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.

Dinner at Petra and Pilar

A month ago, a colleague from Belgium arrived here in Manila. I have worked with him personally in Istanbul and so, when he visited us, we were more than glad to welcome him. Our team took him out for dinner and decided to give him a taste of Filipino cuisine.

We brought him at Petra and Pilar located at Chino Roces in Makati. The place is owned by Katrina Ponce-Enrile and the place is named after her two grandmothers. The concept of this place is a fancy carienderia. You can order whichever dish you want at the counter and it will be served at your table. They have an array of food choices in display so you can choose whichever looks enticing.

Dinner at Yakimix

To celebrate my brother's birthday, we had a family dinner at Yakimix at Hobbies of Asia in Pasay City. It was bit far and we expect less people so that there would be no waiting or reservation needed. True enough, when we got there, there are a lot of vacant tables and we didn't have any difficulty finding a place to sit.

Yakimix in Hobbies of Asia is located along Macapagal Blvd. It is a small place and the area is lined with restaurants where they accept paluto. I am not sure how to get there by public transport except if your ride a cab. It is near SM Mall of Asia but you really need a car to get there.

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.