Brunei
30th January – 7th February 2019
Travel day
We left in plenty of time which was just as well as we took the ‘scenic’ route to the airport car park, touring round all of Heathrow, all terminal car parks until eventually getting to the right one!
After dropping our bags and getting through security we followed the directions we got to get to the airport lounge…out of security, left past World of Duty Free, up one floor. Only to discover what they really meant to say was out of security, right past World of Duty Free and down one floor!!
Three seats between us made the 13.5hour flight more comfortable, especially for Vikki who stretched out, used Steve as a foot/leg rest and slept for about 6 hours! A few films, some games of Battleships, Sudoko and Who wants to be a millionaire passed the rest of the time.
The less said about the food the better, if you fancy beef noodles or chicken with fried rice for breakfast then you’re in the right place…
Arrival day
Landed, disembarked and whizzed through passport control. By the time we popped to the toilet to change into shorts our cases were out and waiting for us and we headed off to Sian and Adey’s.
Time difference meant it was about 5pm by the time we arrived. Got unpacked, had some food and feeling very hot and very tired a quiet first evening for Vikki getting to know Sian while Steve went out to watch Adey at band practice.
Day 1 – Sleeping, shopping and hashing
Jet lag had us wide awake at 4am so Friday morning was spent fast asleep catching up while Adey and Sian were at work.
After lunch Steve managed to crash three ATM machines at the local shopping centre trying to get some cash!
We got gifts for the children and strange asian snacks to bring back to work and tried not to feel too smug in the 30 degree heat as we started to hear about the freezing temperatures and snow back home.
After dinner Sian and Adey (or should I say Yogi Beer and Never Two Balls???) took us on our first jungle hash, however who would have thought turning right could cause so much contention…
Little sleep, jet lag, 30+ degrees and 95% humidity made 4km of jungle feel like incredibly hard work.
We missed the waterfall, nearly kicked the annoying dogs and only had one fall…I think we can call it a success.
The refreshing shower (Steve passed on the authentic washing in the street experience!), beers and g&t’s after helped the recovery and Steve successfully got Adey “on the ice”.
Day 2 – River boat tour, monkeys, massages and a party
We went on a river boat tour through Brunei with Adey, during it we saw a baby crocodile, lots and lots of monkeys and a variety of birds. The boat driver squeezed the boat down an offshoot of the river and we saw many monkeys jumping across the river, as well a few falling in!
We saw lots of jungle, mosques, the Sultan of Brunei’s palace, the new fancy bridge and the water village. Oh and we also got to experience the unique smell of the river!
We then went for a walk in Tasek Lama Recreational Park where we saw more monkeys (who knew monkeys picked each other’s backs ;o), a small waterfall and sampled the ‘delights’ of pure, unsweetened, coconut water – on a par with cauliflower mousse according to Steve!
After lunch Vikki and Sian went for a full body massage followed by a hair wash and blow dry (which included the most amazing head massage) while Steve and Adey did some Wheeler Dealer filming.
Saturday night was Sian’s birthday party, live music from Adey, the discovery that one of their Brunei friends used to live in Church Crookham and another went to university with someone from Ellon!
Oh and not to forget Sian’s dancing, the splits and of course the guy on the dance floor who was dancing to completely different music to everyone else!
Day 3 – Road trip to Malaysia
After a lazy morning we headed to the Miri Marriott Resort & Spa, Malaysia.
A combination of things meant we didn’t leave until rather late in the day so didn’t arrive at the hotel until around 5:00pm.
It was straight into the pool for a cool down after dropping the cases off in the room. Steve and Adey were most disappointed that the inflatable assault course was for kids only!
The hotel was decorated beautifully for Chinese New Year, the pool was fantastic and the room great. However there was a quirk to the room…who doesn’t want a window from the bedroom into the bathroom!
The day was finished off with a meal out in Miri, a 10minute (eventful) drive to get there but an hour (uneventful) drive round in circles to get back because all the roads were shut for chinese new year celebrations.
Day 4 – Niah Caves
The plan for the day had always been to go to Niah caves in Niah National Park. A slight underestimation in the amount of time it would take to get there started the day but we all got going.
45mins in to the drive, having passed no petrol stations, we had a ‘not enough fuel’ moment and nearly turned back. Thanks to gesturing wildly at the fuel cap on the car to a non English speaking family on a motorbike we discovered there was a petrol station nearby so all was good.
