Brunei

An interesting destination for a layover.

Flying to Bali, Indonesia with Royal Brunei airlines meant a stop in Brunei. On the way out the stop was only a few hours so we had to hang out at the airport (there was very little there). However on our return we had a near 20 hour layover so we got to explore some of the sights of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital. We landed early morning and were transferred to our hotel (all organised for free by the airline) which was just in the center of town. After we checked in we headed straight out to explore. The first thing that hit us was the heat. We are used to tropical heat but this was something else and we really struggled to keep ourselves cool throughout the day.

We firstly headed over to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque which is considered to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific. As the images below and above show the brilliant white and shining gold minaret make it a striking building and you can clearly see why it is considered to be so beautiful.

Whilst walking around outside admiring the stunning mosque we came across an entrance and were invited to look around inside just making sure we took our shoes off and donned a gown so we were respectfully dressed. Unfortunately no one around really spoke much english so we could not ask many questions and find much out. Photos were prohibited but you can take our word for it the inside was very spectacular with high white ceilings and ornate gold decorations really creating a space of awe and wonder.

After this we headed to the local mall to try and find some air con to cool off and get out of the heat for a while. Lucky by doing this we also came across a great little food hall with a plethora of options to eat including both local cuisine and western food, obviously we went for the local cuisine and thoroughly enjoyed Beef Rendang (slow cooked beef in lemongrass and coconut sauce) and Nasi Lemak (a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves with chicken.

After lunch and being sufficiently cooled off we headed to a small local market on the waterside. This is one of our favorite pastimes when traveling. Living where we live in the UK, markets are really non existent unless you head into London, and when you head to markets in Asia you get to meet the locals and see, smell and often taste the culture of your destination.

With little time remaining we decided to walk the long route back to our hotel so we could take in the sights and sounds Bandar Seri Begawan before we showered changed and headed back to the airport for our long flight back to the UK. We know a short walk around the main sites of a small area of the capital does not do any sort of justice to finding out what a place is like and on departure we knew that we had seen enough to entice us and promised that one day we would return and really explore the country.