Bandar Seri Begawan: Eat Pray Love Sundays

Eat. Murtabak. Sirap Bandung.

Sirap Bandung consists of milk mixed with rose syrup, giving it a pink color. 

Murtabak is a type of pancake stuffed with either curry or minced meat with garlic, egg, and onion. It is eaten widely in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore. In Arabic, murtabak or "mutabbaq" means "folded."

Eat. Sirap Bandung.

Eat. Murtabak.

Pray. Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.

This royal Islamic Mosque is considered the most beautiful in Asia Pacific. It's most distinguishable feature, the main dome, is covered in pure gold.

Pray. Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.

Love. Kampong Ayer.

Kampong Ayer or the "Water Village" is home to 30,000 plus locals. Known also as "Venice of the East", all of the buildings are built on stilts above the Brunei River and are connected by boardwalks. Travellers can appreciate it by getting into one of the water taxis or "flying coffins".

Love. Water Village.

@--->--------

Eat Pray Love Sundays is a series I'm doing, highlighting one destination and how it nourishes travelers and locals alike. 

"Eat" features a location's food; how it nourishes the physical body.

"Pray" pertains to anything about worship or nourishing one's spirit.

"Love" is such a broad topic that it covers the rest--people, nature, culture. Those that nourish the soul. 

Next Sunday, I'll be putting Mongolia on the spotlight!

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Brunei: How Safe Is It for Women Travellers?

just how safe is brunei?

It could be their strict law enforcement.

Or it could be the fact that most of Brunei Darussalam's people are well to do and well-educated that committing a crime doesn't even cross their minds.

I've been reading from travel books that it's generally "safe" in brunei. But being the ever skeptic that I am, I don't usually buy into those stuff unless I experience it first-hand.

Here's how Brunei fared:

I knew I wouldn't be meeting my host Gillian right away since she was teaching and won't be able to slip away from the university until about 5pm. I got to Bandar Seri Begawan two-ish and figured it would be difficult to fluff around the city with a huge bag slinging on my shoulder. So I texted her asking if I could leave my baggage outside her flat. "It should be safe for you to leave it there," came her reply.

"Sweet," I thought.

When I came back 5pm, I was greeted by Gillian and saw my bag inside. After exchanging short pleasantries, she showed me my room and toured me to different parts of the flat. I immediately noticed that her place was surrounded by sliding glass doors/windows. Coming from a country where it's not safe to leave windows open and "security" is a major concern, I almost instantly inquired, "What time do you usually shut the windows?"

"I dont, it's safe to keep it ajar. I don't totally close it but leave a bit of space to keep my papers from flying because it can get windy during the night," she answered.

Great, here i am worried about security and she's concerned with flying papers!

Well, that's good to know!

the view I wake up to each morning

Previously, I wrote how rare it is for people to walk since most locals are expected to drive their own vehicles. Thus, if you're not "most locals" and wanna go and visit the Places of Interests, you either have to take a bus or walk. Luckily, the one I wanna see (Brunei Museum) is accessible by bus. Glancing at the map, I surmised the nearby places of interests would be walk-able.

It took me 2 hours to wander around the museum, and by the time I got out, it's almost past lunch time. The receptionist said that there's an eatery in the vicinity. After walking a few hundred meters and still no sign of the eatery, I decided to stop at the nearest (and ONLY) grocery store. I got myself a cup of yogurt and isotonic drink. The middle-eastern-looking shop owner and his friend eyed me as I downed my yogurt. I told them I was a Filipina touring brunei, and asked how far my next destination was from the shop.

"15 minutes, 15 minutes," they replied.

"I can handle that," I judged.

"Where are you going? Bandar seri begawan?"

I nodded and repeated my next destination.

The shop owner offered I ride with his friend. "He's going to Bandar. He will take you. Bandar you said?"

Hesitant me responded, "No thanks, I can walk."

But the friend insisted, "I go to bandar. Come."

Stealing a look at the scorching road, I caved in.
And prayed, "Lord keep me safe from this stranger".

This should be quick. I reckon if it's a 15-minute walk, we'll get there in 2 or 3 minutes. I learned that he was Pakistani and that he had a Filipina friend before named Rosario Garcia. Then we sat awkwardly the entire time. Nothing scary happened. Soon I realized that the 15 minutes they were talking about was not a 15-minute walk but a 15 minute drive!

I am just so glad that I hitched.

I got off and was endlessly saying thank you in all the languages I know

Terima Kasih!

Shukriya!

So is it safe in Brunei?

You bet!

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Stared At in Brunei

It is quite uncommon for people to walk along the streets and roads in Brunei.

