Visiting Labuan... and the best beef burger EVER!

The duty-free island of Labuan, found in the South China Sea north-west of Borneo and a short ferry ride from Brunei, comes under the jurisdiction of West Malaysia.

A small, sleepy island, Pulau Labuan is a strange mixture of very old, Kampong Houses in run down water villages found all over the island and some very modern industries including a Petronas Methanol plant. Much of the local industry is associated with nearby off-shore oil drilling platforms.
There are many duty free shops in Labuan selling to anyone who walks through their door. The duty free goods available are mainly alcohol and cigarettes. The alcohol must be among the cheapest in the world. A case of 24 cans of guineas stout is RM 32 ( about US$11.00)

We arrived at Labuan on a car ferry from Brunei ,a quick, calm sea journey of just under 2 hours.( cost about B$70 one way including car and 4 passengers.
 The first Brunei Car Ferry, MC Shuttle Hope is relatively new on the scene. It initially began shuttling cars from Brunei to a small landing point called Menumbok in Sabah daily,after a journey of around 2 1/2 hours. From there,it is an easy drive of around 2 hours to Kota Kinabalu (KK) .
Sadly, the Bruneian population has not responded well to this service, probably because of its cost. So after 6 months, the shuttle hope now only plies cars and passengers to the island of Labuan. To travel onto KK from Labuan requires another car ferry to Menumbok which takes less than an hour.

Labuan Tiara Resort

Many Bruneians like to drive up to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Usually taking around 5 hours dependent on traffic at border posts,  the drive can take up to 10 hours in holiday periods due to large numbers of cars all having to use a small car ferry ( holds 12 cars) to cross the Puni River .. so narrow you can almost spit across it . Take into account you have to pass through 6 border posts where your passport needs to be chopped, I would have thought the ferry option to travel directly to Sabah from Brunei would have been a winner.

We are staying a night here at the Labuan Tiara Resort. Having never been here before, its a smallish,beautifully landscaped resort built opposite a beach, only 5 mins drive from Labuan Town. The resort has been renovated fairly recently and the rooms have an attached lounge plus small kitchenette which makes the rooms feel very spacious. The pool and facilities are great.The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful and I have to say, I had the best  beef burger from room service for dinner tonight that I have ever eaten.
The seafood buffet on offer tonight got 5 thumbs up from the rest of our friends.
Tomorrow , we are heading up to KK going via Menumbok on a vehicle ferry service run by Labuan Operators.

Don't you get Bored here?

When travelling around other parts of  Asia,locals often ask...( mostly taxi drivers), 'Where you from?"
When I reply 'Brunei,' the usual response is, " Brunei? Boring place ah?"

That is an interesting comment in itself. Define boring..... .
 I think their take on boring is the fact that Brunei has no night clubs....that's true, Brunei has no bars or alcohol being sold anywhere...well, that's sort of true too so, they figure, what does everyone do for entertainment?
It must be a pretty boring place.

True,Brunei is not really the place to come for employment if you are an expat in your 20's and looking for an exciting nightlife and  a prospective mate. However, for those expats who have families and not looking for a wild time, Brunei offers many simple pleasures and a safe community in which to live.
But, we are lucky in that although Brunei is a muslim country,non-muslims are allowed to bring in a quantity of alcohol  when coming back into Brunei from another country. There are also plenty of 'beer men' who deliver what ever is required, at a higher cost of course but certainly more convenient than having to travel to one of the two border posts which join Brunei to Sarawak.

Jerudong Medical Centre ( green roofed buildings)

Having had one child here, I would say that the care I received from the doctors and midwives ( all from NZ or Australia at the time) in the local,private Jerudong Park Medical Centre was second to none.  After delivery I relaxed in my individual 'hotel style ' room ( well, bigger than a hotel room as it had a leather lounge suite and coffee tables ) with carpet on the floor, travertine marble on the walls in the huge bathroom that came complete with my own spa bath, own stereo system with DVD player.
My room had a balcony which faced the South China Sea and every morning and afternoon, the sleek, arabian polo horses belonging to the Royal Family galloped along the beach for exercise.
Coupled with the fact I was the only one in the birthing suite for the first 3 days meant I had the undivided attention of all the medical staff. I don't think I could have received that kind of service anywhere else in the world!  And, the cost was really peanuts, compared to the service they gave.

Well,I was lucky that was back in the heyday of great change and forward thinking in Brunei from one particular prince.
Nowadays, JPMC has to pay its way and now is mainly staffed by Philippino and Indian nurses who still do a great jobs. I hear those carpeted rooms have now been mothballed and now if you want your own room ( minus most of the facilities I had) you pay a premium price.

Pssst.....I know a Royal Secret!

