april-2012

Saturday
RIDE Gird up for a day in the untouched rainforests of Ulu
Temburong National Park. Board a water taxi from BSB,
which will take about an hour, to Bangar in the Temburong
district. A half-hour bus ride will then take you to Brunei’s
Outward Bound School in Batang Duri, where you board
temuai — longboats steered by men and women of Iban
heritage (a Borneo tribe once known for headhunting).
CLIMB “The Kuala Belalong Forest Reserve requires that
you take 2,000 steps to get to the summit, where you get a
panoramic view of the majestic mountains, the rushing river
and the surrounding forestland below,” says Ahmed Shaheeb
Bin Mohd Fathiuzzaman, a journalist who has covered travel
and other beats for the Borneo Bulletin.
DISCOVER Make time for the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve and
the Ulu Temburong National Park. “The Reserve is an
endless spread of thick virgin jungle, and inside lies
50,000 hectares of parkland that has seen very
little human impact,” says Fathiuzzaman.
“The National Park features steep, swampy
terrain and thick, impenetrable jungle
land.” But the trip is worth it as the park
is home to abundant species of birds,
butterfl ies and insects. Meanwhile, the
Peradayan Forest Recreation Park offers
an eco-tour of caves and strange rock
formation. “Spread over 1,070 hectares,
it is declared a conservation forest by the
Forestry Department,” he says.
C ERTIFIED FAMILY FUN
EXPLORE
“Batang Duri is an
Iban settlement cum park
with a longhouse (traditional
extended family house), where
shifting cultivation is still practiced,”
says Borneo Bulletin journalist Ahmed
Shaheeb Bin Mohd Fathiuzzaman. The
park is nestled within a thick forest with
playgrounds, wooden walkways, and a
clean river you can swim in. “Another
highlight is Taman Batang Duri,
a park with a mini zoo,”
he adds.
{ 66 }
Sunday
You might meet an Iban woman
on your way to Temburong
National Park; (below) be
prepared to cross wooden
passes in the park
CRUISE Depart early in the morning for the boat jetty in BSB.
Board a local wooden boat for a half-day tour searching for
the rare proboscis monkey, which has a distinct, pendulous
nose. Your adventure will take you down the Brunei River,
past city attractions like the centuries-old Kampung Ayer
(water village) and the Istana Nurul Iman — the 1,788-room
presidential palace of the Sultan of Brunei. As you pass the
royal residence, mangrove forests come into view; and if
you’re lucky, you’ll spot kingfi shers catching tiny fi sh and
mudskippers — amphibious fi sh that can survive in and out
of water — hopping along the banks of the Brunei River. The
proboscis monkeys are usually sighted close to the water’s
edge early in the morning or at dusk.
EAT a dinner of kebabs and fi sh and chips at Casbah London
Kebab in Times Square, or nasi lemak, laksa and other
reasonably priced meals at the very popular Mamih Kuilap
(www.bruclass.biz/web/mamih/), before heading to the
airport for your fl ight back home.
Cebu Pacifi c fl ies to Bandar Seri Begawan from Manila.
www.cebupacifi cair.com
PHOTOS BRUNEI TOURISM