BRUNEI – DAY 1A – February 4, 2011

That was a rainy day on Feb 4 at Kota Kinabalu, but I had to be at the airport at 3:00 PM. I asked the front desk to contact a taxi for me. I paid MYR30 for the taxi from the city to the airport. The driver took me to KKIA Teminal 1 because my flight to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei’s capital, will be with Royal Brunei Air Flight BI 0826 at 7:45 PM. Royal Brunei Air is the flag carrier of Brunei Darussalam.

I had dinner at KKIA. I met 2 friends while waiting for my flight. They were sweethearts. I heard them speaking Malay, so I never mind them at first. But since it was my first time to Brunei, I thought it would be nice to make friends who are familiar with the place. I knew I need to take a taxi to the place where I stay because buses in Brunei start at 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM only. So I asked the lady beside me if she knows about the Youth Centre, but she didn’t know it. Then suddenly she shifted and asked me if I am Pinoy. Because she is Pinay too, a Tausug from Jolo. We started talking in Tagalog. The guy was her boyfriend, a Brunei citizen. They just had their short vacation in Kota Kinabalu. Mahal had been working in Brunei for several years but her entry at first was illegal, passing through Sandakan which we often call it “back door.”

Her boyfriend, Paul was nice and a joker too, in which I felt comfortable with them. They were also seated at my back seat in the plane so the conversation continued. It was fast and it took us about 40 minutes to reach Bandar Seri Begawan.

Mahal told me to wait after I got my luggage because Paul was still contacting his cousin to fetch them, and if I could ride with the car for free. It was really a blessing for me because a taxi from airport to the city costs B$25. That’s a lot! While waiting for the car I changed the US$100 in my pocket which is the only budget I have for my stay in Brunei. The car finally arrived and they took me to Pusat Belia (Youth Centre). Paul was so kind that he carried my luggage while looking for the centre in-charge. They never left until I met the in-charge that evening. I gave them my calling card and promised to do my best to attend their wedding. They were angels sent to me that night!

The taxis in Brunei are like private cars, having no TAXI sign. But they have their own lane at the airport, so you can identify them easily.

After few minutes, a guy arrived and entertained me at the office. I registered and he gave me the room key after paying B$30 for my 3 nights stay at Pusat Belia. He also gave me a city map. He took me to my room and reminded me of the rules of the centre. He was a nice man and before he left, I asked his name and I knew he was the supervisor of Pusat Belia, Mohd Firdaus Abdullah. I knew his name in the internet and tried to email him for reservation since October but got no reply. He said that was his old and inactive email.

I took a bath and fixed my things and slept.

Brunei - Day 1B - Pusat Belia

There aren’t that many hostels in Brunei. In fact to my knowledge, there is only one in the whole of the sultanate. The one hostel is housed in the Youth Center or popularly known as Pusat Belia. It is the cheapest accommodation you can find at least in Bandar Seri Begawan if not in the whole of Brunei. It is probably the best and only place to stay in Bandar Seri Begawan if you are on a tight budget.

The building itself is located smack in the middle of downtown Bandar Seri Begawan the capital of Brunei. You can find the Radisson Hotel to the right and the Kianggeh open air market to the left about 5 mins walk. Easy access to Kampong Ayer, Royal Regalia Museum and eating establishments barely 10 minutes walk from the hostel itself. Of course being in the center of town, you can get to any destinations in Brunei very easily with the bus interchange also close by. Buses from this interchange go to all parts of Brunei except probably Temburong which you can go to by speed boat. If you intend to go to Temburong for the Belalong National Park, the speed boat pick up point is no more than 15 minutes walk away. Basically a lot of major tourist attractions are just nearby.

The hostel in itself is very basic although each room is air-conditioned, which is of course the most important piece of equipment to have in this weather. The hostel is segregated with separate dorms for boys and girls, each with their own common bathrooms. It costs B$10 per person per night for a bed. And each room you may find 2 or 3 double-decker beds depending on the size of the room. Rooms are limited. On occasion, it has been known that there is no one manning the reception especially in the odd hours. Or if you can find the security guard or watchman, you can pay him instead.

 The center has its own swimming pool which you can use as long as you like for a mere B$1 though it closes at 9pm. There is also a cybercafé within the premises. They charge a minimal price of B$1 per hour which also closes at 9pm. There is no kitchen and no cooking of any form is allowed in the rooms. With cheap food around town, I can’t imagine why you want to do this.

