Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
The capital city of Brunei used to be called Bandar Brunei until 5 October 1970. That was when the city was renamed to honour the previous ruler, Omar Ali Saifuddien III, who abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah, and subsequently took the title of 'Seri Begawan'.
The photos that I'm going to show in this post were more or less taken in chronological order, starting with those that I snapped after leaving
Badi'ah Hotel.
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| There's a supermarket conveniently located just behind the hotel. |
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| There's actually a shortcut from the hotel to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, but the bridge was under restoration work when I was there. |
We had no choice but to cross Edinburgh Bridge to go to the other side of Kedayan River, passing by the majestic Attorney General's Chambers.
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| It was a hot day, but there were lots of clouds to protect us from direct UV rays. |
There were many things that we saw after crossing the bridge, starting from balai bomba (lit. fire station).
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| Brunei is governed by very strict laws, emerging as a safe country as a result. |
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| Hmm, harta benda kerajaan (lit. royal treasures)! :O |
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| The oddly-shaped clock tower was erected to commemorate the visit of Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Malaysia in 1959. |
Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien is, to my knowledge, opened only for local events. It's got an ornate entrance arch.
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| Facing the park is the grave of Dang Ayang, a lady of royal parentage, so they say. |
There are quite a few tall buildings here and there.
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| I wonder how does Burger King sound in Arabic? |
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| Singa Chicken Rice, owned by a Malaysian corporation established in 1987, has got outlets in Sarawak, Brunei and Indonesia. |
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| "Salon Dandan Rambut & Kecantikan Genit" is the name of the hairdressing salon. xD |
Founded in 1947, Hua Ho Department Store is a place you may want to drop by for shopping. I don't have any pictures of the interior though.
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| That's the commemorative gate erected in August 1968 to mark the coronation of the current ruler, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. |
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| DAMRI (Djawatan Angkoetan Motor Repoeblik Indonesia) is an Indonesian state-owned public transit bus company. Its history can be traced all the way back to 1943. |
Teng Yun Temple at Jalan Kianggeh is probably the last Chinese temple that can be found in Brunei, given that the government has no longer issued new permits for the construction of other religious places of worship than mosques.
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| The temple was originally built in 1918 elsewhere, but it was demolished due to port expansion and then rebuilt at its current site in 1960 with the aid of the government that provided B$45,000 (=S$45,000). |
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| So quiet, so serene~ |
I also came across the Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara (lit. Royal Custom and Traditions Department), as well as the Pusat Belia (lit. Youth Centre) buildings from Tasek Lama Recreational Park.
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| Pusat Belia houses a hostel that's popular among backpackers. |
Given that many people can afford cars, the public bus system isn't particularly reliable and can be rather erratic for first timers. Do note that buses only run from 6.30am to 6.00pm.
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| The bus terminal is rather dingy. :/ |
I'm going to take this opportunity to say that Bruneians are friendly and helpful. Not only once a driver of a personal car stopped for my BFF and I while we were walking, asking if we'd like to have a ride.
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