Backpacking Brunei: Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and Kampong Ayer

One of the famous attractions in Brunei is the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque because it is one of the most beautiful mosque in the Asia Pacific. It is named after a Sultan of Brunei and is a symbol of Islamic faith. The mosque is near the water Village or the Kampong Ayer.

From a far, the mosque is very spectacular as it features a golden dome. You can also see that it is surrounded with water. It was a very nice view.

Food Trippin' Brunei: De Royalle Cafe

It was our first morning and our last day in Brunei, and while waiting for Amiru to tour us again, we looked for a coffee shop that was open early in the morning for us to have breakfast (since our inn does not offer a free one). We found this small cafe beside CBTL and we decided to have breakfast there and spend some time until all other stores open. It was called De Royalle Cafe.

There were few in the place and most of the shops are still closed early morning and others that are open are already common to us and can be found here in our own country. we wanted something unique but fits our budget, besides, we had a lot of savings since Amiru covered the tours for us.

Place to Stay in Brunei: Brunei Youth Hostel (Pusat Belia)

On our short stay in the small country of Brunei, we stayed at the Brunei Youth Hostel (Pusat Belia) at Bandar Seri Begawan. The place was just a short walk to the nice places you can go to in this country. Lucky for us, we were pre-booked by our friend. This place is definitely cheap and is perfect for backpackers who want to have a great stay here in Brunei.

The place is huge and it even have a big pool for the guests. They have common areas and some internet place where guests can rent a computer. They also have a cafeteria. We didn't get to go around the whole hostel and just stayed at the front area where we could catch up some WiFi and stay connected online.

Food Trippin' Brunei: Nasi Katok

We asked our friend, Gladys in Labuan on what to eat when we get to Brunei as she drove us to the ferry port on the morning we're leaving the small beautiful island. She recommend that we should have a taste of Brunei's Nasi Katok which was a chicken and rice dish according to her.

As we got to Brunei, our friend there, Amiru, brought us to a restaurant that serves Nasi Katok. It wasn't difficult to look for a place that sells it since almost any corner, there is a restaurant that serves it. It is very popular there since it is cheap and very yummy.

Backpacking Brunei: The Emprie

As a budget traveler, I seldom go to hotels in places I go to. Staying in a luxury hotel is a dream but not really a necessity for me. Touring around Brunei, I found out that you'll find one of the most popular hotel here because it is a six-star hotel, the most luxurious I have ever stepped into, The Empire.

The Empire is a hotel and country club locates at Jerudong in Brunei Darussalam. It is located near the beach area so the hotel guests can enjoy the breath taking view of the ocean. Good thing our friend took us on a tour here so that we could explore and see what can be inside a six-star hotel.

Backpacking Brunei: Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Brunei is a Muslim country and here, you could expect different Mosques around the city. These had become some of their attractions when touring around the city.

There are several mosques that tourists can go visit here. One of them is Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque which is their biggest mosque in the whole Brunei.

Backpacking Brunei: Touring Around the City

As we arrived in Brunei from Labuan Island, my friend's ASEAN summit friend Amiru fetched us at the port. He was with his brother but that was until we arrived. He left us afterwards and we were with Amiru our whole stay in Brunei touring around the city.

It was really convenient that we have someone to go around because in Brunei, there are less public transport since almost everyone owns a car. And I'm not blaming them since gas prices here are very cheap. Surprisingly, even if almost all people there owns a car, there is less traffic. Indeed a haven for car owners.

Backpacking Malaysia: Around the Small Island of Labuan

We arrived at Labuan Island at around 4 in the afternoon. The sun us still up high and we are waiting at the port for Gladys, my friend's friend, to come and fetch us. We waited at the ferry terminal and were tempted to buy all the chocolates they have at stores since they are all pretty cheap as Labuan Island products are duty free.

We are fetched at around 4:30 in the afternoon and off we went to get around the nice spots in this small island. We went to the different areas in Labuan such as Patau-Patau Water Village, An'Nur Jamek Mosque, Peace Park, and the Chimney. It was a bit late but thankfully, we have a car, and so, we can get to many places in little time.

Food Trippin' Kota Kinabalu: Tropicana Lodge and Cafe

Before heading out to Jesselton Point and go to Labuan Island in the afternoon, we decided to have a quick lunch after our museum tours in the morning. We were going around the Australia Place in Kota Kinabalu, looking for something to eat when we decided to eat at Tropicana Lodge and Cafe.

Located at Lot 9, Ground & 1st Floor, Lorong Dewan (Australia Place), it is the restaurant of the main lodge. We were the only customers when we got there and I think we all made them work since we ordered some lunch food a bit earlier than lunch time. This place is just a few minutes walk from Borneo Backpackers where we stayed.

Backpacking Malaysia: From Kota Kinabalu to Labuan to Brunei

On our second day in Kota Kinabalu, we planned to spend the day going around the Sabah Museum and travelling to Labuan Island in the afternoon to meetup with my friend's Malaysian friend (which became my friend also) there. We decided to spend the night there since it is on the way going to Brunei, which is our next destination after KK.

Going to Labuan Island, you need to ride a ferry in Jesselton Point. This will bring you to the small island and is the midpoint port if you plan to go to Brunei from KK. Located at the edge of town, Jesslton Point welcomes you with the big arc and and their ticketing office going to the different areas in KK.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Exploring the City Center

We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at around 6 in the evening and after all the immigration process, we got out at around 7 pm hailing a cab that would take us to our inn. We figured not to waste the day and so, we went out at night to find food and to explore Kota Kinabalu's City Center.

It was drizzling a bit but it didn't stop us from walking around. Guided by the few brochures that we got in the airport, we looked for places to even that late hours. Good thing, we are near the city center and everything that you need to see there is reachable by foot. And so, our late night exploring began.

Backpacking Borneo: From Kota Kinabalu to Brunei to Kuala Lumpur to Melaka

I booked a flight going to Kota Kinabalu a year ago and I didn't expect that this would be a grand adventure. We planned a Borneo trip from Clark, Pampanga to Kota Kinabalu to Labuan Island to Brunei to Kuala Lumpur to Melaka, back to Kuala Lumpur and returning home to Manila (whew!). It was a 7 day challenge and it turned out pretty well. I experienced being a backpacker that time and it was one heck of an epic experience.

Borneo is located just south of the Philippines. It is just below Palawan, and so, the weather there is similar here. I packed my backpack with a little less clothes compared to my Korea trip since I would only need some shorts and shirts in a tropical country like ours. I am off with a backpack and a small bag for my camera to a 7-day adventure to these places.