TravelswithCharie

We started our river cruise from this jetty to Kampong Ayer. Kampong Ayer or the Water Village is the largest water settlement in the world. It is a self contained community with its own mosques, schools, stores, fire, police and gas stations, etc. Dubbed as the Venice of the East, it has existed for more than 600 years. I would definitely recommend taking a small boat to explore the 30-40 villages (reports vary) on stilts along the banks of the Brunei River. There’s so much to learn here about the culture and history of the country. It’s also refreshing to be out on the water especially since it can get very hot in Brunei in February. Please watch my video of Kampong Ayer here:  https://youtu.be/0NhbtIfmku4?feature=shared Eighteen and a half miles (30km) of wooden walkways connect the homes in the villages. Ripas Bridge or Queen’s Bridge is a cable stayed bridge connecting the city center with Mukim Lumapas in the southern district. Houses on stilts The wooden stilts are subject t...

A Warrior’s House One of the highlights of our trip to Brunei was having tea at a warrior’s house on the Brunei River. It is a house on stilts.   I was very curious what these houses were like inside.  Thankfully we had the chance to discover this with our afternoon sightseeing tour. It was quite a challenge to get off the boat and climb up the narrow wooden stairs to the large porch of the house. I did so holding on to the steps with my hands for extra caution as I was afraid of falling into the waters below. Inside the house we sat in the spacious and tidy living room. We were allowed to take photos so I can show you this warrior’s house. Who are these warriors of Brunei? These are the men who formed part of the King’s military regimen or the King’s Guards. In the 16th century, they were often sent to fight outside of the sultanate and reported to the local chiefs. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces became the official military unit of Brunei after its independence from the Briti...

Local delicacies for snacking Gadong Night Market is my preferred market in Bandar Seri Begawan. It has the most selection of dishes, fruits and snacks compared to the night market across from our hotel. And it’s clean, spacious and there are tables for those who wish to dine onsite. There’s also plenty of parking nearby. We stopped at this stall to pick up grilled fish for dinner. They also sell rice so we had a complete, delicious dinner. A whole fish (depending on the type of fish and size) costs us $5.00 Brunei dollars (BND) or USD$3.68 (exchange rate as of this writing). These are local dishes with vegetarian selections. Notice the signs that say mee goreng, mee kwai teow or mee hoon goreng. These are noodle dishes. The difference is in the type of noodle that’s used. Notice these dishes cost BND$1.00. In the photo above are dried fish, dried tiny shrimps and dried anchovies. Local fruits include jackfruit, ihau, rambutan (red skin) and mango. But if you are missing hot dogs, you ...

  Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque One of the most picturesque mosques I’ve visited. It’s even more attractive to view at sunset when the gold domes reflect the sunlight. And it is surrounded by beautiful gardens with fountains that cool and calm the senses. Language and Literature Bureau The history of Brunei spread out across a 30 meter wall. Created from mosaic tiles after a painting by a local artist, it was completed in 1965 and portrays the people of Brunei performing everyday tasks related to its economy. Though Brunei is a small country with less than half a million inhabitants, it has a robust economy driven by oil and natural gas. Its citizens enjoy free education and health care. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) Mosque The SOAS mosque is one of two masjid negara or national mosques in Brunei. It is named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei hence it is sometimes called SOAS 28 Mosque. The large central dome is made of real gold. The mosque is also known as the Taj Mahal of ...

Spice Market, Istanbul I just noticed that I haven’t posted anything since January 9th of this year. It’s a little hard to write something when you’re traveling because you’re distracted by the 101 things you need to do while you’re living abroad temporarily and the vastly different social life you’re suddenly exposed to. The other reason for my lack of posts is that I find it difficult to write about my travels because the “words” are not flowing. I did write about some of my activities related to my school supplies program. You’ll find this here:  balaynicharie.blogspot.com .  Bucovina, Northern Romania I do have quite a few travel articles in the burner. These are about my visits to Bucovina with its unique painted churches, my trips to Brazil and the beautiful coastline of Uruguay as well as my experiences in the incredible country of Turkey, the breathtaking landscapes of northern Taiwan and the Water Village of Brunei. I’m so grateful to have been able to do some trav...