Brunei 23rd March

Jo

Apologies, this blog is only of any interest if you have previously visited Brunei.

To the shock of the expat community I decided to take the public bus to Brunei, for a trip down memory lane. Had the town of Kuala Belait (KB) grown? Did it sell more than plastic bowls and fabric? Was my old house still standing? All these questions needed answering.

The journey from Miri involved a bus change at the border. It went very smoothly as there are no longer any ferry crossings to cause delays and my bus zipped over the new bridges.

Once in KB I took a small hopper bus to Panaga, the Shell camp where I lived for four years from 1994. I quickly found my old house. It was a surprise that it was still standing as termites used to regularly infest the place. Panaga School is only a minute's walk from my old home, so although the school had already closed for the holidays I had a nosey around. An amah recognised me and showed some photos of old staff.

Back in KB, the main high street hadn't ready changed and Nikki you will be pleased to know Sunil's Emporium and the body shop are still there. Along the river the area has been developed with modern cafes and children's playgrounds. So I sat overlooking the river having a drink waiting for the return bus. Is Brunei worth a visit? Well the Kuala Belait area has nothing of interest for the average visitor but Bandar, the capital, which is an hour and a bit away at the other end of this tiny sultanate, is worthy of a visit….maybe next time?

Sorry - still struggling to upload photos on to the blog using Charlotte's mac, …any advice Mr Scott?