Mayordoma Chronicles: The Umbrella Goes To....: #BRUNAY: BRU and naNAY goes to Brunei

"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.

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 25^th year of the current sultan’s reign. Being the 29^th 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.

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.