Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
All of central BSB is within easy walking or sailing distance of the Omar Ali Saifuddien
Mosque, but unless you don't mind walking for hours in the tropical sun, you'll have to
make do with buses and taxis to get to sights east, north and west of downtown. Many
malls and restaurants are in Gadong, located about 5km northwest of central BSB. There
is a pleasant
promenade
along Jln McArthur, at the foot of Jln Sultan facing Kampung
Ayer, which is a nice spot for an evening stroll.
CENTRAL BSB
WATER VILLAGES
Kampung Ayer
Home to an estimated 20,000 people, Kampung Ayer consists of 28 contiguous stilt vil-
lages - named after the crafts and occupations traditionally practised there - built along
both (but especially the southern) banks of Sungai Brunei. A century ago, half of Brunei's
population lived here, and even today many Bruneians - despite government inducements
- still prefer the lifestyle of the water village to residency on dry land. If you look to the
main roads on the opposite banks of the village you'll see luxury cars lined up on the
shoulder of the road; many of these cars belong to water village residents. That said, Kam-
pung Ayer is also home to a sizable population of undocumented immigrants that constitu-
te Brunei's underclass.
Founded at least a thousand years ago, the village is considered the largest stilt settle-
ment in the world and has its own schools, mosques, police stations and fire brigade. The
houses, painted sun-bleached shades of green, blue, pink and yellow, have not been
cutesified for tourists, so while it's far from squalid, be prepared for trash that, at low tide,
carpets the intertidal mud under the banisterless boardwalks, some with missing planks.
When Venetian scholar Antonio Pigafetta, who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his
last voyage, visited Kampung Ayer in 1521, he dubbed it the 'Venice of the East', which
is, as descriptions go, a bit ambitious.
A good place to start a visit - and get acquainted with Brunei's pre-oil culture - is the
Thu, 9-11.30am & 2.30-5pm Fri)
, directly across the river from Sungai Kianggeh (the
stream at the eastern edge of the city centre). Opened in 2009, this riverfront complex fo-
cuses on the history, lifestyle and crafts of the Kampung Ayer people and usually has a
live handicrafts demonstration. Like many of the sultanate's public institutions, this one is
overstaffed, yet somehow seems underserviced, leading to lots of people who spend much
