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| Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque |
"Bru-ney,” said the wife.
"No, it's
Bru-nay," said the husband.
During my
research for this trip, I chanced upon a video on Youtube where the husband and
the wife were debating on how to pronounce the name of the country. I found it
amusing that there was some confusion. Little did I know that when it was our
turn to visit Brunei, Donya (my mom) and I will be in the same situation. I say
"Bru-nay" while Donya says "Bru-ney"!
Planning the trip
I've always been
fascinated with Brunei. It's been known as a rich country and there are even
stories/urban legends that claim that there is gold everywhere you go. Aside
from that, I am also interested in the culture. It's an Islamic country not in
the Middle East but in Southeast Asia where it is also exposed to Malay and
Chinese influences. Yes, I'm a culture and heritage buff.
Interestingly,
Brunei is not in your usual tourist radar. This is why when I saw a promo on
Cebu Pacific, I grabbed the opportunity and booked a roundtrip flight. I
initially planned to travel solo, backpacker style. But Donya's birthday was
coming up so I told myself that should I see the same promo rates again, I'll
also book her on the same flight. The opportunity did come.
But, here's the
catch. I was intent on keeping it as a secret to surprise her on her birthday.
By the way, the flight I booked was a month after her birthday because I had to
deal first with that thing called "board meeting". Anyway, I almost
fell off my seat when she told me that she and her org mates (she's an officer)
were planning to go to Japan and the date was right after our trip.
Knowing that it would be physically tasking for her to go on consecutive trips,
I had to spill the beans and tell her about my "surprise trip".
Obviously, she chose our trip. It was already paid for and I was shouldering
the expenses unlike the other trip where she will use her own money hahaha. And
of course, family first!
Airfare, Taxes
and Surcharges: Php6,932
Insurance: Php800
Luggage (15kg
RT): Php1,200
Airport Tax:
Php3,240
Tip 1: Make up
your mind before finalizing a booking. Since I booked myself and Donya
separately, I had to pay the web admin fee twice. I could have saved Php500 had
I booked our flight together.
Tip 2: When your
mother's social calendar is more active than yours, consult with her first
before booking a flight. As it turned out, her org also had a benefit
dinner during our trip. She also had to miss the event where she was one of the
organizers. Love na love ako ng nanay ko,
ano?! #familyfirst
Accommodation
 |
| Photo from Jubilee Hotel |
Hotels in Brunei
are not cheap. Honestly, I had to do an extensive research. My top criterion is
location/ accessibility.
The hotel should
be centrally located, i.e. must visit places must be just walking distance or the
hotel should be along the transportation stops.
One thing you
must know about Brunei - almost every family has a car or two so you don't have
much options for public transportation. There's an extensive bus system and
it's also cheap. It will only cost you BND1 (about Php35) from the bus station
to any point. But here's the issue, busses are only available from 6am to 6pm.
Brunei at night is a beautiful sight and you wouldn't want to miss it because
bus service is no longer available. There are taxis but from what I've read,
there are only about 40 taxis in the country(?) so they charge a rather high
fare. 2-3km can cost you as much as BND30 (Php1,050)!
This is why I
opted for Jubilee Hotel. Not
only is it walking distance from some of the places we planned to visit, the
cost was also cheap. How cheap? The cost of our two-night stay was even cheaper
than the rate of a night's stay in other hotels. The best part was, their rate
was already inclusive of breakfast, airport transfers (specific hours) and even
a 45-minute driving tour. In other hotels, you have to pay separately for the
airport transfers.
For a budget
hotel, their facilities are okay. We had two single beds, airconditioning,
wifi, television, refrigerator, towels and toiletries, hot and cold showers,
and a bathtub. They don't have coffee and tea making facilities but you can
call front desk if you need hot water and they'll bring you a big thermos of
hot water.
The hotel also
has elevators, cafe, convenience store and even a salon.
Most importantly,
they have the nicest and most accommodating staff. Oh, my contact at the front
desk as it turned out is a Filipina. And same is the case for the lady in the
cafe. We spoke in Filipino most of the time. And Filipinos being Filipinos know
what will suit the taste of their visiting kababayans.
