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Kampong Ayer,Brunei

The Water Village (Malay: Kampong Ayer) is an area of Brunei's capital city Bandar Seri Begawan that is situated in the middle of the Brunei River. 30,000 people live in the Water Village. This represents roughly ten percent of the nation's total population. All of the Water Village buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River.


The Water Village is really made up of small villages linked together by more than 29,140 metres of foot-bridges, consisting of over 4200 structures including homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, a school, and a hospital. 36 kilometers of boardwalks connect the buildings. Private water taxis provide rapid transit. Most of these taxis resemble long wooden speed boats. From a distance the water village looks like a slum. It actually enjoys modern amenities including air conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing, and electricity. Some of the residents keep potted plants and chickens. The district has a unique architectural heritage of wooden homes with ornate interiors.


People have lived in Kampong Ayer for over 1300 years. Antonio Pigafetta dubbed it the Venice of the East when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan visited in 1521. The district is a culturally important part of Brunei that preserves the nation's river dwelling origins. According to geography professor Abdul Aziz of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, this is the largest and most famous water settlement of Southeast Asia. "It was historically the very core of Brunei and one of the most important centres of trade in Borneo."


In order to preserve Kampong Ayer as Brunei Darussalam's most valuable heritage, the Government through the District Office has provided it with numerous facilities including foot-bridges, concrete jetties, piped water, electricity supplies telephones, a school, mosques, clinics, a police station and a marine fire station. All of the six water village mukims (districts) are collectively known as the water village (Kampong Ayer) but are identified as separate mukims for administrative purposes.

Nha Trang ,Vietnam

Welcome to the Nha Trang Virtual Tour. Nha Trang is a city in the South of Vietnam, 280 miles (450 Km) Northeast of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The city is famous for its beaches, for its turquoise waters and for its islands.

If you are traveling around Vietnam, Nha Trang is a great place to relax for a few days. The town has a splendid beach. I recommend also a visit to some of its 19 surrounding islands. Scuba diving and snorkeling are also very popular among visitors.
Nha Trang is a place to relax by day and to party by night. Its long beach is visited by locals first thing in the morning, from 5 am to 8 am. Vietnamese do not appreciate tanned skins. Foreign visitors come to the beach quite later.

Throughout the public beach are restaurants and bars that offer umbrellas and beds for rent. Most of these bars offer drinks and food. Prices are quite low, and the quality of the food is surprisingly high. Local vendors will offer you everything else you need. From fresh fruits to massages. I found these sellers some times annoying, but at the same time I found the goods they sold useful.
Nha Trang has an airport with daily flights from Da Nang, Hanoi and Saigon. You can also come from Saigon by train or bus. If you are traveling from the North, you can get to Nha Trang from Da nang by train. It is also possible to get to/from Da Nang by bus. I cannot recommend the bus, unless you have plenty of time and a low budget. By the way, if you are planning a backpack travel to Vietnam, there is a bus service that offers an open ticket from Hanoi to Saigon (or vice versa) for a few US dollars. With the Open Bus, you can stop in several cities on the way to your destination, stay there as long as you want, and continue the trip. You will find more info about the Open Bus tickets in any travel agency in the center of Hanoi and/or Saigon.
The offer of accommodation in Nha Trang is very varied. You may have to book in advance if you come during the high season (summer), but if not, it may not be necessary. Most hotels are located along the city's main beach road, Tran Phu Boulevard. Unless you stay in a first class hotel, I recommend staying in hotels one street back from this road. Hotels in front of the road can be noisy. You will also find better deals and better services if you move inland.

If you do not have a hotel reservation, I recommend bringing a good and updated travel guide. If not, you will have to ask a taxi driver to look for a hotel. It is not that taxi drivers will rip you off, the problem is that you may waste a lot of time going from one hotel to the other till you find the one that satisfies you
The culinary offer in Nha Trang is also very varied. One of the reasons I enjoyed my stay in Nha Trang was the quality of the food. This city is nation wide famous for its sea food specialties. Around the first class hotels you will find the best restaurants in town. In the tourist center of Nha Trang you will find some cheaper options. Some of the restaurants in this area serve western food (pizzas and burgers). For the real deal, ask a taxi driver to bring you to one of the local sea food restaurants. I went to a sea food restaurant North of the city, on the other side of the bridges, with an excellent offer of local sea food. Prices were not very high.

It is also possible to have sea food on the beach. While I was lying on a bed, this nice lady asked if we wanted to try the local lobsters. After a long negotiation we agreed on the price. She went to the local market, bought two lobsters and brought them alive. She cooked them on a small pan on the sand. Although tropical lobster is not as good as cold water lobster, this was a great lunch. If you buy sea food from a local, make sure it is alive.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

The world famous Halong Bay is a must see in any travel to Vietnam. The bay and its 3,000 islands will surprise you no matter how many pictures you have seen before.

The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Many travel agencies in Hanoi offer excursions to Halong Bay. Allow, at least, two days to visit the bay. The islands vary in size, some are small -- as the one in the picture --, others are quite big. Some of the islands have grottoes that can be visited.

If you stay with me, I will give you a sneak preview of the Halong Bay area, and give you some useful tips.

