D'Anggerek Hotel Bandar Seri Begawan

... and told him we would count this journey as his initial operating experience (my airline friends know what this is).

He boarded the boat and I was satisfied he was going to sit down so I followed behind. I had one foot on the very slippery concrete step (low tide exposes all the algae and sea ****) and one on the boat when he once again hesitated like in Kuching for reasons only know to him. In an instant he spun around and grabbed my shoulder. That ...

... I'll get back there but this fleeting visit showed a country that is working hard to preserve its natural heritage and also encourage people to explore the richness of its environments and its culture. The people were friendly and polite and I'll be back some day I'm sure.

... the country. People are perhaps a bit less friendly then in Malaysia, but helpful. Brunei does not get many tourists and find out details like bus or ferry time table is almost impossible. Tourist information centre is nonexistent, papers claim wrong information, so the only source is the locals, who may also provide contradictory details.
Brunei was an interesting detour on the way to Sabah province of Malaysia.

... a beautiful setting and had a lovely swimming pool, fitness centre, health spa, quad bikes, kayaks and a decent restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to use any of the facilities on offer as more or less as soon as we checked in, we were whisked off to our first activity, a canopy skywalk through the rainforest. This skywalk is the longest in the world and took about an hour and a half. We walked over a series of very narrow ropeways ...

... Back down again and off to our Jungle Lodge for a very pleasant lunch by the river. We were pretty tired by the sweaty trek up the hill and had a nap to recharge the batteries. The Lodge was basic, but at least there was air-conditioning in our bunkbed room for just the three of us.
After the nap, Melissa told us we could do a float downriver - intriguing. We thought that white-water rafting was an option, but the river level was so low, the longboats had a problem ...

... on it's last legs so I succumbed to the Apple takeover and bought an iPod touch. I've found out it's got internet on it as well. It also seems everywhere in Malaysia and Brunei has wi-fi so it's like being online permanently. It's great! We're really roughing it this time round. I have a Nintendo, mobile phone and a friggin iPod. What happened to a pair of flip flops, one pair of keks, a ...

... write your journal; and sit on air-conditioner for an hour or two, if you can get away with it! You need to set yourself achievable goals! The cooling ceramic tiled spiral staircase that leads out of the greenhouse and down to the wash rooms allows for a brief moment of refreshment. On entering I am confronted with a porcelain hole in the ground which to the sleep deprived doesn't convey comfort. I won't describe the experience but it involved a ballet dancers poise and quads of steel ...

... qui lui on ete remis par different pays et dignitaire. On aurait bien prit quelques truc mais nous etions suivie de pres par un agent de securite. Le gardien laissant traine son couteau sur le bord de la table, l'a vite repris lorsque je croyais que c'etait a voir (comme le reste du musee avec ses 1,001 couteaux). Une visite d'une belle mosque sur notre chemin de retour s'imposait. Comme un palais des mille et une ...

... take a look at this natty Wiki-Pedia Entry... Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital city, and that is exactly where Kate is at the moment. Passport control was pretty good. Busy, noisy, crowded and somewhat on the nose. But 30 mins was all it took, and she was off to the budget hotel booked for the evening. Luckily the budget motel provided a shuttle bus, cause navigating the streets of ...

... there are supposed to be some good bars to party in Miri but we couldnt find them after circling the whole place a few times. Might stay overnight there next weekend after seeking some better directions. Has been a pretty low key weekend... found an internet cafe just down the road from the where im staying (which is where I sit right now). It reminds me of a hippy-chill out room at a music festival... oceans and suns painted on the ...