Tip 3: In
a country where late night public transportation options are scare, ensure your
airport pick up arrangement. Our ETA was outside the free hours so before
leaving the Philippines, I made sure that the hotel's shuttle would pick us
from the airport even if I had to pay an extra BND10 (Php350). I also told my
front desk contact to expect delays since we still had to go through
immigration and baggage pick up. I'm quite happy I did this arrangement. You
see, our flight was two hours delayed and instead of 10pm, we got
out of the airport past midnight. And to our relief, the hotel's driver was at the
arrival and still full of energy. He even went the extra mile. The money
exchange counter at the airport was closed so on our way back to the hotel, he
showed us the area where we could convert our money. He was also giving us
information on the sights we could visit as we passed these places on our way
to the hotel.
Hotel: Php4,171
Airport Pick-up
(beyond free hours): Php350
Day 1
Tip 4: If you only have limited time, make a list of
priority places you want to visit or activities you want to experience.
In our case, we
only had two full days. We left for Brunei Thursday night and we arrived early
Friday. Our flight back to Manila was on
the succeeding Saturday night.
 |
| "Kaya" ko ito |
We started the
day by having breakfast at the hotel.
Being a budget hotel, our breakfast was plated and we were given three
choices. Seeing Kaya Toast in the menu, I got a hint that Brunei food would be
similar to those of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and I was right.
Being with Donya,
the selection was just right, just enough to provide as sustenance for the
morning. You see, she believes in moderation.
 |
| Teng Yun Temple |
Our first
activity for the day was to exchange our USD to BND. We traced the route going
to the area shown by our driver the night before. But even before we got there, we already saw
the Teng
Yun Temple which was almost right across our hotel’s road. Of course, we had to take a quick look and
Donya had to have to her pictorial.
We then proceeded
to look for Money Changers. It was during this search that we had our first
Filipino connection. We were not sure where to go but then we heard two guys
conversing in Filipino so we took the opportunity to ask them for directions
and had a quick chat. You see throughout this trip whenever Donya saw
Filipinos, she always tried to strike a conversation with them. Actually, it’s
something she likes to do whenever we’re overseas.
We found out that
the downtown area of Bandar Seri Begawan was full of money changers. We were able to exchange our USD to BND in no
time.
Tip 5: Money changers also accept Php. Well, there are also stores that accept Php
as the currency of payment.
We went around
the Yayasan Complex.
Because it was still early in the morning, the mall was closed and there
weren’t much people around. We took this
as an opportunity to take some photos.
The Yayasan Complex provides a scenic view with the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin
Mosque as background.
 |
| At the waterfront |
On our way back
to the hotel, we stopped by the Waterfront to get a good view of Kampong Ayer or the water
village. Much as we wanted to stay and take the water taxi to the village, the
weather was extremely hot and not ideal for such an adventure.
Kampong Ayer is
the largest water village in the world. It is an established community with its
own mosque, schools, police station, tourist information center and even petrol
station.
We then proceeded
to Tamu
Kianggeh or open-air market. Here’s what we discovered, it was just right
behind our hotel and it was a quicker way to go to and from the Yayasan
Complex. Tamu Kianggeh is similar to
the wet markets we have in the Philippines. They sell veggies, fruits and most
stores have dried fish. But what I loved about Tamu Kianggeh is how the tenants
were able to keep it clean. You see the
following morning, we passed by the place and it was deserted and the place was
pristine to think that it was a busy market the day before. As if nothing
happened. Discipline goes a long way.
 |
| Stolen shot (kunwari) |
After checking
out the products at Tamu Kianggeh and buying water because we were so parched,
we went back to the hotel. This time we
took the shortcut. The market was
directly behind our hotel. From then on, we used this route to go to the city
center.
Before going back
to our room, we finalized with the front desk the arrangement of the vehicle we
will be renting for later.