Halong Bay, tourist boat

In Hanoi you will find plenty of agencies that offer tours to Halong Bay. Usually they offer one, two and three days trips. One day is not enough to visit the bay. The trip from Hanoi to Ving Ha Long will take you almost five hours. With the one day excursion you will only be able to do a small boat tour. Two days is the minimum stay recommended. If you add a third day, you will be able to sleep in one of the islands in the bay, Cat Ba Island for instance.

The trip from Hanoi is done on bus. Your guide will bring you to the halong Bay port, where you will get on one of the boats.

Halong Bay, limestone islets

The best time to visit the Halong Bay area is in Spring and Summer. In fall and winter the sea is not very clear because of the muddy waters the rain in the region brings to the sea. In summer, days are clearer and temperatures can be somewhat high. In winter the area may be visited, but you won't be able to swim.

Halong Bay, fishing boat

For the two and three (or more) days tours there are two options of accommodation. One is sleeping in one of the boats. The other is sleeping in one of the islands in the bay. Tourism is developing in the area. New hotels are being built in the bigger islands. I recommend sleeping one night on the boat, but if I were you I would not sleep a second night on board. Boats are small, noisy and do rock a lot. If you want a tip, sleep in a hotel the second night.

Halong Bay, grotto

Some of the bigger islands have grottoes. They are open to the public. Most of the organized tours will stop in one of these islands, and take you on a guided tour of a grotto. The visit to these caves lasts around an hour. Some of them are in better conditions than others, but it is always a magical experience to get inside the mountains, and see how powerful water is.

Singapore's vibrant Chinatown

Explore Singapore's vibrant Chinatown on a balmy evening tour that's filled with activities. After exploring Singapore's Chinatown and enjoying a Chinese dinner at a Chinatown restaurant, you'll take a tour with a difference by trishaw through Singapore's exciting Night Market then cruise along the Singapore River by traditional cargo boat.

The four-hour evening tour of Singapore's Chinatown offers rare insights into Chinese history in Singapore. You'll take a visit to the Chinatown Heritage Center, housed in three restored traditional shop houses. The Heritage Center takes you back to a different era and provides a first-hand experience of life in the cramped quarters of a typical Chinatown shop house. You'll also have the opportunity to wander along Chinatown’s narrow lanes at the Night Market and test your bargaining skills with street vendors selling souvenirs, fashion, leather goods and much more.

The highlight of the Singapore Chinatown evening tour is your trip through Chinatown’s exuberant Night Market by trishaw. You'll thread your way through the market's hustle and bustle by the “chauffeured limousine” of times gone by, traveling through Chinatown to Clarke Quay. Here you'll take a cruise along the Singapore River in a bumboat, the traditional cargo boats once used to ferry goods up and down the river. You'll see Singapore lit up at night, highlighting the beautifully restored shop houses, the modern skyscrapers of the financial district, colonial buildings and the iconic Merlion statue. The cruise disembarks at the Esplanade–Theatres by the Bay venue on the waterfront.

Sentosa Island, Singapore

Expand your Singapore experience with an afternoon visit to Sentosa Island, Singapore's relaxing island resort. You'll travel to this island haven by scenic cable car, see pink dolphins at play in the Dolphin Lagoon, visit the Underwater World oceanarium, see the “Images of Singapore” story and after dinner enjoy the multi-sensory sound and light water show “Songs of the Sea”. This action-packed, family-friendly afternoon tour to Sentosa Island is guaranteed to please children and adults alike.

Your afternoon Sentosa Island afternoon tour begins with panoramic views from a cable car as your swoop over the water from Mt Faber to the Sentosa island resort. You'll be amazed by the playful antics of the pink dolphins at the Dolphin Lagoon, with their tail-flapping, calling and synchronized tail-walking. Your view of fascinating sea life gets even closer at Sentosa's Underwater World. You’ll be taken on a “voyage to the bottom of the sea” as you walk through a transparent underwater tunnel with close-up views of more than 2,500 sea creatures.

At “Images of Singapore” you'll experience the colorful culture and vibrant heritage of Singapore, retold through life-size figures, aipnimatronics and special effects. After dinner, you’ll head for "Songs of the Sea", Singapore's multi-sensory extravaganza. The world-class water show features dramatic effects, water jets, lasers, burst of fire and foot-tapping music in an underwater setting, transporting you to an enchanted world where mystical sea creatures, a dashing young hero, beautiful princess and all things magical come to life. Your return to Singapore is by private air-conditioned coach.

Singapore's Jurong Bird Park

Take a ride on the air-conditioned Panorail for a panoramic view of Singapore's Jurong Bird Park and into a tropical world of jungle mists at the Waterfall Aviary.  With this 4-hour tour you'll also enjoy the spectacular Penguin Exhibit with an underwater viewing gallery and do not miss the All-Star Bird Show, reputed as world-class.

Jurong Bird Park is located on 20 hectares of lush greenery in Singapore's model industrial estate and is home to over 8,000 birds from more than 600 species.

There is something for everyone at Jurong Bird Park. The kids will love the Birds n Buddies Show with colorful costumed characters showing at 11:00am and 3:00pm daily as well as the Splash n Slide Station. Be wowed by nature's most ferocious flying predators at the Birds of Prey Show also showing daily at 10:00am and 4:00pm. There are many shows running throughout the day, be sure to check the schedule upon arrival at the park.

A great day out for the whole family!