The reception is located on the ground floor and easily located if you come in from the main road side entrance and crossing a small bridge over a narrow canal. The reception staff goes off at 9.30pm. So if you arrive later than that, do let them know in advance so that they can arrange for someone to meet up with you upon your arrival. Reservations can be made by dropping them an email at youthhostel.551@hotmail.com or bruneiyouthhostel@hotmail.com or contact the hostel supervisor, Mohd Firdaus Abdullah directly at his email address jmuat@hotmail.com. Should you need to call them up, their number is +673-887-3066 Mohd Firdaus Abdullah (supervisor)  or +673-893-3366 Mohd Noramizul HJ Serbini (assistant supervisor).

BRUNEI – Day 2 – Firdaus to Gadong

I woke up at 7:30 AM and ready to adventure the small but rich city of Bandar Seri Begawan.

I went out of the centre to the main road and took some photos. On my way back to the centre, I met the assistant supervisor of the centre, Mohd Noramizul HJ Serbini. He was a nice person too. He said that he wanted to visit the Philippines someday and discover the beaches and diving spots.

Just walking around with the map, I was able to reach the Tamu (Open Market), Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex (or Yayasan Mall), a plaza along Jalan McArthur, and the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. Many boatmen convinced me to ride the water boats towards Kampong Ayer (Water Village), but I was just not interested. Kampong Ayer can be seen anyway while I was at the plaza. They are houses in stilts like water villages of the Badjaos in the Philippines.

I ate brunch at a Pinoy Fastfood. The workers there were all Pinoys too. The janitress was a Pinay from Calumpang, General Santos City. I also met many Filipinos working at Yayasan Mall – some of them were kind and some were proud.

I bought some souvenir items at 1.80 Store when the rain poured out very heavily. I was trapped inside the store for more than an hour. When the rains poured slowly, I decided to go home and sleep.

I woke up at 3:00 PM and it was still showering. I thought I can still walk outside with my sweater on, so I decided to go back to Yayasan Mall. But on my way down to the office, I saw Mohd Firdaus Abdullah, the center supervisor. I got his email address for posting at Trip Advisor website. I was at the gate when Mr Firdaus called me to come back. He told me that I should also go and see The Mall in Gadong, and since he was going to that area to fetch his son from school, he told me to ride on his car and he will take me to The Mall. He was so kind to me. We fetched his 11-years old son in school and they dropped me at The Mall. Then he told me he would pick me up at 7:30 PM at the mall entrance. It was a blessing in surprise!

At The Mall, I had snacks at KFC, thinking they have wi-fi, but there was none. A Pinoy crew named Jay told me that the Jollibee at the next corner has wi-fi. So after taking out 1 piece chicken with rice for dinner, I went to Jollibee. There were many Pinoy service crews there too.

At 7:30 PM Mr Firdaus picked me up with his son and took me back to Pusat Belia. Some new guests were there waiting for him too.

The night was dark and quiet at the centre, so I decided to go and see Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. But the place is quite far and I needed to walk for about 30-45 minutes. I first passed by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and took photos of it with the lights. What a site to behold at night!

After taking photos, I hurriedly go to locate Bolkiah’s mosque. But only a few steps going there, the rain started to pour so I walked fast back to the centre.

I ate my dinner, took a bath, typed some narratives in my laptop and slept.

BRUNEI – Day 3 – February 6, 2011

The rain last night was off-and-on until this morning. The skies glooming and the birds chirping under the big leaves of the tree outside my room. They just enjoyed the coolness of the day. I slept back after I plugged my laptop to recharge it.

At 8:00 AM I woke up to see if the rain stopped, but it was still raining outside. I was hungry then, so I took a bath and wore my sweater, brought my camera and laptop with me, to find a wi-fi zone at the mall nearby. When I reached the gate, the rain heavily poured and I need to walk about 5-7 minutes towards the nearest fastfood which is owned by a Filipino. So I went back to my room and I remember I still have 1 pack of biscuit in my bag. That somehow solved my hunger. I waited for almost an hour for the rain to stop.

When the rain stopped, I hurriedly walked out to buy some stuffs to bring home. I picked up some noodles, native delicacies and a small jar of coffee for my parents. I also ate lunch in a Chinese Resto for just B$6.50 (tamarind shrimp with rice & 1 bottle of water). Delicious!

The Chinese resto where I ate had no wi-fi too. While I was eating, it rained again, so I ate slowly just to kill the time.