Our first day in
Brunei fell on a Friday and this is their day of prayer. So every Friday, all establishments close
between 12:00-2:00pm. So for lunch, we just order food from the café (B-Chat
Café which Donya misread as Bon Chon!) at our hotel’s lobby and took them back
to our room.
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| Donya's new fave - Ayam Pemyet |
I ordered Ayam
Penyet (smashed fried chicken) and Mushroom Lamb. Don’t be deceived by the
simplicity of how the Ayam Penyet looks. It may look like your ordinary fried
chicken but it’s full of flavors. Interestingly, instead of a burst of flavors,
the combination of spices comes together to create a wonderful taste. When we checked online how it is made, it’s a
long process. This undoubtedly became Donya’s favorite dish.
 |
| Lamb! Lamb! Lamb! |
Donya is not a
big fan of lamb. She gets turned off by
the “barnyard” taste that comes with it.
But to our surprise, it has a very mild taste and tender to the
bite. We rounded the meal with ice cold Sugar Cane Juice. Simply said, lunch was tasty,
satisfying and cheap.
 |
| Convenience store junkie: Present! |
Before 2pm, we
went down the lobby to wait for our rented vehicle. It was a good thing that the lady at the
reception, Siti, is a Filipina. She gave suggestions for our itinerary like
where should we start and how long should we stay at a certain place. She also gave suggestions on where we can buy
souvenirs.
As mentioned
earlier, buses in Brunei are only available from 6am-6pm and taxis are
limited, thus they command higher fares.
There are tours available but it will cost each of us at least BND70 for
four hours. This is why we opted to rent
a chauffeured vehicle as suggested by Siti.
For BND120 (this was our biggest expense), we had 10 hours to go to wherever
we want to go and our driver will just wait for us as we explore these places. Honestly, this is the best arrangement for us
because we own our time unlike in tours where you have to follow the schedule.
Most importantly, the hot weather was too much for us to handle.
We were expecting
a sedan so we were quite surprised when our vehicle arrived; it was an almost
brand-new 12-seater Nissan Urvan. Kahit magtumbling pa kami mag-ina sa loob!
Our driver Asif, a Pakistani, was very polite and easy to talk to despite
having a certain degree of language barrier between us.
 |
| Thank you for this opportunity. |
We started our
tour by visiting the Our Lady of Assumption Church to offer a prayer of thanks
and to pray for continuous guidance.
Another thing I love about Brunei - even if it’s an Islamic country,
other religions are welcome. To confirm that it is the church we wanted to go to,
Asif made a praying gesture and we nodded.
 |
| Opo, lilinisin ko ang kisame! |
After our church
visit, we proceeded to The Empire Hotel and Country Club in Jerduong. When Asif
dropped us at the lobby, he told us that we needed to go down four stories to
get to the beach. At first, we didn’t get what he meant because we were at the
lobby, we were supposed to go up, right? But when we got inside, we finally
understood what he meant. The place was
massive. We were like, “it’s a palace, not a hotel.” The Italian marble columns
with gold trimmings were palatial. You will need a golf cart to go around the
complex. Better check out the hotel’s site to get a better idea on what the
hotel has to offer.
 |
| Kunwari stolen shot uli |
Interestingly,
their standard rooms are not that pricey.
They are even cheaper than those of, say, Makati Shangri-la or Sofitel.
Had our stay been longer, we might have considered staying here for a day. But
what I loved most about the place was that despite its grandeur, the hotel
staff were not snobbish. One can freely
roam around the areas accessible to the public.
The pool side and beach areas were a feast for the eyes. It was just
unfortunate that the weather was extremely hot so we had to limit the time we
spent outside the hotel.
 |
| Best explored when weather is not that hot. |
From Empire, we
went to Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah
Mosque. This was actually one of the first structures we saw when we
arrived the night before. It was
shining, shimmering, splendid at night. Friday was a day of prayer so didn’t
get to go inside the mosque. We had to
satisfy ourselves going around the compound and marveled at the fabulous
architecture. The mosque was built to commemorate the 25th year of
the current sultan’s reign. Being the 29th
sultan in the dynasty, the complex features 29 golden domes.
