Brunei is a land tucked away in the fringes of Borneo Island. A small country that, to most people, does not offer much treat to the eyes. It appears quiet and almost sleepy compared to many roaring Asian tigers. It is a tiger by itself, probably a quiet and tame type. Still, a visit will not be too much for the curious traveller.
Royal Brunei
We used a Malaysian Airlines code shared flight with Royal Brunei from Kota Kinabalu. The trip was very short. It took only 20 minutes, which was much shorter than the fight from Kuching to Sibu that may take 35 minutes. The service at Royal Brunei is a glimpse of hospitality about to be discovered by any traveller. It was good. It was friendly. The pestle upholstery in Royal Brunei Boeing 737 was warm and soothing. The air hostess was pleasant. They wore kebaya like uniform with the split in the sarong covered, allowing the hostess to remain mobile yet maintaining modesty.
It was odd to me that the planes seats in the economy class begins with 26. Seat number 26, in MAS and AirAsia, would be placed at the back of the craft.
As I had to travel with an infant, the stroller had to be left at the craft's door before entering. Logically, the stroller had to be placed again at the door when disembarking. The staffs probably had over looked us, so it was not done. Another staff was concerned, so, she went out all her way just to fetch our stroller and hand it to us while we were at the immigration counter and just before we arrived at the luggage carousel. That is what I call excellent people sensitive service. Bravo Royal Brunei!
There are only 36 taxis in the whole of Brunei
Before departing for Brunei, I asked a friend who is working in Bandar Seri Begawan about public transportation. Taxis are rare items in Brunei. It is not cheap either. That left me worried. I expected that most of my cash would have to be used to pay for transportation if we need to travel a lot.
At the airport, nobody was manning the taxi counter. But not for long, a man came to attend to us and pointed us to the next taxi driver in queue. We told him our destination. He referred to fare guide before telling us on the exact fare. No meter was used. Our driver was a friendly 50 plus year old man. Donning the skull cap or haji cap, he told us that there were only about 36 taxis for the whole of Brunei. Most Bruneians own cars. Cheap petrol price was one of the factors for owning a car. The fare cost about BND 25.00 for a 20 kilometre trip.
You do not crawl on the roads in Brunei
There were no traffic jams in Brunei. No joke! Probably we arrived when it was not rush hour. Even so, the driving was such a breeze. The road was too quiet, even to Kuching standards.
We were given a car to drive by a relative. Since we had to go to University Brunei Darussalam in the morning, I anticipated a typical KL-like jam. But no. The traffic crawl looks more like a normal traffic in KL.
I was warned not to honk. Even if the driver ahead is slow to respond at green, or, the indicator is not turn on at the junction, be very patient. The consequence of honking - a road rage could ensue.
About the cars here, I was tempted to note that there were no modified cars around until the last day, when I saw a "sportified" Toyota Vios in Yayasan Mall. Sporty skirting, spoilers and stickers were added to exude the sporty feel of the car. It looked like of the cars in the move "Fast and Furious".
Another observation that I noticed was, there were very few motorcycles in Brunei. The only place that I saw motorcycles were those used by students in UBD. When I mention motorcycles, what I meant was the small 100 cc - akin to the Honda cubs, commonly found on the roads in Malaysia.
Clean Bandar Seri Begawan
BSB is really clean. I never saw any cleaners by the road side, picking up litters. Even the supermarkets were litter free. I was impressed. Who else could have maintain the city's cleanliness if not for His Majesty's own subjects. They uphold the real teaching of Islam - cleanliness is part of the pillars of faith. The toilets were equally clean.
BSB was well maintained. The decorative trees and shrubs were well trimmed.
Shopping in BSB
I am not too sure if things are much cheaper in Brunei. I would expect that the products here is cheaper as the people here are not taxed. There was no government service tax applied to the food that we ate. I can confirm that cars are much cheaper here. A new Kia Sportage cost about RM 60K ++ here. That is almost the same price as the Proton Preve. Chocolates are cheaper here. Friends recommended us to buy home some chocolates.
The dominant supermarkets in BSB is that run by Hua Ho, a company ran by three brothers. All of them had different business designs that caters differently to different consumers - from the high end or premium items to the lowly cheap items. I had the chance to go to Manggis Mall, which was exquisite and high end. It was no too bad and not too luxurious either. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta or Kuching, for that matter offers better malls.
There are not many shopping complexes in BSB. Two of the famous ones are The Mall, located at Gadong and Yayasan Complex, located right smack in the middle of BSB. Both of them looks high end-ish. Between those two, I like Yayasan Mall better as there were more things sold in the supermarket. Further it was easier to drive to Yayasan Mall from our hotel.
The Tamu Kianggeh is a wet market located by the Kianggeh river in BSB centre. It is quite a usual sight as we are used to see jungle produce, traditional food and daily supplies in an open air wet market in Malaysia. Local Brunei cuisine, such as the Kuih Jala and Kuih Penyaram (mexican hat cakes) and Cakoi is not unfamiliar in Kuching. So, we decided not to stop by it.
