The Venice Of Asia In Brunei

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.

How to get to Kampong Ayer, Bandar Seri Begawan

Head to the waterfront of Bandar Seri Begawan at any time during the day and guys on boats will shout up at you asking if you want a boat. Tell them you're heading across the water, directly to Kampong Ayer. They all speak English and rely on tourists so you'll have no problems. Failing all else just point to where you want to go. [I:http://mst.marketingseotools.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/JonnyBlair11.jpg]

How much does it cost to get to Kampong Ayer?

To get to Kampong Ayer you pay $1 Brunei Dollar for a single journey - so that's a total of $2 Brunei Dollars return. But you pay it each time. You just pay the guy on the boat in cash each time - there is no need to book anything or get tickets. It's a very easy process.

What are the main attractions of Kampong Ayer?

It's a completely free tourist attraction which is great so you just walk around at your leisure taking it all in. There is no set route and you can really do as you please. Here is my list of things to see and do there.

1. Houses - All the houses in Kampong Ayer are built on stilts on the water, so they are worth admiring, checking out, getting up close to and popping inside. Great for photographers, loads of colour, loads of angles and not many people about to disturb you. I went inside one of the houses - some are open - but people live here so respect that too.

2. Mosques - Brunei is a staunch Muslim State and Mosques are everywhere - even built on the stilt villages at Kampong Ayer. We found two Mosques but there may be more.

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. [I:http://mst.marketingseotools.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/JonnyBlair20.jpg]

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!!

They sell the sort of sweets I had as a child growing up in Bangor in Northern Ireland! The beauty of it is that it's also really cheap!

It also helps with the local economy if you buy something as the entrance to Kampong Ayer is free.

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.

That's really it for Kampong Ayer for this lifetime. If you're in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, make sure you get the boat across to it - it's really worth seeing and it definitely deserves it's "Venice of the East" title - I'd say Kampong Ayer is much better than Venice. Less tourists for a start so you'll have the place to explore all on your own. I also wrote about how to get to Brunei from Malaysia , how to take alcohol into Brunei and drinking in Brunei which are worth checking out. A country well worth a trip.

For more marvellous travel articles like Backpacking Bandar Sei Begawan head to the globetrotting culture webblog for more ideas on Backpacking in Brunei.