EXPLORING SABAH part 2: BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI

Itinerary

April 21, 2013 (Sun)

NAIA T3 to Brunei International Airport

April 22, 2013 (Mon)

Bendar Seri Begawan Labuan Ferry Terminal to Jesselton Ferry Terminal

Check-in Traveler's Light Backpacker Lodge

Half Day Tour

April 23, 2013 (Tue)

Check-out at Traveler's Inn

Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal Shopping at duty free stores in Labuan Island

Back to Bendar Seri Beagawan and did half-day tour

April 24, 2013 (Wed)

Brunei Int'l Airport to NAIA T3

Expenses

Flight Ticket: P2146 (two-way with 15kg baggage allowance)

Travel tax: P1650

Terminal fee: P650

Accommodation: We stayed in our friend's house

Ferry: P1800 (two-way) Transportation: P600 (taxi, fx, and tricycle)

Souvenir: P300 Food: 1000 (including presents)

Total Expenses: 

Bendar Seri Begawan (BSB) is 700.3 nautical miles from Manila or approximately a couple of hours by air.

It was late at night when we arrived in Brunei Int’l Airport. We were able to explore a few places in Sabah on a backpacker’s budget including our promo seat from Cebu Pacific. Since it was too early to start our journey to Kota Kinabalu (KK), we decided to sleep at the airport for few hours and waited until 6am. Taking a taxi to the city center would cost us an arm and a leg. 

We had no idea where the city bus was, but left us no choice to find it along the highway. It took us half an hour going back and forth to the airport which brought us to the parking area, and there we found 3 Filipina who, perhaps, were on the same flight we had. 

They were also looking for a bus that would bring them to their destination. After a few minutes, a small van made a quick u-turn from the opposite bound and stopped in front of us. Then we jumped in the car and drove us to our destinations after the driver agreed on the fare. Although it was not prohibited to that in BSB, but only legitimate public utility vehicles should transport passengers to any places of the city. Anyway, it just took almost 10 minutes to bring us to BSB Bus Terminal. We just paid him for only 2 B$.

We stayed at the bus terminal for 15 minutes to wait for bus#37 which would bring us to the ferry terminal for KK. While waiting, we just had our quick breakfast at the bus terminal.

I expected that BSB, the capital city of Brunei Darussalam is as more contemporary and sophisticated as any other cities from the industrialized countries. This city and other parts of Brunei are surrounded by lush collection of various flora and fauna, leaving the country a laid-back atmosphere. According to wikipedia, Brunei is the 3^rd largest oil producer in South-East Asia and the 4^th largest producer of liquefied natural gas in the world. It just shows how grateful the citizens of this country are with the way their government gives them high quality of education and medical services. Although, it covers a small fraction of territory in the huge island of Sabah, yet it maintains its status as one of the well-performing countries in Asia-Pacific region. Its GDP per capita is quite high compared to its neighboring countries in South East Asia. Well, even my high school friend and his husband, who have been living here, proved that from the medical services and subsidies for food and housing they receive from the government.

Going back to our trip, we were heading for Labuan Ferry Terminal. From BSB Bus Terminal, our first stop was Jalan Muara 1. We had to stay here for a while to wait for another bus that would bring us to the ferry terminal. 

A lady who was staying in front of Phar Restaurant gave us the transit ticket that we must present to the bus conductor. This transit ticket was free of charge.

It just took 10 minutes to reach the terminal for Labuan Island.

We had no choice but to take a detour to KK because the ferry had left half an hour ago. The office even told us that there had only one trip that day. The only possible way to continue this journey was to go by land, which mean an ___ hour ride by van.

We took a ferry from Brunei to Lawas for only 30 minutes. From there, our trip by land to KK started right there, that lasted for __ hours.

Traveling on land was not a bright idea since we only had limited time in KK. Also, it was tiring for such a long period of time after traveling all the way from Manila. If you will be planning to explore Sabah including BSB, Labuan Island, and KK, out itinerary was not an ideal one. Frankly speaking, it was time-consuming, exhausting in many ways, and a waste of money.  

Anyway, we didn’t have any choice but to continue the journey and enjoy this trip.

After spending the whole day merely for traveling, we finally arrived in KK safe and sound. It was late afternoon when we checked-in at our accommodation. We should have not wasted any single second in the place, so we had a quick tour around the city without any rest from a long commute. At around 7 in the morning, we came back to BSB the next day to continue our tour there, but this time was by ferry from Jesselpoint Ferry Terminal.

I didn’t really know what to say if there was a jinx or the tour was meant for us. The rooms in Pusat Bellia were all occupied and there was no attendant to talk to. My mobile number was not registered to any roaming services from the Philippines, so there had no chance for me contact my friend, Beth and Mike, her husband. In a misfortune like this, the only thing that you could think is to find any solutions on your most possible ways. I was just lucky that I found a wifi connection from the Pusat Belia’s admin office. From there, I was able to chat with Beth through Facebook messenger. We waited for just 20 minutes, and they arrived with full of excitement to see Filipinos like us all the way from the Philippines. It took more than a decade to meet Beth and Mike and the last time was in 2002 in our alma mater in college.

Without any hesitations, we jumped in their car and took all the chances we had to reach the famous sites of the city.

Tour

1. Omar Ali Saiffudin Mosque

2. Kampong Ayer

3. Istana Nurul Iman Palace

4. The Empire Hotel

Fastfood

Shopping Malls & Market

1. Brunei Souvenir & Gift SHop

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Blogger's Note

Please be informed that details are subject to change at any time, particularly the price, location, and contact numbers. I, therefore advise that you visit their website or email ahead for confirmation when making your itinerary. The blogger cannot be held responsible for the experiences of the readers while travelling.