K M Cheng-Travel Journal: Brunei Aug 2016

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Brunei Aug 2016

" The distance between your dreams & reality is called action "

" What take us back to the past are the memories. What bring us forward is our dreams "

" Simply have a dream isn't enough. Taking the steps to fulfil the dreams is the key "

" My 5 days 4 nights solo visit to Brunei - mini bussing the capital & major towns of Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan, Muara, Tutong, Seria & Kuala Belait) from 1-5/8/2016 "

Travel Itinerary: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) > Muara > Bandar Seri Begawan > Seria > Kuala Belait > Seria > Bandar Seri Begawan > Kuala Lumpur
Total expenses incurred (5 days): Rm535.08 + B$46.30=Rm677 (US$165)

Air Asia ticket (KL>Bandar Seri Begawan return) : Rm$278.08 (inclusive of airport tax & insurance)
Flight: KL > BSB-13.10 > 15.30; BSB> KL 15.55>18.20
Airport Skybus KL: Rm11 x 2=Rm22.00
Airbnb homestay (4 nights): Rm$235.00

Food: B$17.30

Transport Mini Bus: B$27.00

Boat: B$2
Exchange Rates: B$1=Rm3.07; US$1=Rm4.11

Map of South East Asia

Map of Brunei

My last visit to Brunei was in 1983 on a short working trip which took me to Seria & Bandar Seri Begawan. After a lapse of over 30 years, I decided to make another visit to Brunei, a small wealthy Asean nation endowed with abundant oil & gas resources in South East Asia. It takes about 2 1/2 hours by air from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to the capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan.

For this visit, I spent a total of 5 days in Brunei. As the country is well served by public transport, mainly mini busses, I was able to visit the major touristy places and country towns in and around Brunei. You can easily visit the major tourist sites & iconic landmarks in Bandar Seri Begawan within 3 days on foot and using public mini bus (B$1 per ride) ! However, when nightfall, there will be no mini bus services in Bandar Seri Begawan & suburban areas so you have to rely on taxi to move around !

For those who like to see a bit of the country side outside of the capital, you can do a mini bus (B$1) day trip from Bandar Seri Begawan to Muara and another day trip to Seria & Kuala Belait. Mini bus services (B$6) from Bandar Seri Begawan pass the Tutong town before arriving in Seria. From Seria, it only takes approx. 30 mins by mini bus (B$1) to Kuala Belait. From Muara, you could take a ferry to Labuan, a duty free island town in East Malaysia and from Kuala Belait, you could visit Miri, a border town close to the Brunei & Malaysia border ! The adventurous ones could join an overnight day tour (B$160) to Ulu Temburong, the famous rainforest in Brunei !

In some places of Brunei where public bus services were not efficient or irregular, I resorted to hitch a ride from passing vehicles. I did it in 3 instances on my return journey from the places of interests I visited to the city center ie in Pantai Muara (Muara Beach), Billionth Barrel Monument, Seria & Brunei Museum, Kota Batu , Bandar Seri Begawan.

As for my hostel accommodation, I had my first homestay experience booked through Airbnb website and I should confess that I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 nights stay (Rm235) in Bandar Seri Begawan !

If you are not particularly fussy about food, why not savior the local Nasi Katok (deep fried chicken + rice) which costs B$1-1.50 per plate or pack for takeaway ! If you enjoy eating spicy Indian food, a plate of rice with mixed vegetables costs B$1.50 and with meat, the price is B$2.50 ! Alcoholic drinks are banned from drinking in the public places in this strict Muslim country !

In Brunei, Singapore currencies (same value with Brunei dollars) are widely accepted here. Guessed what, I took out a S$50 note initially from my wallet to change for smaller notes in a local bank and towards the end of my trip after taking into account of my entire public transport & food spending throughout my five days stay in Brunei - I still had a few one dollar notes left in the pocket ie the total expenses incurred was only B$46.30 ! Incredible !

Travel Highlights:

1) Bandar Seri Begawan