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| Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque |
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In my professional life, I always make sure that I have a "me time". A sort of a short respite from the daily grind of office work. I always made sure that I saved enough money to travel both locally and abroad, even just an Asian trip. Last August, I went to a couple of places that I haven't gone yet.
The first stop was in the Sultanate of Brunei. I arrived late from Manila and was waiting for a cab inside the airport, only to find out that there are no metered taxi. Since I just landed, I didn't have any Brunei Dollars to pay the cab and all the money changers in the airport are already closed (it was during the Eid'l Adha that I visited the country), so I used my Philippine bank card and withdraw from one of the ATMs. I also discovered that Globe doesn't have any roaming signal in the country, so this actually posed a challenge when you want to navigate Bandar Seri Begawan.
I took one of the airport taxi and was charged 30BND (almost PHP 1,200.00). I asked to be dropped on the hotel that I booked, but the driver, who only speaks Chinese took me far into the city center. When I told him that it was not the place, he checked his map and we went back all the way since the hotel is located there. I thanked the manong and I went into the hotel. The hotel was small but very cozy, I got my room key posted on the door with a welcome letter.
Brunei was a small country and I was able to visit almost all parts of the country for a couple of days. Buses are the main public transport, cabs are rare and since roaming is not available, its difficult to get one. Buses are affordable, for 1BND you may be able to travel from the bus terminal to any point of Bandar. I was able to travel around and visited some mosques, the city's two malls, the park (which was closed), and the Empire - a really nice looking resort. However, after a couple of days you can visit almost all the sites in Bandar.
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| Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque |
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| Sunset At the Empire |
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| Empire Beach Area |
After a couple of days, I took one of the longest trips (at least one of the most exhausting trips) I took. I prepared some nuts, tea eggs and water for an eight hour trip to Kota Kinabalu.
I crossed borders for like eight (8) times so I had my passport stamped a lot of times. The thing is, you cannot really sleep on the bus because you have to alight and get in line at the border. Upon reaching KK, I have to find the hotel that I booked through Traveloka and as I was navigating the city through Google Maps, I passed by a mall and I found a travel booth. I booked a Sabah tour for a few hundred Ringgit and then proceeded to Lavender Lodge.
Kota Kinabalu is a bustling city. The city is alive and there were a lot of restaurants. I spent the first night walking around the city and checking the things to visit. First there was Center Point Mall where you will find a lot of sale since it was almost Merdeka Day or the Malaysian Independence day. It was also the feast of Hari Raya and the stores are putting a lot of things on sale. I spent the next day joining a tour around Sabah- Mount Kinabalu, Poring Hot Springs, Desa Dairy Farm where I bought some milk and cheese, super delicious.
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| Mount Kinabalu |
Mount Kinabalu was majestic. Taking pictures near it was amazing and looking at the mountain capped with clouds was magical. I took a few pictures and our guide brought us to Desa. Desa is a dairy farm and it gives off a "New Zealand" feel, with all the milk cows grazing. We were toured inside the farm where they sell mozzarella and other types of cheeses. They also sell yogurts and chocolate milk drinks. It was very delicious since these products are fresh. The tour also took me to Poring Hot Springs where I experienced for the first time doing a canopy walk. Luckily it only rained when I was done, or else I cannot really handle the fear of the heights and the fer of getting struck by lightning since we are on top of the trees.
I also spent time visiting the wet market where near it, they have the Night Market. It's a place where you will find a lot of food stalls selling chicken, live seafood and Indian and Malaysian food. I ended up eating some Malaysian street food and had Indian food for dinner. I also booked another tour in Kota Kinabalu where I get to visit the city. I visited the beach, Puh Toh Si Chinese Temple with a big statue of Kuanyin on the courtyard, the Sabah State mosque, the Atkinson Clock tower together with the deck overlooking the entire city.
After a couple of days staying in KK, I returned to Brunei for my flight to Manila. It was another amazing adventure around Asia and I cannot wait to have more. Next year (2020), I am planning another budget vacation. I loved Kota Kinabalu and I want to come back soon.
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| Mount Kinabalu |
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| Boats near the Night Market |
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| Floating Mosque |
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