After taking some
snapshots in the heat of the sun, we went to Gadong for Donya’s favorite part, pasalubong shopping. Our driver dropped
us at The Mall. To be perfectly honest,
if you are used to the malls here in the Philippines, you’ll share our opinion
that there’s not much to see or buy at The Mall especially for women since they
still wear their traditional attires.
But you have to admire the textiles that they have to offer. Oh and I
love that the malls are not that populated. Most of the staff we met at The
Mall were Pinoys. As usual, Donya
enjoyed interviewing them.
So we went out of
the mall and went to the complex across it.
That’s where some of the souvenir shops are. Donya had a grand time
picking pasalubong for almost everyone. She was always on the lookout for money
changers and her favorite line was, “Magpapalit
na ba ako?” Apparently, there was no
need for us to buy the local currency as most of the shops accept the PHP. But being her daughter, I had to remind her that
she should limit her purchases to the budget we have set. Ay, nabaligtad na ang mundo! If there’s one thing I got from Donya,
every time you receive a blessing, pay it forward. That’s why all the stuff she bought were for
others. At the end of the trip, we
realized that we didn’t get anything for ourselves.
 |
| Chicken Pita Sandwich is love! |
We started
feeling hungry so we went to the Centrepoint Mall to rest and eat. Our merienda
of choice? Jollibee! You might ask why
we opted for a fastfood that originated in the Philippines. In the city where we live, there are at least
five Jollibees. It’s interesting to experience something local abroad. Depending on the cultural norms, the food
varies. For example, in Brunei, they serve chicken pita wraps, similar to KFC’s
Twister. But there’s something about
this wrap that makes it oh so delicious. It’s like your filleted Chicken
Joy. I don’t know how to describe it but
we loved it!
We then set-out
on another shopping adventure. This
time, we went to Supa Save. We were looking for local products we could bring
home. It was then when I finally got
what our receptionist, Siti, was telling me earlier. Supa Save carries products from Australia.
Though we wanted to buy these Aussie goods, we had to be mindful of our luggage
allowance so we left the supermarket without anything. You can see the shocked
look on our driver’s face. He couldn’t believe we didn’t get anything to think
that we spent quite a time at the supermarket.
 |
| Well, hello Matcha! |
After this, we
went back to Yayasan Mall, particularly at Hua Ho supermarket. It was there
that it occurred to us that Brunei really did not have much local food
products. Most of the goods that they
have are imported too. Mostly from
Malaysia, Indonesia and yes, Philippines! I was actually teasing Donya to buy
Cupkeyk for pasalubong. There were
Brunei-made cookies but I don’t think they would stand luggage handling. So we opted for Malaysian Coffee and
Chocolates. I was also able to get Ferrero wafer sticks that were on sale. And they also have matcha-filled Panda
Cookies. Yahoo! #matchaislove
 |
| Shining, shimmering, splendid. |
I love the amount
of energy Donya had that day (considering that we had to rush her to the ER a
week before, needs more vitamin b complex for the nerves). Imagine with groceries in our hands, we still
managed to go around the complex and have photo ops in front of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin
Mosque.
 |
| Hey, Driver , look at these wings! |
To end the night,
we asked Asif to take us to Tamu
Selera, the hawker center nearest to our hotel, to buy dinner. Being a hawker center, it offers cheap but
tasty local fares. And local fares are
usually Malaysian or Indonesian dishes. Unlike in malls or other stores, food
attendants at Tamu Selera were mostly local.
And this was where it got tricky.
We requested for a menu but we couldn’t identify what the dishes
were. There was a language barrier
between us and the attendant. We asked
for fish that is not spicy but she just smiled at us with a confused look then
pointed at something. When we asked her what it was, she just said yes. That
was why we opted to have those we could easily identify while they were being
cooked – satay and barbecue! When we were in Malaysia, Driver couldn’t get over
the barbecued chicken wings so we had to get that. It was sold at BND1 per wing and it comes
with the ever so delicious peanut sauce. For the satay, we got the lamb which
was 3 sticks for BND1. I also wanted to
try the beef but it was BND1 per stick and it was the same size as the
lamb. Then we went to the next stall to
get Ayam Penyet (Donya’s new favorite) with rice for BND1. I love how it was
packaged. The rice and the chicken were
wrapped in wax paper and they shaped it like a cone. Actually, most of the
stuff at Tamu Selera are sold for BND1.
