The tour was over … I was on myself again.

I left the hotel early in the morning, went out to the airport and flew over to Bandar Seri Begawan – the capital of Brunei. The flight was really memorable, as it followed a slightly unusual order (compared to all flights I have taken so far). After boarding we had drinks served, then a Muslim travel prayer (I was flying Royal Brunei), then the safety stuff, then take-off .. the flight just 20 minutes, barely enough time to fill out all the paperwork (immigration form, customs form, and swine flu questionnaire).

I it into Brunei and to my hotel … then just started exploring. First destination was the Royal Regalia Museum, after which I moved on ‘downtown’.

After lunch I headed out for the Brunei museum and the Malay technology museum. In between I had plenty of time to soak in the atmosphere around Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.

In the late afternoon I went for boat tour around Kampung Air, BSB’s water village … probably more than village, as still today around half the population of BSB lives here. I was taken on a roundtrip around the village, plus a sidetrip to viewpoints for the big mosques, further upriver to get a glimpse of the sultan’s palace and another stop in the mangroves to see Brunei’s proboscis monkeys. Overall a very enjoyable way to get around in and to see town.

After sunset I went to a restaurant near the river for some nice dinner and a mango juice … no beer in Brunei … enjoying BSB’s laid back atmosphere.