Breezing through Brunei

Breezing through Brunei

I spent one last day in Miri, struggling with server issues. I was hoping to clear the travelog backlog but that was not to be.

Next day, I was off to Brunei. It's a complicated journey, involving a border crossing and 4 bus changes. But I eventually got where I intended to go. The youth hostel was even open. The guide book suggested that it would be closed. All other accommodation in Brunei is expensive so this is a very good thing.

I came to Brunei expecting to see the Sultan's palace and the free amusement park. I saw neither.

The Sultan's Palace is only open to the public during Hari Raya. The amusement park wasn't quite as free was I was led to believe on top of having screwy hours and being expensive to reach (it opens just before the buses stop).

I did see a couple of elaborate mosques and royal regalia. Both seem to be monuments to excess, IMHO. I have a good snap of one mosque in the background with the water village in the foreground. The water village is built on stilts in the river. interesting concept but in practice, it looks like a slum on the water. The water is brown and filled with trash.

Next day, took a ferry to Labuan. I did't linger in Labuan. It's an expensive place with not much to do. So, after clearing immigration, I went straight back into the terminal to catch a ferry to Kota Kinabalu. On the way through I found myself the chosen subject of a film crew. Customs officials opened my bags and pretended to look for stuff.

The trip to Kota Kinabalu was supposed to take 1.5 hours. We spent more than 3 hours rocking back and forth and crashing over waves before we reached KK. There were a lot of green people on that boat but I managed to stay healthy. I think my lack of lunch turned out to be a good thing.