Kampong Ayer Village on Water in Brunei

Kampong Ayer Village on Water in Brunei

by Jonny Blair

Venice is in Italy, but around the world other towns have earned themselves the title "Venice of Asia" including Suzhou in China and Tai O in Hong Kong. Enter the kingdom of Brunei and their very own Venice of Asia, known as Kampong Ayer - this village on stilts is fantastic.

How to get to Kampong Ayer, Bandar Seri Begawan

In the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan there is a place called the waterfront so go there and hang around at the water and you will see guys on boats. They will probably shout up at you if you want a boat - which you do so head on down and jump in, explaining that you are going across to Kampong Ayer.

How much does it cost to get to Kampong Ayer?

A single journey across to Kampong Ayer from Bandar Seri Begawan will cost $1 Brunei Dollar and that's it. You need to pay exactly the same price on the way back. It's a set and fixed fee so don't be paying any more than that. There are no tickets - it's pay in cash on the spot.

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. Muslim Mosques - Brunei Darussalam is a strict Muslim State and Mosques are all over the place, you can view two great Mosques at Kampong Ayer, Mosques on water!

3. Meet the Locals - People in Brunei are mostly friendly, welcoming and approachable. We met the locals and these lively folk even posed with my travelling Northern Ireland flag. A great place to get off the beaten track on your travels.

4. Buying Sweets - Although Kampong Ayer doesn't have many shops, it has the unusual option of an old fashioned sweet shop! A great place to buy cheap sweets and candy and reminisce your childhood.

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. Walking - The best thing is just to walk round and explore it on your own - there is no set route and you can find all sorts of paths past houses and mosques. It's a feast for the eyes and a great place to see.

All in all, Kampong Ayer is a great place and really worth a visit. As you can tell there is a lot to see and do there for such a small village on water and it merits the "Venice of the East" tag that it has been given. There is a lot more to see in Bandar Seri Begawan as well, so once you are finished with Kampong Ayer head back across on the boat to see the capital city and the other parts of Brunei.



For more stories like <a href="http://tinyurl.com/njqqt6v">Visiting Kampong Ayer</a> check out the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/d739bzx">Top Travel Blogs</a> by Jonny Blair which demonstrates how easy it is to live a lifestyle of travel and explore the globe.

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