So when I was pottering around Bandar Seri Bagawan, I would get weird stares. Passing drivers would even take a second look! Sometimes, I just wanna scream, "Keep your eyes on the road!" I definitely don't want to be the cause of an accident.

walking in Brunei

Later, I learned that people in Brunei are classified into three: royalty, working class (which would be the maids or cleaners), and everyone else.

Royalty and everyone else would definitely have their own cars. So if you're walking, more so alone or under the rain (which was my case occasionally), then you belong to the working class.

No wonder. These passersby would be thinking, "What is this pretty woman doing walking in the streets by herself?"

*wink* humor me please?

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Backpacking Malaysia - Singapore - Brunei

If you're one of those lazy to do a bit research, utterly clueless about South-East Asian geography, and baffled that I got to visit 3 countries in one go, then stick around. I'll let you in on a little secret.

The Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei route is absolutely attainable and you don't have to be moneyed to be able to do that. But it will definitely be helpful if you brought out a map now (or google it) as I explain the routes.




My original itinerary is as follows:

* Clark - Kuala Lumpur
* Kuala Lumpur - Johor Bahru
* Johor Bahru - Kuching
* Kuching - Kota Kinabalu
* Kota Kinabalu - Clark

While I was clicking away and booking my online flights, I strategically located them in such a way that it will let me explore nearby countries. Now if you take a second look at the map, you'll see that Johor Bahru (JB) is near to Singapore. And if you look at Kota Kinabalu (KK), it is in close proximity to Brunei. I could've also included Indonesia in my itinerary but that's another story, and that'll require another few weeks to explore!

So how did i do it?

JB-SINGAPORE
Coming from Senai Airport, I didn't waste any more time by getting a bus that would bring me to Kota Raya.
cost: RM 8

From Kota Raya, buses would frequent the terminal picking up passengers headed to Singapore. Make sure you know and specify your destination; otherwise, you'd have to pay double.

[As for me, I thought they only go to Kranji MRT. It was only after I got out of Singapore immigration that I found out that they also service Woodlands Bus Interchange, which should be the best route for my destination. Ergo, I had to pay again. So, make sure you know where you're going.]

Also, make sure that you keep the ticket the bus driver issues. That way, you won't pay twice. Remember, you'll be on and off the buses to go through immigration exiting Malaysia and entering Singapore.

cost: RM1.1

* NOTA BENE: On our first drop off, I found it odd to spot a desk positioned by the road. On it, 3 Indian-looking locals were queued while another man sitting behind the desk were filling out immigration cards. Since there were no signs in english, I waited patiently for my turn. But when I saw the men shelling out a couple of ringgits, my instincts tell me something was off. This guy was pulling a scam on them! So I immediately went pass them and straight up the stairs. And right there, i saw the official booth.

travel tip
The best way to get around Singapore is to get yourself an EZLink. It'll be your ticket to all rides--bus, MRT, LRT. That way, you won't have to fumble through your purse looking for loose change.

cost: S$15

travel tip
If you're a Filipina going to Singapore, read this.


KK-BRUNEI
This leg has only one itinerary:

KK-Labuan ferry: 3hrs
Labuan-Muara ferry: 1 hr
Muara-Bandar Seri Begawan bus: 30 mins

The ferry always leaves KK at 8am. If you want to get guaranteed seats, you can purchase your ticket a day before. Their booth (in Jesselton Point) is open until 1.30pm.

travel tip
It's always cheaper if you get a straight-through-ticket from KK to Muara than buying KK-Lbn & Lbn-Mra.

cost: RM 53 + RM 3 (Terminal fee)

Once you reach Labuan, and assuming you got a straight-through-ticket, you still have to go to the Ticketing Counter to pay for another Terminal Fee (for Labuan). you can't get away with it, because they check it before letting you in.

cost: RM 5.

From the Muara ferry terminal, you can catch a bus that brings you to Bander Seri Begawan. Just walk straight out the hall. You won't miss it, there's only one Bas Express parked there.

cost: B$2travel tip
Since Singapore and Brunei have practically the same exchange rate, you can use your leftover Singapore dollars as tender in Brunei. it is widely accepted.

travel tip
If you're a Filipina going to Brunei, read this.

@--->---------

Original journal entry written in 2007

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Immigration Blues: Unfortunate Pinay

in my conservative kurta

It was my turn at Singapore's immigration. The officer gazed at me, took a close look at my passport, and started bombarding me with questions:

"How long are you staying in singapore? When are you leaving? Do you have a return flight?"
..and demanded for my ticket.

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