The Sungai Tujuh Immigration Checkpoint
This was at the Brunei side already ....
I had forgotten how far Bandar Seri Begawan was .... I think we were in the car for nearly 2 hours, and our first stop was Tamu Kianggeh, located right at the centre of the city. This was an old, old market, which I did remember visiting before.
We did not go around the market actually, merely walking past it .... and perhaps it was near noon, I did not see much of the produce they were selling ....
The shops facing the river, viewed from Tamu Kianggeh ...
Tamu Kianggeh across the river
We were looking for a place to eat here .... but none of us knew where to get food; we ended up on a second floor food court nearby ....
After the break, we went to the Brunei Museum, which was unfortunately closed ...
The signboard .... a snap for remembrance' sake ....
From there it was a short drive to the Royal Mausoleum ... We did trek along a trail ... it looked like no one had set foot along the trail for a long time, with leaves strewn all over the path ....
And before long, we reached an enclosed area ... where we could see ancient stone ruins from the 15th or 16th century ....
At the end of the trail .....
Signpost ...
We did not venture beyond and turned back ...
Kota Batu Old Graveyard is an archaelogical site, with ancient grave stones; Sultan Bolkiah's tomb is at the distance
We also enjoyed the riverfront view outside the museum ....
The next destination was the Brunei Handicrafts Centre. We went in the wrong entrance and as a result had to walk through a construction area; the building itself was under renovation .... We looked at the various handicrafts on display and also for sale .... such as batik, trinkets, songkok and so on.
The Royal Regalia Museum was by far my favourite place. The grandeur of it all just blew me away. Unfortunately, photography was only allowed in the lobby ...
Payong Kawan, a regalia used during coronation, was on display at the lobby
The Royal Chariot which was used in the 1968 coronation
The museum was very grand and indeed very informative. Must visit to all!!
A short stop at the Yayasan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Complex fuelled us up with some food ....
View of the grand Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque from the Yayasan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah complex ...
Then we went to the Gadong Pasar Malam .... 
Gadong Pasar Malam
There was fresh fruits and vegetables sold, and of course the colourful local food .... like nasi katok, pais, pulut panggang and even kebabs. We merely browsed ... and of course, I did buy some food to bring home, as per recommended by my friend.
Finally it was the Seria Supa Save on the way home .....
We reached home hot and sticky, tired too .... but it had sure been an interesting day indeed ...
Hi!
ReplyDeleteWhen in Bandar Seri Begawan, you could always try Japanese cuisine. We have both Excapade Sushi and Kaizen Sushi Waterfront. The former is located on the next block of Burger King while the latter is located right across Yayasan Complex.
Pricing might be a little bit steep compared to Sushi King in Miri but portion wise, they are definitely well worth it and fresh as well.
Aroi Food Court (the food court where you had your Lalapan Ayam) has another kiosk serving Korean cuisine. It's called Seoul Garden. Their food are pretty authentic as the stall is owned by a Korean couple. And we also have a few other authentic Korean restaurants owned by Koreans as well - Koryo Restaurant (Kiulap) and Sarang Korean Restaurant (Batu Bersurat).
Hope this helps for your visit next to Brunei. =D
Hello, thanks for sharing all the little information. Yes, I did see Kaizen at the waterfront, but could not head there when the entourage was not keen. But yes, I would love to try Kaizen one day. We normally go to Escapade, so I haven't gotten the chance to eat at Kaizen yet.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did see the stall selling Korean food ... I wanted bibimbap, but did not see it on the menu. That's why I did not order from there.
Thanks for all the wonderful information. I wish I knew all of that before my visit. :))
You're very welcome! Glad that they are of help to you.
DeleteSeoul Garden does serve Bibimbap. I ordered it once from them and I remembered it was from the menu. Their Bibimbap was actually good but not the best that I had tried so far.
If you are feeling a bit more adventurous in checking out new places in Brunei, you can always try go Kiulap and try Koryo Korean Restaurant. It's located in Kiulap area. Kiulap is another shopping and office area in the town.
Koryo serves authentic Korean cuisine like Seoul Garden but I prefer former more than the latter. Pricing wise, former is better as well. Quite a few Korean restaurants in Brunei are owned by Korean nationals themselves. But Japanese restaurants are all locally owned in Brunei though.
Oops, I did not see it on the menu and thought they weren't selling. Should have asked. Thanks Siaw Tan. I would really love to go on an eating spree in Brunei next time! My colleague was always raving about a rojak and a chicken rice outlet that he loved!! So, I do hope I have the opportunity to visit again soon.
ReplyDeleteI think your colleague was talking about Lee Loi Fatt for rojak and Thien Thien Restaurant for their Chicken Rice. =D
Deletehi siawtan, he probably is! but i wouldn't know for sure unfortunately .....
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