BRN: Kampong Ayer

Brunei River, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Kampong Ayer (lit. Water Village) is the largest water settlement in Southeast Asia. Separated from the mainland by Brunei River, it comprises a total of 42 villages, housing approximately 10% of the country's total population at the point of writing. Antonio Pigafetta, a scholar and explorer from Venice, Italy, dubbed it the 'Venice of the East'.

As my BFF and I made our way to the waterfront, we saw Mercu Dirgahayu 60, which is a gift from the citizens of Brunei to the current ruler, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, on his 60th birthday in 2006.

We hailed a water taxi from a dock nearby. A quick ride across the river costs B$1.00 (=S$1.00) per person. You can negotiate with the person for a guided tour.

The gust of wind was awesome! :P

As I didn't tell the person where to drop us exactly, he brought us to Jetty #2.

Kampong Ayer is a maze that's fun to explore. From the jetty, you can go east, north or west.

Here's a view of the city from Kampong Ayer.

We decided to take the western path.

There's a cultural and tourism gallery that opens daily from 9.00am to 5.00pm, with the exception of Friday when it closes from 11.30am to 2.30pm. During the holy month of Ramadan, it's only opened in the morning, thus we couldn't see what's inside as we were there in the afternoon.

We happened to be walking around Lurong Sekuna at first, where the newer houses are. I don't think I'll mind living in on of them.

That's the house of the chief of the village.

Snacks or drinks, anyone? Not during the daytime of Ramadan, of course.

A vulture, I guess?

Subsequently, we wandered about the areas with traditional houses.

Wow, that's quite a well-equipped gym! :O

The pride of Kampung Peramu! :D

I believe that's the only purple-coloured bridge at Kampong Ayer.

It's said that people have lived in Kampong Ayer for more than 1,300 years. Anyway, did you know that Ferdinand Magellan, the famous Portuguese explorer, visited the settlement in 1521?

Hmm, utility poles on stilts~

Trying to recall what I learnt in Geography: is that considered a mangrove?

Baby pineapple!

That's a mosque at Kampong Ujong across the river towards the south.

We ended up at Kampong Bakut Berumput as our last stop before returning to the mainland.

I'd never seen such a colourful mosque before.

That place sells Milo and Oreo ice cream at B$0.20 (=S$0.20) each. So cheap!

Destroyed by fire, it seems? :(

Are you a cat lover? You'll be delighted to see lots of cats at Kampong Ayer.

Lazing around~ :3

You'll come across a dead fish (or two) too~

As we were waiting for a water taxi at the same jetty where we arrived at, we noticed Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan and his family, in a distance. According to Guinness World Records, it's the largest residential palace across the globe.