Destination: Negara Brunei Darussalam (Bandar Seri Begawan, district of Temburong)
Date: 12 to 27 February 2009 (SAF Exercise Lancer)
Flight: Singapore Airlines SQ8992, SQ8991
Plane: Boeing 777-200
Time stops in Brunei. Okay so it does move, but one hour in Brunei feels like a day. It’s worse when I am doing outfield medical covers in the hot and humid Brunei jungle. A simple short walk or climb can soak me in sweat. But at times, it felt much better to be swinging in my hammock as compared to trying to sleep in the hot hot bunk back in Lakiun Camp. Exercise Lancer also gave me the once-in-a-lifetime experience of doing medical cover in a sampan (boat) lying in the middle of a river. And on the only day I was on such duty, it rained. Wet and cold. Splendid…
R&R began on the 26th of February. Set out early from Lakiun Camp in a very old bus which I believe is a Merc. The kind of old school buses still running around in Singapore. Took the fastcraft out of the district of Temburong to the capital. Transited at Jalan Aman Camp where we dropped our bags and had a short rest and breakfast before moving off for recreation proper.
Interior of the fastcraft water taxi shuttle between the capital and district of Temburong.
The fastcraft at Bandar Seri Begawan.Morning fog can be clearly seen teasing the nearby mountains.
Muzium Negara Brunei
The streets of Bandar Seri Begawan.Water taxis ferrying locals and visitors alike to the water villages and back to mainland.
Life vests before boarding the boats.
Water within reach...
Elaborate but neat network of electicity cables supplying power to these outlying homes.
Don't try walking around when you're drunk.
Rows of kueh
Elaborate deco
Never-ending network of walkways...
The last stop before lunch was a simple stopover to the country’s landmark, which is none other than the Masjid Sultan Omar Ali Saiffudin. This is the mosque depicted in the twenty dollar Singapore/Brunei note and is very much the only way the country showcases itself to the world. Not suprising considering it is made out of gold.
Masjid Omar Ali Saiffudin
All smiles after a hearty lunch in days!
My King Long coach lols.
There were also some Yutongs...
Grand indeed.
You don't see any mosques in Singapore this elaborate in architectural design!
Complete with a garden of its own...
...and even escalators!
The sultan's personal museum entrance.
The Mall
The Orchard Road of Bandar Seri Begawan - Gadong
makcik bake shop
The one and only McDonald's across the street.
One of only a handful of their bright purple public buses running around the city centre. A flat fare of $1 is charged for all trips. I did see one or two regular 12-metre buses (or coaches) on the roads too.
The shopping mall. Notice the white, yellow and black cloths hanging down. Bruneians were celebrating their 25th birthday that week.
Night time Gadong
Clearly visible from afar.
Food, food, food...
Food, food, food...
Interior of the Boeing 777-200. Singapore Airlines flight SQ8991.
Meal was served shortly after takeoff... very very similar to the one I had on my Royal Brunei flight to London... Must be SATS!
Medics (and storeman)
I got to sit at the wing!
And there you have it. Our relatively near but yet not very well known ASEAN neighbour. If you wanna have a short one day trip overseas, then visiting the capital Bandar Seri Begawan would fit the bill. Without even the need to stay in a hotel overnight Just don’t expect to do much shopping there. Even souvenirs are quite diffcult to locate… unless you know where the gift shops are.
And yea, not a place for bus enthusiasts with the hope of spotting buses hahaha.
