Well you've heard the phrase "The Venice of Asia" a lot of times, you might even have read about it twice on my blog when I visited Tai O (Hong Kong's Venice) and Pingjianglu in Suzhou (China's Venice). A lot of places get given this Venice of Asia moniker and today it's all about Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Getting to Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan
Head to the waterfront of Bandar Seri Begawan at any time during the day and guys on boats will shout up at you asking if you want a boat. Tell them you're heading across the water, directly to Kampong Ayer. They all speak English and rely on tourists so you'll have no problems. Failing all else just point to where you want to go.
What price does it cost to get to Kampong Ayer?
To get to Kampong Ayer you pay $1 Brunei Dollar for a single journey - so that's a total of $2 Brunei Dollars return. But you pay it each time. You just pay the guy on the boat in cash each time - there is no need to book anything or get tickets. It's a very easy process.
What are the main attractions of Kampong Ayer?
The best thing about visiting Kampong Ayer is it's totally free! You arrive there and then have the place to yourself to walk around and enjoy it. It's a great place!
1. Houses - All the houses in Kampong Ayer are built on stilts on the water, so they are worth admiring, checking out, getting up close to and popping inside. Great for photographers, loads of colour, loads of angles and not many people about to disturb you. I went inside one of the houses - some are open - but people live here so respect that too.
2. Mosques - Brunei is a staunch Muslim State and Mosques are everywhere - even built on the stilt villages at Kampong Ayer. We found two Mosques but there may be more.
3. Get Talking to the local people - the people who live here on Kampong Ayer are all very friendly and willing to talk to visitors. You'll be able to join them for a chat and a photo.
4. Buy Sweets - This might seem like an odd one, but there aren't many shops in Kampong Ayer, one which stood out was a traditional Sweet Shop!!
At the old fashioned sweet shop on Kampong Ayer they sell lots of traditional candy and sweets which reminded me totally of my childhood days buying 10p mixes in Bangor in Northern Ireland. They are also very cheap - you can pick up a lot of sweets for just 1 Brunei Dollar.
It's also a nice touch to pay for something on your visit to give the locals some money. It was free for you to visit their village on water so leave them with something.
5. Walk around - Just walking around and exploring the place on your own is a great thing to do. This is a really intriguing part of your journey to Kampong Ayer.
So that is my top 5 for Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan. It is a great place and lives up to it's "Venice of the East" moniker. You will enjoy it and it's cheap. After you've seen Kampong Ayer, head back to the main part of Bandar Seri Begawan where you can explore the rest of Brunei.
Getting to Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan
Head to the waterfront of Bandar Seri Begawan at any time during the day and guys on boats will shout up at you asking if you want a boat. Tell them you're heading across the water, directly to Kampong Ayer. They all speak English and rely on tourists so you'll have no problems. Failing all else just point to where you want to go.
What price does it cost to get to Kampong Ayer?
To get to Kampong Ayer you pay $1 Brunei Dollar for a single journey - so that's a total of $2 Brunei Dollars return. But you pay it each time. You just pay the guy on the boat in cash each time - there is no need to book anything or get tickets. It's a very easy process.
What are the main attractions of Kampong Ayer?
The best thing about visiting Kampong Ayer is it's totally free! You arrive there and then have the place to yourself to walk around and enjoy it. It's a great place!
1. Houses - All the houses in Kampong Ayer are built on stilts on the water, so they are worth admiring, checking out, getting up close to and popping inside. Great for photographers, loads of colour, loads of angles and not many people about to disturb you. I went inside one of the houses - some are open - but people live here so respect that too.
2. Mosques - Brunei is a staunch Muslim State and Mosques are everywhere - even built on the stilt villages at Kampong Ayer. We found two Mosques but there may be more.
3. Get Talking to the local people - the people who live here on Kampong Ayer are all very friendly and willing to talk to visitors. You'll be able to join them for a chat and a photo.
4. Buy Sweets - This might seem like an odd one, but there aren't many shops in Kampong Ayer, one which stood out was a traditional Sweet Shop!!
At the old fashioned sweet shop on Kampong Ayer they sell lots of traditional candy and sweets which reminded me totally of my childhood days buying 10p mixes in Bangor in Northern Ireland. They are also very cheap - you can pick up a lot of sweets for just 1 Brunei Dollar.
It's also a nice touch to pay for something on your visit to give the locals some money. It was free for you to visit their village on water so leave them with something.
5. Walk around - Just walking around and exploring the place on your own is a great thing to do. This is a really intriguing part of your journey to Kampong Ayer.
So that is my top 5 for Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan. It is a great place and lives up to it's "Venice of the East" moniker. You will enjoy it and it's cheap. After you've seen Kampong Ayer, head back to the main part of Bandar Seri Begawan where you can explore the rest of Brunei.
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