His Majesty, Sultan Hj Hassanul Bolkiah  with Rajah Isteri

Brunei is a peaceful, stable country but all authority bows to His Majesty as the supreme leader of the country and it is against the law to criticize any of the Royals or any of the decision making processes here.
In fact HM takes great care of his people- if you are Bruneian, you are provided with a virtually free health service,free schooling, interest free loans for houses, a free piece of land which can be applied for once you turn18, government subsidised rice ,sugar and petrol/diesel.

In fact, the retail price of  rice, sugar and petroleum products has not altered  one cent in over 20 years!
I read last year that the subsidisation of oil alone costs His Majesty's government over 500 million a year. Premium unleaded petrol costs $0.53c /litre and diesel about $0.38c/litre- wow!
Costs me about $33 to fill my tank from empty. It always seems pretty painful to go to NZ on holiday and pay NZ$130+ for one full tank!

Crown Prince Muda Billah with HRH Pg Sarah

Add to these facts that no workers pay income tax, makes this place sound like heaven to many.

The 'rakyat' (people) are very grateful to their benevolent King for providing all these services and are very patriotic and respectful.
But the feeling among many locals I work with is that there still needs to be some regular form of inflationary wage adjustments.Many here have large families and it does cost quite a bit to feed that many mouths, even on a simple diet of cheap rice, inexpensive local fish and vegetables.

One area of small discontent within the population are the number of 'stateless' people living in Brunei.These people are generally part of the local Chinese community and hold a red identity card ( as opposed to a Yellow I/C which designates a Bruneian citizen). Most of these people were born here , yet cannot apply for a yellow I/C. It does make a difference in the health sector where they get charged for some services whereas citizens would be free.

Soto, Laksa and....... Pulled Tea?

One of the delights of living in Asia is the choice ... and of course, price of local food. Over the past 5 years ,Brunei has slowly succumbed to the western  'cafe....ified' culture- the youth are more likely to want to meet for a $4 coffee in a Western style cafe like the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf  than meet for a more traditional 'Kopi C or Kopi O coffee  in an old fashioned coffee shop for less than a dollar. Local coffees in these older places are sweetened with condensed milk and are a sweet, satisfying drink.

Another popular beverage in this part of the world is 'Teh Tarikh' which literally means 'pulled' tea.Check out the vid above..... This drink is best bought from a local coffee shop run by Indians who have mastered the art of pouring the tea from one container to another from quite a height, without ever managing to spill one drop!.
This repeated action aerates the tea which makes it frothy and alters the taste completely.

 The tea is brewed from tea dust ( thats the cheap stuff left over under the dried tea leaves. Some believe that tea dust has much more flavour than tea leaves..... but I'm not so sure about that!)
Then, condensed milk, either sweetened or unsweetened is added and the tarikh process takes place..... and thats all for the price of around 50cents!

One of my local favourites is Soto Ayam (Chicken) Soup- The soto stock is made from a laborious process of boiling up huge beef leg bones for hours and adding a selection of spices to create a very delicious ,distinctive tasting soup.
 The broth is then added to any Noodles you choose, shredded chicken or beef,egg, chopped boiled potatoes,pickled radish &bean sprouts . The dish is finished off with a sprinkling of crispy fried onion and served with cut chilli and a squeeze of local kasturi lime . You can have all that for about $3.50. At the local evening markets, you can pick up a plastic tub of Soto for one dollar!

Local Prawn Laksa

Another locally enjoyed dish is prawn laksa               ( rumoured to have originated from Kuching in Sarawak). Like the Soto, the Laksa soup base is prepared separately and then poured hot over noodles, prawns & seafood, young celery leaves, chilli and chunks of fried bean curd. As the basis of the Laksa is coconut milk with coriander and other spices, it is probably not the healthiest dish for those with high cholesterol!
Laksa devotees will always be able to tell you exactly where to go to enjoy the best laksa around.

Kampong Ayer- Brunei's Unique Water Village

It has been called by some 'The Venice of the East'....Kampong Ayer (malay meaning 'Water village') is definitely worth a wander round when visiting Brunei. The houses in the water village are joined by rather rickety wooden plank walkways but you need to catch a water taxi from the land out to the village initially.  The 'village' is rather large and divided into smaller , named  areas but its rather easy to get lost .

 For hundreds of years, Brunei-Malays have chosen to live on stilt houses above the Brunei Muara River. Traditionally fishermen and craftsmen, this indigenous ethnic group were originally  found in the Brunei-Muara district, the largest ( population wise) district in Brunei.
They are still residing there today in their thousands- around 20,000 of them although the government is gradually encouraging this population to take up life in a house with land ,offering incentives such as interest- free loans or free land. Any Bruneian over the age of 18 can apply for a piece of land from His Majesty,as long as they don't already own a house.

Brunei has seven distinct indigenous ethnic groups, all of whom are found in all four districts nowadays.Each of these groups have their own culture and traditions which still being practiced today.