Eating.
Before coming to Brunei, many blogs mentioned about the famous Nasi Katok in BSB. It was basically white rice with a piece of chicken meat and sambal (spicy sauce). Another reason for it being famous is the dirt cheap price, considering the number of items assembled in one packet. We did not work hard enough to look for this dish, nor did we think it was a must try one.
The thing peculiar to me was the abundance of restaurants selling Kolo Mee and dim sum. They are halal. You can easily find these two dishes in The Mall at Gadong and Yayasan Mall. The high end restaurants beside the Mall in Gadong do offer them too. In contrast, it is hard to find halal Dim Sum in Kuching. Renaissance Hotel in Kota Bharu offers buffet dim sum on Fridays. I really miss that, besides the nasi berlauk.
Another food that may be unusual to non Borneans is the ambuyat - a starchy sago-based food. In Sarawak it is called linud. Linud is often associated with the Melanaus. Although ambuyat was mentioned in many travel articles and travel tv shows, it was not easy to find it at food courts. Probably, it can be found in village stalls. May be I did not look hard enough.
Fun
If you are searching for fun, Brunei is not the place. It lacks it. The nearest to fun in Brunei is the Jerudong Park. It was quite a hit in the early years - as it was free and has a multitude of games - before the park loses its charm due to the poor maintenance. The number of rides were reduced. But today, it has refurbished, revitalized and ready to charm again. This time, entrance fee is imposed to visitors.
The royal galleria in the city is an important place for historical buffs. A large part of the section is dedicated to the prizes, awards, and gifts from leaders all around the world to the sultan. Cameras are prohibited in a large section of the galleria.
Important historical documents relating to the gradual cessation of Sarawak beginning from Kuching to Rajah Brooke were displayed. Brunei was once a huge expanse of land mass, almost occupying one third of Borneo Island. Documents and videos of the Brunei independent day was also shown. The Royal Galleria is worth a visit.
We were brought by a distance family to The Empire, a luxurious 5-star resort that faces the South China Sea. I was interested to step into this hotel when it was shown in one travel documentary, which mentioned that the price in one of the higher premium suites could fetch up to USD 30,000 per night! I checked the website to look for the cheapest room rates. The cheapest was RM 600+. The Empire has housed important VVIP delegates on ambassadorial tasks. The US president and the Malaysian Prime Minister have stayed there before.
It was a good feeling being able to visit a neighbouring country - so much like paying a courtesy visit to the people who might share similar roots and genetic ties that run centuries old. I hope to visit Brunei again in the future.
Royal Brunei
We used a Malaysian Airlines code shared flight with Royal Brunei from Kota Kinabalu. The trip was very short. It took only 20 minutes, which was much shorter than the fight from Kuching to Sibu that may take 35 minutes. The service at Royal Brunei is a glimpse of hospitality about to be discovered by any traveller. It was good. It was friendly. The pestle upholstery in Royal Brunei Boeing 737 was warm and soothing. The air hostess was pleasant. They wore kebaya like uniform with the split in the sarong covered, allowing the hostess to remain mobile yet maintaining modesty.
It was odd to me that the planes seats in the economy class begins with 26. Seat number 26, in MAS and AirAsia, would be placed at the back of the craft.
As I had to travel with an infant, the stroller had to be left at the craft's door before entering. Logically, the stroller had to be placed again at the door when disembarking. The staffs probably had over looked us, so it was not done. Another staff was concerned, so, she went out all her way just to fetch our stroller and hand it to us while we were at the immigration counter and just before we arrived at the luggage carousel. That is what I call excellent people sensitive service. Bravo Royal Brunei!
There are only 36 taxis in the whole of Brunei
Before departing for Brunei, I asked a friend who is working in Bandar Seri Begawan about public transportation. Taxis are rare items in Brunei. It is not cheap either. That left me worried. I expected that most of my cash would have to be used to pay for transportation if we need to travel a lot.
At the airport, nobody was manning the taxi counter. But not for long, a man came to attend to us and pointed us to the next taxi driver in queue. We told him our destination. He referred to fare guide before telling us on the exact fare. No meter was used. Our driver was a friendly 50 plus year old man. Donning the skull cap or haji cap, he told us that there were only about 36 taxis for the whole of Brunei. Most Bruneians own cars. Cheap petrol price was one of the factors for owning a car. The fare cost about BND 25.00 for a 20 kilometre trip.
You do not crawl on the roads in Brunei
There were no traffic jams in Brunei. No joke! Probably we arrived when it was not rush hour. Even so, the driving was such a breeze. The road was too quiet, even to Kuching standards.
We were given a car to drive by a relative. Since we had to go to University Brunei Darussalam in the morning, I anticipated a typical KL-like jam. But no. The traffic crawl looks more like a normal traffic in KL.