The petrol station was where Vikki first encountered a Malaysian ‘toilet’ aka a hole in the ground! It was also where the realisation was made that we didn’t have enough cash to get into the caves, didn’t know where any ATMs were and weren’t sure if they took cards…
Dodgy signage meant a detour round a local village en route before arriving at the caves, allbeit slightly later than anticipated, to discover they don’t take cards and we didn’t have enough cash. Adey and Steve set off on an ATM hunt while Vikki, Sian and the boys wandered and investigated lunch options.
The canteen had an extensive menu of more than 30 items…of which all they actually had was rice and noodles! With everyone fed and watered we headed off to find the caves, starting with the world’s shortest boat trip!
After the caves it was back to the hotel for a swim in the pool and couple of drinks in the swim up bar, a great way to relax after 4+ hours in the car and a long hot walk (although Vikki’s drink was always last).
A walk out for dinner, entertained by lots of fireworks on the way, to a restaurant which only served beer – happy Steve! Day nicely finished off with ice cream and a G&T back at the hotel – happy Vikki!
Day 5 – Lambir Hills Waterfall & Miri Crocodile Farm
After being rather surprised to be caught up close and personal by a pair of dancing Chinese dragons while checking out we set off for the waterfall with plenty of fuel and cash after yesterday’s lessons!
We arrived, along with half of Asia, and headed on the relatively short walk to the waterfall.
So far so good, no dramas or misplanning. All got changed and about to head into the water when the key hunt started…after a run back to the car Adey found his misplaced keys, returned and we all relaxed!
The water was a bit on the chilly side and Steve wasn’t keen on going in…while Vikki was pretending it wasn’t all that cold and walking backwards in the water the sudden drop in floor level made for some great entertainment for everyone else!!
After some waterfall swimming it was back to the hotel for a swim, some drinks and lunch at the pool bar. Vikki was last to get her drink again and we discovered that fresh orange juice doesn’t mean just juice from an orange, it means juice from an orange and a whole load of added sugar!
After a long wait lunch arrived (Vikki very much last again!) and was eaten by the pool, followed by one last swim and an outdoor shower under a palm tree before heading back over the border via Miri Crocodile Farm.
Saw a lot of crocodiles at the crocodile farm, watched them being fed (Vikki trying to use Steve’s fancy pants camera to capture the feeding…), got to hold a baby crocodile and then it was our turn to feed the big ones. A giant ‘fishing rod’ with some raw chicken on a hook makes for very happy crocodiles!
Uneventful drive back, well…apart from realising that Adey didn’t have the right paperwork to get back across and Vikki and Sian talking so much they missed a junction!
Day 6 – Boat trip to a private island & plane trip home
An early start to get to the boat for a 9am launch, we were only 5 mins late so pretty good given our previous time keeping! Boat loaded with snacks, drinks, sun cream and mosquito spray and off we went.
After a cloudy start, 45mins on the boat and we arrived at the amazing white sandy island, just before we arrived we spotted a sea turtle swimming around just beneath us and the sun came out.
A fantastic morning spent in the water, with great company, drinking wine and beer (with the odd water), eating snacks from the floating makeshift tray, listening to entertaining stories about Adey in his uni days!
Lunch at the royal boat club before heading back to pack up for the flight home (and for some last minute filming for Adey and Steve).
Finally got a semi decent coffee at the airport and got changed out of our shorts before boarding – Vikki had a rather public change by the sinks after discovering all the toilets had soaking wet floors! Wearing jeans felt very strange after a week of having our legs out.
With a row of three seats each the flight home promised to be more comfortable than the flight out. A few games of battleships (remind me again who won them all Steve..?), finally getting to watch Bohemian Rhapsody, Steve finally getting to see the end of Blade Runner 2, some sleep (more for Steve than Vikki this time), a lost earring (Vikki’s not Steve’s!), very little to eat for breakfast (no choice was a good choise), a lovely sunrise, 15 hours and we were back in Heathrow.
Standing in the fresh, cool air, with no greasy suncream or mosquito spray and no humidity we decided maybe being back home isn’t too bad…especially as we worked out it was only 100 days until our next adventure.
An amazing week, fantastic adventure, so many special memories made.