We headed back to
the hotel and that’s where we had a dinner.
It was a very long but interesting day.
We have covered quite a lot. As a result, we had a very deep, relaxing
sleep.
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| No trip of mine will be complete without having ice cream. Kahit Durian pa yan. |
Tip 6: You really didn’t have to rent a vehicle like
we did. You can use the bus. And it will only cost you BND1 per ride no
matter how far you want to go. Just be mindful of the time since they’re only
up to 6pm. I just wanted Donya to have a hassle-free and comfortable tour,
thus, the rented vehicle. But it was worth renting one because the
airconditioned vehicle provided the much needed respite from the heat.
Breakfast – Part
of the accommodation
Lunch – Php315
Merienda – Php350
Dinner – Php350
Incidentals –
Php350
Rented Van –
Php4,200
Day 2
 |
| Always bring a bottle of water |
When we woke up
the following day, our last day, Donya was very intent on going to the Royal Regalia Building. Why? Because I
told her that the museum also houses a souvenir shop. Yes, she was not yet done shopping for pasalubongs.
 |
| It may look dry but it was actually good. |
After breakfast,
same menu as the day before, we walked to the Royal Regalia Building. It was a just a few blocks from our hotel and
by that time we have somehow mastered the roads of Bandar Seri Begawan.
While we were
still trying to figure out where the entrance was, a bus full of students
came. They were accompanied by their
teachers and among them was a Filipino teacher who approached us and asked us
if we are Filipinos. The guy, like us, was also holding a selfie-stick. Telltale sign? He told us a little about the
building like what we’ll see inside, the protocols, etc.
 |
| Yes, there were lots of umbrellas |
Of all the places
to visit in Brunei, this was that one place, I wouldn’t want to miss. Why? I
gathered from my research that the museum houses a collection of umbrellas!
Come to think of it, the building’s dome looks like an umbrella.
The building was
established in 1992 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the reigning Sultan
and part of the exhibits are the items used during the jubilee parade,
including the umbrellas or payungs.
It will give you a glimpse in the life of the Sultan. Donya and I couldn’t help
but be in awe of the items exhibited. You can see the care and pride they have
for the museum.
 |
| Lots of guests when we went out |
Tip 7: You need
to leave your footwear by the building entrance. You can use the slippers
provided at the same area but if there are lots of guests, they are not
enough. Donya was just fortunate to get
a pair because we came early. If you do not like wearing “public slippers”, you
can wear socks like I did (I usually wear footsocks). The uncarpeted part of the floor can be quite
cold because like most museums, the building needs to be kept very well
airconditioned.
Tip 8: Bring a small pouch where you can store your
valuables like wallets and passports.
Before you can go around the museum, you need to leave your bags in the
locker but they’ll allow you to bring in the important items. Taking of photos
is a no-no, so better leave your cameras in the locker. The only place where you’ll be able to take
photos is at the entrance hall and you can only do that once you’re done with
the museum tour, the only time that they’ll allow you to retrieve your
belongings from the locker.
 |
| One of her happy places, souvenir shop |
With Donya
finally done with her shopping, I mean, exploring the museum, we went back to
the hotel to prepare for check-out. One
of the reasons I chose Jubilee Hotel was that they allow late check-out.
Unfortunately, they were fully booked so we needed to check out, at least from
the room, by 12 noon even if our flight was not until 11pm that night but Jubilee
Hotel was kind enough to store our luggage until it was our time to return to
the airport.
Tip 9: Even if your flight is still late at night,
there’s no need to book the room for that day.
Either you request for a late check-out or you can leave your things at
the front desk for safekeeping while you continue your explorations outside
then just return to the hotel when it’s time for your airport transfer.
