Kwenscapades: October 2012

Exploring Brunei Darussalam: Royal Regalia

4:56 PM


front of the Royal Regalia building

FACT: The Royal Regalia Building was officially opened on 30 September 1992 by His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam.

royal chariot; Sultan Bolkiah rides this during the Royal Procession

The building consists of 4 galleries: (1) Royal Regalia (2) Royal Exhibition Gallery (3) Silver Jubilee Gallery (4) Constitutional History Gallery---though I really can't recall which gallery is which. Truly a place you must visit in Brunei.

front view of the royal carriage

Upon entrance, you'll get to see the Royal Regalia gallery first. It includes the things used during the Coronation of His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah in 1968. There were so many artifacts mainly made in gold and other metals. Everything there was shining!

On the other galleries, you would see the gifts of different nations to the Sultan (found on the 2nd floor). The gifts ranges from small & simple to big & extravagant. You'd really be at awe!

If you're looking for souvenirs, no need to worry. There are many (actually, not that many) souvenir stores/kiosks at one part of the building (however, it's expensive). They sell mugs, shirts, key chains, and many other types of souvenir items.

I wasn't able to take photos of the other galleries since it was prohibited. So sad!

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Exploring Brunei Darussalam: Brunei Museum

4:32 PM

Facade of Brunei Museum

FACT: The Brunei Museum was established in 1965, with its first administrative office at the Civic Centre in Bandar Brunei, now known as Bandar Seri Begawan. Given approval for a building of its own, a location was selected for the museum, on a historical site, at Kota Batu about 5km from Bandar Seri Begawan.

chandelier found at the stairs of the museum

The museum was quite fascinating because it showcased the way of life of the Bruneians through life-size representations. It was quite scary at first (looking at those mannequins and all!), especially the lighting was kinda dim. It feels like Chucky would come out somewhere (haha! joke).Nevertheless, it was a very informative visit. You'll get to appreciate the history as well as the civilization of Brunei through the displays.

There are 4 floors, each showing a specific aspect of Bruneian arts and crafts which includes boat-making, cloth-weaving, basket-making, bronze tooling, and many others.


Selamat Datang means welcome in Malay language

It was a bit tiring since I had to climb up the stairs (don't even think about going there if you get tired easily) but then, the experience was interesting and also very educational.

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Exploring Brunei Darussalam: Kampong Ayer

11:36 AM

another sight at Brunei located near the area where we road the motorboat

Brunei Darussalam is indeed the Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures. Considering its small size, it has lots to offer for a tourist just like me. Brunei is a very serene and orderly place which I think is another charm of the country. One of the places I've been to is Kampong Ayer. I was greatly fascinated of the architectural designs of the houses which stood on stilts, above water.

my foster family

You need to ride a motorboat in order to get around the water village. I have observed that it is a huge village (though I didn't see the whole thing) complete with schools, museum, mosque, and even a gas station! Wow! really wow!

school at Kampong Ayer

The villagers usually own a boat. They use this in moving around the village. Though most of the houses and buildings are connected by woodbridges, still, they need the motorboats to go to the city and anywhere else. According to the guide, villagers usually go to the market (which is in the city) once a week to purchase their necessities.

a mosque connected to the houses


Yes! That's right! They even have a floating gasoline station

Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery

At the end of the tour, we went to see a historical rock. They said that there are many folklore talking about the said rock. Forgive me but I can't remember the stories anymore. =(

a historical rock in Kampong Ayer

Kampong Ayer is really an amazing place. The whole village is actually built above water, and note that most of the population of Brunei lives here. Woah! That's just so amazing!

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cebu

Exploring Cebu: Cebu Taoist Temple

2:20 PM

FACT: The Cebu Taoist Temple or The Philippine Taoist Temple Inc. is situated inside Beverly Hills Subdivision, Cebu City, Philippines. The building of Cebu Taoist Temple commenced in 1972 by a group of Chinese. The main temple is elevated over 270 meters above the sea level and the highest area is about 300 meters above sea level.

at the gate

I was really excited to go to the temple since my friends who have been there says that it resembles China (Woah! What a cheap way to get to see a piece of China! haha!). From Mandaue, we rode a jeepney which passes by Mabolo Church (I can't remember the jeepney code). From the church, we rode 04L jeepney (with signs SM-JY-LAHUG-AYALA). We got off at JY square. From there, I was quite confused what to ride--motorcycle or taxi?? There was one blog which said to ride a motorcycle since it is the cheapest way to get to the temple. Another blog said to ride a taxi since motorcycles can't enter the village. (NOTE: Taoist Temple is inside a village). Finally, we decided to try the motorcycle. Too bad, we were not able to enter the village. We still to walk about 200 meters to get to the temple. Another sad part is that we paid Php 100.00 for the 2 motorcycles that we rode. If we rode a taxi, it could have been cheaper. *SIGH!*

After a VERY long walk, we arrived at the temple. Yeah! It really is a piece of China. There were many tourists--both foreign and local ones. It was really silent inside the temple since it was supposed to be a place of prayer. We didn't take pictures inside the prayer rooms, as a sign of respect.

you can see these signs everywhere near the prayer rooms/altars

Just like Tops (though I haven't been there =D), you can see the aerial view of Cebu City. The place was great and very refreshing. However, the rain started to pour a little so we had to move fast and see the whole area. Nevertheless, we were able to enjoy all the sights that the place could offer.

Cebu Taoist Temple is open to both worshippers and non-worshippers from 8am-5pm. The devotees usually pray to the Gods to grant their wishes and ask for answers to both minor and major decisions in life.

getting answers to your questions

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Exploring Cebu: Fort San Pedro

11:55 AM

FACT: Fort San Pedro is considered to be the oldest fort in the Philippines. This served as a stronghold for Filipino revolutionaries near the end of the 19th century. It was a military defense structure built by the Spaniards and indigenous Cebuano laborers under the command of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. It is now one of the historical places in the Cebu Island and has become a tourist attraction as well.

I'm not really that familiar when it comes to streets here in Cebu, and so it's really hard for me to commute through jeepneys. Sadly, I always rode taxis. But when my family and I went to Fort San Pedro (I'm not really sure if it's "Fort" or "Port", for consistency, I shall use "Fort" =D), we took the PUJ. From my place which is in Mandaue, we rode 21D PUJ. We got off at Plaza Independencia and strode to the gates of Fort San Pedro. We paid Php 20.00 each as entrance fee.

Right then and there at the entrance, you can hear local folks singing Original Pinoy Music (OPM), also cebuano songs which, by the way, delighted the foreign tourists.

There were many foreign tourists when we went there (mostly Koreans).

Fort San Pedro is a relatively small place but then, you can really see how the Philippines was during Spanish regime. They have many displays that will give you a good grasp of Philippine history.

All in all, it is a good place to visit.

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Newer Posts Home

Exploring Brunei Darussalam: Royal Regalia

Exploring Brunei Darussalam: Brunei Museum

Exploring Brunei Darussalam: Kampong Ayer

Exploring Cebu: Cebu Taoist Temple

Exploring Cebu: Fort San Pedro

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