I was warned not to honk. Even if the driver ahead is slow to respond at green, or, the indicator is not turn on at the junction, be very patient. The consequence of honking - a road rage could ensue.
About the cars here, I was tempted to note that there were no modified cars around until the last day, when I saw a "sportified" Toyota Vios in Yayasan Mall. Sporty skirting, spoilers and stickers were added to exude the sporty feel of the car. It looked like of the cars in the move "Fast and Furious".
Another observation that I noticed was, there were very few motorcycles in Brunei. The only place that I saw motorcycles were those used by students in UBD. When I mention motorcycles, what I meant was the small 100 cc - akin to the Honda cubs, commonly found on the roads in Malaysia.
Clean Bandar Seri Begawan
BSB is really clean. I never saw any cleaners by the road side, picking up litters. Even the supermarkets were litter free. I was impressed. Who else could have maintain the city's cleanliness if not for His Majesty's own subjects. They uphold the real teaching of Islam - cleanliness is part of the pillars of faith. The toilets were equally clean.
BSB was well maintained. The decorative trees and shrubs were well trimmed.
Shopping in BSB
I am not too sure if things are much cheaper in Brunei. I would expect that the products here is cheaper as the people here are not taxed. There was no government service tax applied to the food that we ate. I can confirm that cars are much cheaper here. A new Kia Sportage cost about RM 60K ++ here. That is almost the same price as the Proton Preve. Chocolates are cheaper here. Friends recommended us to buy home some chocolates.
The dominant supermarkets in BSB is that run by Hua Ho, a company ran by three brothers. All of them had different business designs that caters differently to different consumers - from the high end or premium items to the lowly cheap items. I had the chance to go to Manggis Mall, which was exquisite and high end. It was no too bad and not too luxurious either. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta or Kuching, for that matter offers better malls.
There are not many shopping complexes in BSB. Two of the famous ones are The Mall, located at Gadong and Yayasan Complex, located right smack in the middle of BSB. Both of them looks high end-ish. Between those two, I like Yayasan Mall better as there were more things sold in the supermarket. Further it was easier to drive to Yayasan Mall from our hotel.
The Tamu Kianggeh is a wet market located by the Kianggeh river in BSB centre. It is quite a usual sight as we are used to see jungle produce, traditional food and daily supplies in an open air wet market in Malaysia. Local Brunei cuisine, such as the Kuih Jala and Kuih Penyaram (mexican hat cakes) and Cakoi is not unfamiliar in Kuching. So, we decided not to stop by it.
Eating.
Before coming to Brunei, many blogs mentioned about the famous Nasi Katok in BSB. It was basically white rice with a piece of chicken meat and sambal (spicy sauce). Another reason for it being famous is the dirt cheap price, considering the number of items assembled in one packet. We did not work hard enough to look for this dish, nor did we think it was a must try one.
The thing peculiar to me was the abundance of restaurants selling Kolo Mee and dim sum. They are halal. You can easily find these two dishes in The Mall at Gadong and Yayasan Mall. The high end restaurants beside the Mall in Gadong do offer them too. In contrast, it is hard to find halal Dim Sum in Kuching. Renaissance Hotel in Kota Bharu offers buffet dim sum on Fridays. I really miss that, besides the nasi berlauk.
Another food that may be unusual to non Borneans is the ambuyat - a starchy sago-based food. In Sarawak it is called linud. Linud is often associated with the Melanaus. Although ambuyat was mentioned in many travel articles and travel tv shows, it was not easy to find it at food courts. Probably, it can be found in village stalls. May be I did not look hard enough.
Fun
If you are searching for fun, Brunei is not the place. It lacks it. The nearest to fun in Brunei is the Jerudong Park. It was quite a hit in the early years - as it was free and has a multitude of games - before the park loses its charm due to the poor maintenance. The number of rides were reduced. But today, it has refurbished, revitalized and ready to charm again. This time, entrance fee is imposed to visitors.
The royal galleria in the city is an important place for historical buffs. A large part of the section is dedicated to the prizes, awards, and gifts from leaders all around the world to the sultan. Cameras are prohibited in a large section of the galleria.
Important historical documents relating to the gradual cessation of Sarawak beginning from Kuching to Rajah Brooke were displayed. Brunei was once a huge expanse of land mass, almost occupying one third of Borneo Island. Documents and videos of the Brunei independent day was also shown. The Royal Galleria is worth a visit.
We were brought by a distance family to The Empire, a luxurious 5-star resort that faces the South China Sea. I was interested to step into this hotel when it was shown in one travel documentary, which mentioned that the price in one of the higher premium suites could fetch up to USD 30,000 per night! I checked the website to look for the cheapest room rates. The cheapest was RM 600+. The Empire has housed important VVIP delegates on ambassadorial tasks. The US president and the Malaysian Prime Minister have stayed there before.
It was a good feeling being able to visit a neighbouring country - so much like paying a courtesy visit to the people who might share similar roots and genetic ties that run centuries old. I hope to visit Brunei again in the future.
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