As a member of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage of discovery,Italian scribe Antonio Pigafetta arrived in Brunei by boat around 1521. Magellan had already passed away somewhere in the Philippines. Pigafettta wrote a very detailed account of his visit - from how a herd of liveried elephants arrived  at the boat to carry them up to the Sultan's palace, to eating food off gold plates. No little detail was unimportant. He noted that about 25,000 Brunei-Malays were living in the thriving water village, mostly making their living as fishermen. Bruneians were seen to be welcoming and friendly.

Not much has changed since 1521 it seems. The inhabitants of Kampong Ayer are still welcoming and friendly. Small children wave and yell hello before leaping into the river, ( Not the cleanest!) swimming with their friends.
A few still make their living from the river and sea but most make their way over the 'mainland' by water taxi daily to take up their jobs in various government departments, the government being the  largest employer in Brunei.

Gold plated Airbus A340 anyone?

Brunei has an interesting Royal history.........For those of you who have an interest in what money can buy, check out these photos I have posted.
They show the interior fit of the Sultan of Brunei's Airbus A340.
I believe there is also a small pool on board too.

Over the Top......? Not a bit.... if you have 40 odd billion in the state coffers to play with!
The Sultan  also captains his own Boeing 747 and has a refitted Boeing 767 as his 'baggage' craft.

His younger brother, Playboy Prince Jeffri , also used to have quite a fleet of aircraft... which have all been sold after the Amedeo crisis of 1997 when a supposed mere 20-30 billion went missing from the country's treasury .... but... that's another story!

Large, privately chartered jets also often make weekly touch downs into Brunei- arriving cloaked in darkness and secrecy in the early hours of morning. The payload is anyone's guess. Hmmm .. might be worth a stake out one steamy night.
The interiors of the royal palaces here are filled with bespoke Italian furniture, plus all things luxurious and O.T.T (aka mostly tacky and gawdy) that catch the eye.
Nice if you have it I guess,but all of this comes at a heavy price-  freedom.

Gold plated bathroom basins...everyone should have one!

Some Local Flavour

Local Tamu ( Market ) in capital Bandar Seri Begawan

I think many people hesitate to visit Brunei once they find out that it is a Muslim Monarchy. The mind set about fundamental muslims is so far from the truth here, where virtually all Bruneians are of the Sunni sect ( non-fundamentalists).

Although most of the women wear a head scarf ( 'Tudong'), their faces are not covered. In fact I have been told by some locals that it is illegal  for women to cover their faces in Brunei.They traditionally wear various styles  of a 'Baju Kurong' which essentially  is a full length flowing skirt, covered with a long, loose-fitting blouse covering the hips and often reaching down to the knees.
These bajus are made from brightly coloured patterned fabric-silk being favoured for special occasions.Some young women can often be seen wearing very fitted,shapely 'bajus ' .With high heels, this clothing can look very elegant, sophisticated and attractive -even sexy! Which is an interesting conundrum considering one of the tenets of Islam requires women to dress and act modestly.

Typical Brunei traditional 'Baju Melayu'

Local 'Baju Kurong' fashion 

                                                    











A gathering such as a wedding is a very colourful affair with the men often wearing their traditional silky,shiny 'Baju Melayu' in bright colours, often matching  their wife's colour scheme choice.

Most expatriate women own a few local 'Baju Kurong' for functions such as weddings. Wearing local dress always draws the comment 'Lawah ' from Malays - which means very pretty! Personally, I find them incredibly hot to wear in the Equatorial heat and look for every opportunity to dive into the nearest air-conditioned room!

Brunei- An Undiscovered Tourist Gem

No, Brunei is NOT  in the Middle East! It is found on the island of Borneo,situated in South East Asia.
 Even my sister-in-law expected she would experience a lot of sand dunes and camels when visiting for the first time.

Many times I have spoken with people in NZ when back on holiday and they ask, " You work in Brunei?.... Isn't that near Dubai? I think the word 'Sultan' brings to mind oil ,wealth ( well, that part's correct) and Sheiks, Emirs and .... camels.Even the island of Borneo ( where Brunei is one of three countries sharing borders ) is virtually unknown in the USA, even though it is the third largest island in the world.

Borneo tends to conjures up imagery of head hunters, cannibals and the like. In fact, Borneo was quite a wild place in the past and you can still see the evidence of past cannibalistic activities, viewing bleached skulls sitting atop long Bakau poles in some remote villages in the deep,interior regions of equatorial Borneo,accessed only by boat.
Europeans, especially Germans and French, are becoming more and more interested in Borneo as an interesting, safe and cheap tourist destination. Just try booking into a hotel in Kota Kinabalu ( capital city of Sabah-  East Malaysia's most northern state) around Christmas.You will see for yourself how popular these
resorts are with the Europeans.