Sultan's coronation day parade including the long wooden 'chariot' he was pulled along in. It's quite spectacular, but also reminded me of Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang and something from the Wacky Races.
Inside they had the same parade on display, but with mannequins of the various guards alongside the chariot and even a cardboard cut-out of the actual crowd from the day, which seemed a little tacky. Downstairs was a collection of royal regalia but it was just random stuff he probably didn't want to keep in the loft. Upstairs were a few hundred gifts the Sultan has received on special occasions; the type of gift which normally reflects the country it has been given by. e.g. a replica of Angkor Wat from Cambodia. He has also received many medals of honour from various countries.
Next I took a walk along the boardwalks through part of a water village. It was quite quiet, I guess people were out at work. Each house is only one storey but seems fairly large. I was headed towards the back of the palace (although you can't really get near it, nevermind go in) but the path seemed to finish and I spotted a monitor lizard ahead and decided I didn't want to encounter any more reptiles with just my sandals on, so stopped to read my book for a while and then headed back to town for lunch.
The palace is the largest lived-in palace in the world with 1788 bedrooms. The sultans seems to widely revered. The water taxi driver always referred to him as 'His Majesty'.
After lunch I caught the local bus out to Brunei's largest mosque, Jame'Asr Hassinal Bolkiah mosque. The mosque was built in 1992 for the 25th anniversary of the Sultan's reign. The outside is nearly as spectacular as the city mosque, and the main prayer room, upstairs and through heavy wooden doors, is similar but more spectacular than in the other mosque. The room is much bigger and the dome much larger and the floor is covered in rugs.
Well, after all that I was feeling the effects of the heat so had an afternoon nap.
In the evening I walked back to the city mosque which was picturesque with the dark blue sky behind it. I went for dinner and then came back to the see the mosque all lit-up in the dark, with prayers being broadcast from the minarets. From the street I could see people inside praying, as others closed their air-conditioned car doors and walked up to join them.
Brunei is dry; no alcohol, and I haven't seen cigarettes. It is a conservative country, about half of the women wear headscarves. There is a $1000 fine for littering, although maybe thay doesn't apply to the river? I saw a group of about 10 young guys hanging about with skateboards near one of the plazas.
Up at 5:40 and on the bus back to KK at 7am, 330kms, arriving at the hostel at 2:30pm, due to KK's inconvenient bus system. No time to do much sightseeing this afternoon so got late lunch, wandered around, then got the shuttle bus out to 1Borneo, the hypermall to get my festival ticket.
Dinner at the night food markets again.
Sunday 19 June
After breakfast at the hostel, I walked to Jessleton Point and bought my boat ticket for tomorrow. Then along the bay for half an hour to the Annual Chinese Dragon Boat Racing. The German family had quite rightly told me not to expect too much so I wasn't disappointed when, despite the crowds, the racing wasn't very exciting. I caught the end of a race; the boats were not decorated at all and were quite a way from the beach. So i walked back into KK.
After second breakfast I walked most of the way to the Sabah museum, jumping on a passing bus for the last bit. The main museum had displays of tribal costumes of Malaysia, exhibits about the spiritual importance of rice to the tribes, photos of Miss Harvest Festival down the years, and a collection of ceramics, some of which, it said, had been recovered in the 1990's(?) from a Chinese shipwreck 1000 years ago. There were lots of large pots on display, some of which had been used to store the dead.
In another building there was an exhibition about the early history of TV and Radio in Malaysia, mainly since their independence in 1963. There were some old TV cameras and Radio mixing desks and some old BBC analog tapes. Another building had a small random science exhibition, and upstairs was some local art and some interesting photos taken by George Woolley in the early 1900s. Back downstairs was a display about the history of trains around the world, and specifically Malaysia.
A 10 minute walk away, past some discarded large stone snowmen(!), was the Museum of Islamic Civilisation. There were some interesting displays but most of the stuff was only from the last century, and there didn't seem to be a point to it all.
I walked back to the (replica) Heritage Village which has longhouses (tribal dwellings) from each of the main Malaysian tribes, as well as a life-size boat, a wooden bridge and a lily pond. All very pleasant and I am hoping to visit a real such village in the coming weeks.
I got a bit lost but then found the Sikh Temple, which was originally built in 1930(?) but which was recently renovated. As the nice lady outside requested, I took off my shoes and socks, and washed my feet, and donned a head scarf, before entering the small modern temple. We had a good chat, about the The Golden Temple in Amritsar, and Birmingham where she visited while working for Brunei airlines. She is 2nd/3rd generation Malaysian, her Grandfather came over from Punjab and married a local.
I then crossed the road and visited the modern State Mosque. They gave me a long black gown to wear (well i was in an old t-shirt and shorts). There were a few people praying downstairs and then the security guy ushered me upstairs to the main hall which was empty at that time.
