Brunei: Night Life

There is not much night life in Brunei. There are only few  videoke bars and you will be served with an energy drink. Beer and tobacco are prohibited in there. But there are some where you can buy at a hefty sum. So most people stay in coffee bars and restaurant doing Wifi mostly owned by Chinese.

Most Bruneian people love NASI KATOK. This is a piece of Fried Chicken with a scoop of rice with a dip mixture of shrimp sauce with chili. It costs only 1 BND ( approx. 33 php). In Chinese restaurants you can choose plenty of menu. But since this is a Muslim country pork is a BIG NO.

After the Kampung Ayer tour I went back to the hotel to freshen up. Since there was no WIFI in the hotel I went to a Cafe and Restaurant and had dinner while checking emails.

Dinner with Chicken satay , rice wrapped in coconut leaves and a Mixed fruit shake. (90 BND) ata cafe owned by an Indian. I forgot the name.

After dinner I took a walk in the city. You could count the cars passing. Literally the streets were empty.

 

Brunei: Day 5: Kampong Ayer (Water Village)

Brunei is famous for its Water Village where there are plenty of residents. In the Yayasan Complex, there are water taxis that you can take for a tour to the Water Village including the  monkey island as well as a view of the Sultan's Palace. the tour costs 50 BND per person. A visit to Brunei is not complete without experiencing touring the Water village.

Back view of the Palace

Red tailed Monkeys only found in Brunei

This is the tomb of the first Sultan of Brunei

This is the gas pipe that supplies gas to the stilt houses

Brunei: Day 4- Empire Hotel and Country Club

On my 4th day, went to Empire Hotel and Country Club. Before heading to Brunei, I already researched about this hotel I checked its rate in the internet and it was quite expensive. Based from the architecture, you could see that a lot of funds was spent for the landscape and architecture. From the gold-plated  posts and beams , to the gold plated hand railings of the escalator and the mirrors. It was really fir for a King.

A scoop of ice cream for 25BND (approx. 700 php)

 

Mixed fruits - papaya, green water melon, mango and pineapple with a scoop of ice cream for 50BND (approx 1500 each); it must be the gold plated saucer ; hehhe

Brunei: Day 3

After a very hectic schedule sight seeing in the city, my host Aimi invited me to go to their house. It was located in a subdivision provided by the government. I was impressed by the simple architecture yet classy and spacious. You can see two or three cars in every car park of each houses. This is by the way Brunei, an oil-rich country. You can sense the comfort of living by merely seeing those houses. Centralized airconditioning in almost all houses, Big LCD Screens , Modern cars: all these Bruneians enjoy even if they are just plain government employees. How I wish it's the same in the Philippines.

After visiting my host's house I went back to my hotel. I took the bus and I moved to another hotel in Downtown Bandar. Bus fare was only 1 BND (Brunei dollar).

The walk bridge that is significant in Bandar

This is the Central Bus Station

 After checking in a Cheap hotel 60BND ( approx. 1950 php per night)-the cheapest in the area, I relaxed for a while. After a short nap and a shower, I walked around the neighborhood. From the hotel, you can see the river just across the street and a flea market. Tall buildings and a Mall were just beside the hotel.

A view from the hotel room

Water taxi