Hi guys.
My latest piece of travel writing has been uploaded onto Alvinology - this time it is all about the capital of Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan. As this is not a sponsored piece, I had fun writing quite honestly about the destination: I didn't want to be too scathing as I did find it interesting enough for the time I spent there, but quite honestly, I won't be returning to Brunei. There was just a bit of morbid curiousity to see just how incredibly rich the Sultan was - despite the fact that Brunei is one of the richest countries in the world, I visited a wet market (
Kianggeh market) that reminded me of what one would encounter in Malaysia in the early 1980s. The whole place just looked so unloved, peeling paint on the walls and badly in need of maintenance. Likewise, some of the bridges in the Kampong Ayer were in quite a bad state but were still used by locals daily. Sure the locals aren't poor any standard, but the oil wealth isn't used to repair basic amenities like bridges, markets and roads, or is there any desire to improve the pathetic state of the public transport network. Anyway, for what it is, that's Brunei for you. I hope you will enjoy this piece. Thanks for reading.
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| In the Kampong Ayer, BSB, Brunei |
It is too bad that the wealth has not been put to improve infrastructure. That is very backward thinking. Money can't fix stupidity.
ReplyDeleteHi Di. I swear the Kianggeh market (which was like 5 mins walk from the Royal Regalia Museum) is something one would expect in Malaysia back in the 1980s - just have a look at the photos here: have a look at this photo http://2ffr622796c52lmwsnzb9zc1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Tamu-Kianggeh-bsb.jpg and http://2ffr622796c52lmwsnzb9zc1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Tamu-Kianggeh-bandar-brunei.jpg There is produce spread out on the floor with little old ladies sitting on plastic stools selling their ware. Above their heads, just some plastic sheeting and this is a country that is supposedly as rich as Singapore - yet their markets looked decidedly third world. I swear some Indonesian markets I've visited look in better condition than this one. But the government in Indonesia is broke - the Bruneian government rather spend money on gold palaces to honour their royal family rather than renovate this old market so these little old ladies working there have better working conditions?! It's a question of priority. Singaporeans would be mortified at the state of such markets - markets like these last existed in Singapore possibly in the 1970s.
DeleteWell, that is another example of the rich and powerful not having a conscience. I am all for wealth and fluff, but I also believe the rich and powerful have a responsibility to see to the betterment of all humanity.
DeleteHi there, reading your article brings back memories of the almost two years spent in Brunei courtesy of the army. This was back in the 90s and seems like nothing has change since then.
ReplyDeleteWalking around Kampong Ayer was an eye opener in more ways than one, literally having to watch each step to avoid stepping on feline fecal matter or possibly taking a plunge through the gaps in the walkway. Visiting Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque, feeling unwelcome is almost an under-statement. Even when accompanied by Muslim friends, those cold hard stares coming from the locals while walking around is something I will not forget.
One of the few highlights are taking the river ferry from BSB to Temburong (roughly a two hour ride if not mistaken) and Gadong Pasar Malam (grilled stingray in banana leaf was an all-time favorite). Getting hungry just thinking about it.
Out of curiosity, are the cabin crew still required to fumigate the aircraft interior with some sort of aerosol under the pretext of health safety prior to everyone disembarking from the plane? Not exactly sure what good that does. Last but not least, thanks for the write-up.
Hi Alveenoo,
DeleteYeah the bridges around Kampong Ayer are still in a disgraceful state of disrepair and some of the repairs look like they were done by the locals rather than some kind of local government stat board: you can see by the way planks of different colours, lengths were haphazardly hammered together to cover the holes in the bridges, yikes. Still, exploring Kg Ayer was the best part of visiting Brunei for me as I stopped to chat with the bored locals who were quite friendly and most spoke English quite well.
You want a warm welcome to a mosque, go to Muscat in Oman, where there are volunteers who speak excellent English - they greet all foreign visitors to tell you about Islam and the history of the mosque. Not in a preachy kinda way to get you to covert, but they are genuinely keen to share a bit of their culture, tradition and faith with you, since you've traveled a very long way to visit their country. Our guide was this woman who was so extremely friendly, she took photos for us and we sat down and chatted with her for a while after the tour - wow. And she's not paid, she's a volunteer who chose to do this because her English is very good.
As for the aerosol spray - many airlines do that I think, including BA and Qantas.