I easily got a bus back into KK and wandered around the malls for a bit then back to the hostel. Later I went up the hill behind the hostel to Signal Hill where there is a viewpoint, to watch the sun set behind an island across from the harbour. It wasn't that clear but it was ok.
Food night markets for dinner, but I seem to keep ending up with fried noodles even when I try to get something different!
Monday 20 June
Today, I came to Brunei. Got the 8am passenger ferry from Jessleton Point to Pulau Labuan (still in Malaysia). The boat was comfortable, like a plane or a bus, I slept a bit. We arrived at 11:30am and waited around a couple of hours and changed some money, then exited Malaysia on another ferry and arrived in Muara, Brunei an hour or so later.
There was no bus at the port, so I shared a taxi with a German couple, half an hour to the capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan. Because of their oil, Brunei is well-developed and the roads are like at home. We checked into the Pusat Belia Youth Centre and I got a dorm room to myself.
There is not so much to do here so I have saved the sightseeing for tomorrow. I just walked as far as a restaurant and got tasty Murtabak Ayam (like a pancake with chicken and vegies with a spicy dipping sauce). Then came back and had a swim at the pool ($1).
In the evening I went for a short walk, the mosques look good all lit-up, it's not too hot, there is not much traffic and there is a calm atmosphere. Had soto daging (beef noodle soup) at the night market. Looking forward to a proper look around tomorrow.
Tuesday 21 June
At 7:30am, the German couple and I went down to the water taxi for a cruise on the Sungai (River) Brunei. We went past the water villages and along the river where we soon spotted some probiscus monkeys (the funny-looking ones with the comedy faces), much closer than we had seen them in Sabah. Some were high up in the trees and others were among the mangroves which we drifted into. They jumped and swang between trees.
We headed back and did a tour of the Kampong Ayer, the water village which is actually made up of 28 villages. The houses are wooden and on wooden stilts with raised boardwalks connecting them to eachother and the modern mainland. Each village has it's own Chief, as well as it's own primary and secondary schools, police station and fire station. Most of the villagers work for the government. Fresh water is sent along a network of pipes to each village. Finally he took us to some trees where many large birds were nesting and feeding.
After breakfast, I walked up to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the main mosque in the town, which looks very modern, built in 1955. The outside is mainly white with gold trimmings and quite spectacular as I wandered around the outside. Non-muslims (i.e western tourists) are allowed inside outside of prayer times. I donned a jubah (that's the right word for 'smock') and had a look inside. It's mainly white inside with a colourful glass mosaic in the dome above. It all reminded me of a meringue. Being modern, the mosque doesn't seem to exude any ancient spirituality but it is certainly a building to admire.
I visited the Royal Regalia museum, and it certainly houses alot of regalia, some of it interesting, some of it pointless. On the ground floor is a recreation of the Sultan's coronation day parade including the long wooden 'chariot' he was pulled along in. It's quite spectacular, but also reminded me of Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang and something from the Wacky Races.
Inside they had the same parade on display, but with mannequins of the various guards alongside the chariot and even a cardboard cut-out of the actual crowd from the day, which seemed a little tacky. Downstairs was a collection of royal regalia but it was just random stuff he probably didn't want to keep in the loft. Upstairs were a few hundred gifts the Sultan has received on special occasions; the type of gift which normally reflects the country it has been given by. e.g. a replica of Angkor Wat from Cambodia. He has also received many medals of honour from various countries.
Next I took a walk along the boardwalks through part of a water village. It was quite quiet, I guess people were out at work. Each house is only one storey but seems fairly large. I was headed towards the back of the palace (although you can't really get near it, nevermind go in) but the path seemed to finish and I spotted a monitor lizard ahead and decided I didn't want to encounter any more reptiles with just my sandals on, so stopped to read my book for a while and then headed back to town for lunch.
The palace is the largest lived-in palace in the world with 1788 bedrooms. The sultans seems to widely revered. The water taxi driver always referred to him as 'His Majesty'.
After lunch I caught the local bus out to Brunei's largest mosque, Jame'Asr Hassinal Bolkiah mosque. The mosque was built in 1992 for the 25th anniversary of the Sultan's reign. The outside is nearly as spectacular as the city mosque, and the main prayer room, upstairs and through heavy wooden doors, is similar but more spectacular than in the other mosque. The room is much bigger and the dome much larger and the floor is covered in rugs.
Well, after all that I was feeling the effects of the heat so had an afternoon nap.
In the evening I walked back to the city mosque which was picturesque with the dark blue sky behind it. I went for dinner and then came back to the see the mosque all lit-up in the dark, with prayers being broadcast from the minarets. From the street I could see people inside praying, as others closed their air-conditioned car doors and walked up to join them.
Brunei is dry; no alcohol, and I haven't seen cigarettes. It is a conservative country, about half of the women wear headscarves. There is a $1000 fine for littering, although maybe thay doesn't apply to the river? I saw a group of about 10 young guys hanging about with skateboards near one of the plazas.
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