By 12 noon, we
have already checked out and stored our luggage at the reception. We walked to Yayasan
Complex to have lunch. On our way to the complex, we passed some jewelers and
Donya had to stop and “look at the wares”. Most of the storekeepers were
Filipinas so asking for prices was very easy. Donya asked for the price of a
small gold bangle. When we learned how much it costs, we realized that wearing
bangles does not suit us! Hahaha!
 |
| KFC Philippines, can you please serve this? |
Since we will be
traveling that night, we decided not to be adventurous with our lunch so we
opted for KFC. And just like Jollibee,
we tried items not available in the Philippines – KFC Nuggets, Strawberry
Mirinda and Salted Caramel Vanilla Ice Cream. We were so full! So from Yayasan we walked to
the Sultan Omar
Ali Saifuddin Mosque but even before we got the
chance to go inside the mosque it started to rain. That was why we decided to
go back to the mall. It was a good decision.
It wasn’t just light shower, it was a downpour and it lasted for almost
an hour. Later, we learned from a fellow passenger that it hasn’t rained that
much in the past days. Another proof that I bring rain wherever I go!
 |
| Winter Melon Juice at B Chat Cafe |
Much as we wanted
to go around, the weather wasn’t cooperating. It was drizzling a lot. We spent
the rest of the hours at the hotel’s coffee shop and lobby until it was time to
go to the airport.
Breakfast – Part of
the accommodation
Lunch – Php455
Merienda – Php350
Dinner – Php315
Airport transfer –
Part of the accommodation
It’s good to be back!
We arrived in
Manila at around 2am but our airport pick-up was not until 7am so I introduced
Donya to my favorite “hangout” at NAIA 3, The Wings Manila Lounge. We got a twin room for Php1,800. The package comes with a room with bunk beds,
use of shower and restrooms, toiletries, towels, wifi, and unlimited light
snacks and drinks. That was why at 2am, Donya and I were having several rounds
of lomi, sandwiches, salads, pastries, juice and coffee.
We got home
around 10am (we had breakfast at SLEX). After an hour, we were back on the road
headed for Lumban!
Walang energy gap!
Traveling with Mom
Traveling is
something we try to do at least once year, even if it’s just a simple
out-of-town trip. But when we go out, it
was always like a field trip, excursion levels ang dami. Last we went overseas,
we were around 12 or 13. This Brunei
trip is the first time that it was just me and Donya. And it was also our first overseas trip since
she got her dual citizenship (Filipino and Senior).
Let me take this
opportunity to applaud the airport management and personnel as well as Cebu
Pacific for the wonderful treatment they provide senior citizens like Donya.
CebuPac for instance has a dedicated lane for senior citizens, PWD’s and those
traveling with small children. Since I am a regular traveler I wasn’t aware of
this so we headed for the regular lanes.
Then, a CebuPac personnel approached us and asked if Donya is already a
senior citizen and when we answered yes, he took us to the priority lane. There
were also priority seats. The sad part is, some passengers don’t seem to care
about the purpose. Anyway, they also provided priority boarding.
Even Jubilee
Hotel recognized Donya’s senior citizen needs. I mentioned in my pre-arrival
e-mail that I am traveling with a senior. They assigned us a room near the
elevator. Traveling with Donya has its perks!
Tip 10: Try to
travel with your Mom. She will be your best travel buddy. Why? No matter what
age you are, moms will still be moms.
You can be sure that you’ll always be safe and well taken-cared of. And she’ll always ask you, “May pera ka pa
ba?”
Total Cost for
two people (without pasalubong)– Php23,878/ Php25,178 (if stay at The Wings
will be included)
Traveling with
Mom – Priceless!
The Umbrella
Prior to this
trip, I initially planned to have the obligatory
umbrella photo in front of the Sultan
Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque. Well, if you have seen my social media accounts,
Donya was the one who got that photo op.
 |
| Kaninong Nanay yan? |
 |
| See how dark the sky was? Bringer of rain talaga ako! |
But when we got
to the Royal Regalia Museum, I found the perfect place – at the umbrella or payung exhibit.
 |
| Salamat Brunei |