Then around 1:00 PM when the rain was slow, I went back to the centre to rest. Then after few minutes, it was raining cats & dogs again. But around 3:00 PM, the sun miraculously smiled and it was too hot outside. Then I changed my mind. Instead of staying in my room, I thought of going to the Royal Regalia Museum. I used the map to locate it and it was just at the next street.

There were many Korean & Japanese tourists who came in buses. I just followed what the crowd was doing. Shoes off, please. I looked for the ticket booth, but there is no entrance fee, and cameras are also allowed inside. What a rich government! I was awed by the things I saw inside. They are exceptional. A true regalia!

After roaming around the museum, I decided to hike towards the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque while the sun still shines. In some part of the skies the dark clouds begin to gather again, so I walked very fast. I took photos along the way going to the mosque. There was one corner that all the traffic lights stopped, all the vehicles stopped, so I also stopped. I sense somebody, a dignitary was coming. I was alone walking beside the road that time, so I felt it would be an insult, I think, if I don’t stop. I heard a loud siren coming and it was the Royal Family who passed by. The policemen saluted the convoy.

I turned left because the road to my right was a long and dangerous overpass, where fast vehicles pass. I was scared, so I followed the left road going down. I felt I was lost, so I asked the man who was walking in front of me and showed him the map. He said he is Pinoy from Zamboanga and working in a hospital as cook. He was on his way home and he guided me to a muddy road going down. I was hesitant to follow at first because I knew it was a wrong direction. But there was also this feeling of trust when you meet a co-Pinoy in a foreign land. So I showed him the map again. He thought I was going to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, where there’s a wooden bridge beside the river that serves as shortcut. He apologized and pointed me the road to follow towards Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. It was another long overpass and it was dangerous for me to walk beside that road, so I went back and walked towards the road going down. Now I know I was lost!

I felt tired so I decided not to proceed to the mosque. I looked for the bus stop at the other side of the road and went back to Bandar. I dropped by the bus terminal and thought of taking out food at Jollibee for dinner. I hurriedly walked because I can feel some droplets on my head again.

The rain poured heavily until the evening. I took a shower and waited the centre supervisor outside while typing some narratives in my laptop. I need his help to contact a taxi for me to take me to the airport the following day for my flight back to Manila via Kota Kinabalu at 7:10 AM.

The supervisor arrived and he called up the watchman on duty that evening if he can take me to the airport in the morning at 5:00 AM. The watchman said he would knock my door as soon as he arrives at the centre at 10:00 PM. Mr Firdaus told me it’s B$20 going to the airport, which is cheaper than calling a taxi.

Brunei International Airport to Downtown

The airport is located approximately 10 minutes from the centre of the capital. There are regular taxi services to and from the airport. There are also regular public bus services which goes around the capital.

Buses are regular, comfortable and relatively cheaper. There are six bus routes in daily operation in Bandar Seri Begawan - the Eastern Line, the Southern Line, the Western Line, the Central Line, the Circle Line and the Northern Line.

Buses operate from 6.30am to 6pm, with the Central Line Bus running every 15 minutes and the Circle Line every 20 minutes.
The Central Line stops at the following bus stations: Brunei International Airport, post office, Government schools, the Terrace Hotel, the Youth Centre, the main bus terminal in Bandar Seri Begawan, the Arts and Handicraft Training Centre, the Brunei Museum and the Malay Technology Museum.
The Circle Line stops at the main bus terminal in Bandar, the RIPAS Hospital, the Jame Asr' Hassanil Bolkiah, the Centrepoint in Gadong, Government offices, Immigration/ Labour Department, the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, the Islamic Dakwah Centre, Supa Save Supermarket, Terrace Hotel, Sheraton Utama Hotel and the Youth Centre.
The Northern Line has three routes, Northern Line 1, Northern Line 2 and Northern Line 3. The Northern Line 1 and 2 buses runs between Berakas Camp, the Brunei International Airport and the bus terminal in Bandar.

Northern Line 3 runs between the Berakas Camp, the bus terminal and the Malay Technology Museum in Kota Batu.

INFO: There are day rooms with beds & showers downstairs in the transit area of the airport, cost is an hourly rate eg 5 hours for BND25, 8 hours for BND30. For reservations prior to arrival contact Mohamed on 6732331064 ext 1523. If you want to leave the airport there is an ATM on the departure level which accepts VISA cards etc. Transit visas cost BND1.00 and a public bus into the city costs BND1.00 each way. City is modern and clean.”