Bandar Seri Begawan; Brunei

I’m up bright and early ready to explore before it gets hot so get a driver to take me to the city. The beautifully manicured gardens along the way are eye catching. 

It must be rush hour because it is quite busy with cars, not a tuk tuk in sight, no busses and nothing that resembles a cab. 

I thought it was a great idea to set off early. Bugger that nothing opens before 9:30 and I’m here at 8:00. Oh well. 

It is already too hot to do much but I survived a walk to the stunning Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.  Wow!  Sitting in the middle of a small lake which is surrounded by a gorgeous park it is a sight to thrill the senses. Just wow. The main dome is covered in pure gold. 

I was lucky to be there at a time when there were no services so could go inside only after I had donned a heavy black coat with hood (even though I was already wearing long trou, long and sleeved top and a head covering). My visit was restricted to a small section of the building but from there I could see the stunning vaulted ceiling, the chandeliers and beautiful stained glass windows. 

Very different to the often ornately tiled mosques but certainly very very beautiful. 

Opposite the Mosque is a park in which sits a huge frame. From the other side of the frame you can capture a ‘framed mosque’ photo.   I did that but even this early it was scorching so I found refuge inside the shops once the Mall opened. 

I went in search of food but most places were still shut and resorted to a Nasi Lemak at KFC which was the only place I could find open.  It was edible and that’s about it. 

Outside there is a line of street food kiosks but sadly they don’t open till 4pm. 

The notes I have read recommend hibernating during the afternoon and exploring early morning because of the heat and I have a few things to do in the evening so I decide to go back to the hotel.  Locals tell me it is hot for them too. 

Men are dressed mainly in jeans and T-Shirts but women fully covered and scarved. Their robes are thick polyester and must be like being in a plastic bag. The thought of it was too much for me. My clothes were 100 fine cotton and still unbearable. 

Getting to the hotel - Easy huh. Not easy if there is no bus, no cabs and no connection for a ride share app. I saw a wee coffee shop, had an espresso and was going to use their wifi but they didn’t have it, nor did KFC.  Not for the public anyway. 

My Esim doesn’t work here and roaming would have been $50 for the three days I am here. 

Quite by chance, while looking for a cool place, I stumbled on a cell phone shop where a delightful young man helped me buy a sim for my phone back at the hotel but also called me a DART (the Uber equivalent). Perfect. 

Back at the hotel I ask about tours. There is not a lot to do in the city and I can cover it all tonight and tomorrow. My flight is the next evening so I thought a day out of the city would be great. Umm good idea except that I could not find a tour for one person that was less than $300. No thanks. 

But when I asked about a late checkout the receptionist said checkout was 2 hours before my flight. 4pm. Perfect. 

The hotel is just the sort of place I like staying in (and the sort of place Intrepid usually pick - rather than the big tourist hotels we had). This one is located right in the centre of a bustling suburb but close to the central city. From the footpath you can barely discern that its a hotel, a small entrance sandwiched between shops. As soon as you step inside you know you are in Asia. A few garish ornaments, not opulent just welcoming. 

Level 1 is accomodation and level 2 a cafe, meeting rooms etc. There are maybe 20 rooms in total. My room is very simple but totally adequate and huge. It has everything I need plus some and costs me NZD 90 per night. I love it. 

The guy in the phone shop told me about Brunei’s Royal wedding in January. I read about it. It’s a bit mind blowing. Read here  https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/15/asia/brunei-prince-mateen-royal-wedding-intl-hnk/index.html. The article also has a bit of info about Brunei. Worth a read. 

Here’s a clip showing some of the rituals performed during the 10 day celebrations. 

brunei wedding royal - Google Search

Next stop was  the Gadong Mall would be a cool reprieve for a few hours before I go to the night market over the road. Despite being a large Mall (the largest in Brunei) it was boring and empty. But it gave me the chance to have a local Char Kwey Teow which was $6.00 and pretty tasteless. 😢

I did find a small hand held battery operated fan. Wish I’d had it earlier and can’t wait to try it out. Better still remember to take it with me when I travel. 

I chatted with a local lady in a a shop. She was asking about NZ and like many people here knew quite a bit. I asked about the night market and was firmly told to eat food but don’t drink anything.  I’ll remember that one. 

A souvenir shop came into view. Excited I dashed in eager to buy something to adorn my wall at home. Sadly that wasn’t the case. They had the same souvenirs as Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam and half the other places I have been. Oh well money saved. 

As I was heading off I noticed a pile of stalls setting up in centre of the mall sort of like a market place full of junk, the same stuff you get everywhere. 

So next I find myself in a dream place. The Gadung Night Market. A covered but open air food market with almost anything edible for sale. It was full of people and smoke from the BBQ’s even though it had just opened for the night. 

The market has been in this location for years but in 2017 a permanent structure with a roof was built to accomodate all of the stalls. It is one of the coolest places I have been. 

The majority of food is freshly made in front of you and with about 100 stalls it made decisions really difficult. It wasn’t too long since I’d had my char kway teow. 

I did spy Fried banana and HAD to have some. Super yum and 4 pieces for $1. 

Most of the meals were $1.00 even for a bowl of noodles with meat and veg. I couldn’t believe my bad luck. All this really cheap fresh street food and I was full. Really!  

One last bit of tum to fill and with a chicken kebab on a stick I went to heaven with an extra full tummy. Oh oh oh. Well worth it. 

After a bit of a wander it was time to call a Dart that collected me and got me home for $5. 

Perfect timing. It is now bucketing down. I hope it doesn’t last long. I have done my only planned indoor activity and with my new fan I can venture out a bit more tomorrow. If it’s not bucketing down. The rain is so heavy it is drowning out the sound of the thunder but the lightning is lighting up the skies constantly.