7 to 18 March 2019 - Brunei Darussalam

On arrival at Brunei, late evening, I went into the airport toilet and when finished there found airport staff looking for me. As there had been only 20 people on the plane, the last of the day, and I was the last person to go through the formalities,  I was told nicely to hurry up as everyone wanted to go home. Flew through immigration and customs to find my family waiting for me. The time in Brunei was spent staying with my family and mainly touring round the capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan, with a trip across the border for a meal and to stock up on drink. Brunei being an Islamic country it is not allowed for anyone to buy or drink alcohol anywhere in public view. However, a non-Muslim may take an allowance into the country and non-Muslim expatiates are allowed to cross the border and take back 2 litres of wine or spirits plus 12 cans of beer every 48 hours.

Views of Brunei

Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei

River dwellings

Sultan's Palace

River bank

At the river bank

Mosque at the side of the river

Temburong Bridge

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque Entrance

Oil Pump

The Teapot Roundabout

Kite Festival

The park along the river

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

I left Brunei on 18 March and after a stop at Singapore arrived in London the following day, almost three months to the day when I left the UK to start this trip. Russia and the Trans Siberian train journey was magical, especially in the snow. I rarely noticed the cold so that was a distinct plus. Harbin was different to what I had seen on TV mainly because little prominence had been given to the Snow Festival which I thought was fantastic. The Ice Festival was different too as I did not know beforehand that it would be possible not only to look at the ice buildings but actually be able to touch and walk through them. Anyone going to South Korea should go to Jeju Island as there seemed to be so much to do there. North Korea was an eye-opener for me with the buildings, culture and food; the oppressiveness of the place not being obvious until near the end of my stay there and especially the contrast to Dandong. I did enjoy seeing and climbing on the eastern end of the Great Wall in Dandong, the reason I wanted to go there in the first place. Beijing and Bangkok were as expected with there being more people and cars to be seen in both places. Brunei had it’s mosques and river, all of which I enjoyed. It was a good trip!