Kampong Ayer, Venice Of Asia In Brunei

By Jonny Blair


Venice is in Italy, but around the world other towns have earned themselves the title "Venice of Asia" including Suzhou in China and Tai O in Hong Kong. Enter the kingdom of Brunei and their very own Venice of Asia, known as Kampong Ayer - this village on stilts is fantastic.

Getting to Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan

In the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan there is a place called the waterfront so go there and hang around at the water and you will see guys on boats. They will probably shout up at you if you want a boat - which you do so head on down and jump in, explaining that you are going across to Kampong Ayer.

What price does it cost to get to Kampong Ayer?

Each single journey costs $1 Brunei Dollar one way per person so that's all you need to pay to get to Kampong Ayer. You'll have to do the same on the way back. Never pay any more than $1 Dollar for it. It's a standard rate. No tickets - just pay the guy on the boat.

What are the main attractions of Kampong Ayer?

The best thing about visiting Kampong Ayer is it's totally free! You arrive there and then have the place to yourself to walk around and enjoy it. It's a great place!

1. Visiting Houses - Every house in Kampong Ayer is literally a house on water! They are fascinating and you can walk round and explore a range of cool looking houses. It's perfect for those into photography as the houses are in all shapes, sizes and colours. You might be able to go inside some of the houses too if you ask the locals.

2. Muslim Mosques - Brunei Darussalam is a strict Muslim State and Mosques are all over the place, you can view two great Mosques at Kampong Ayer, Mosques on water!

3. Get to know the locals - the people of Kampong Ayer are approachable and friendly. They will stop and have a chat and join you for photos.

4. Buy Sweets - This might seem like an odd one, but there aren't many shops in Kampong Ayer, one which stood out was a traditional Sweet Shop!!

At the old fashioned sweet shop on Kampong Ayer they sell lots of traditional candy and sweets which reminded me totally of my childhood days buying 10p mixes in Bangor in Northern Ireland. They are also very cheap - you can pick up a lot of sweets for just 1 Brunei Dollar.

It's also a nice touch to pay for something on your visit to give the locals some money. It was free for you to visit their village on water so leave them with something.

5. Walk around - Just walking around and exploring the place on your own is a great thing to do. This is a really intriguing part of your journey to Kampong Ayer.

All in all, Kampong Ayer is a great place and really worth a visit. As you can tell there is a lot to see and do there for such a small village on water and it merits the "Venice of the East" tag that it has been given. There is a lot more to see in Bandar Seri Begawan as well, so once you are finished with Kampong Ayer head back across on the boat to see the capital city and the other parts of Brunei.




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