Off-road riding in Borneo

[Forest]

amazing pix Phil and yes Borneo is one of the few places I haven't been in Asia yet,but is always been on the list let's do it! look forward to more info .ride on!

Amazing Phil...thnx a million for this...I just added Borneo on my list of places to ride!

 

[Loop]

Great trip Phil. Have seen a bit of Sabah on a couple of trips there.

We watched where he was headed but didn't see ant smoke in the area at all

Maybe topping up the local big bosses dam?

 

[KTMphil]

The Borneo map below shows the twin lumps of Brunei surrounded by Sarawak, Malaysia where we did most of the riding. The Indonesian border is bottom right.

 

[KTMphil]

So we're out of the jungle headed north back towards city civilization, Miri. There are hundreds of cheap hotels in Miri for around 90 Ringit. If you want something a bit special, a good choice for location & quality of room is the Imperial Hotel smack in the center of town. Rooms are around 200-240 Ringit a night (USD$ 70) great value for it's location.

Location:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Imperial-Palace-Hotel/185931521570900?rf=485187798214287

 

[KTMphil]

Eating in Miri, the fresh seafood is fabulous. Apollo seafood is an old time favorite in the town always very popular. Don't be put off by the no-nonsense appearance of the place, the food is fantastic.

We tried the Rainforest Cafe (seafood) & thought this had the best tasting food in Miri

 

[KTMphil]

Back eastwards to Brunei, mental note to self - do not try do anything in Brunei on a Friday between mid day and 2pm, Sharia Islamic Law states that everything has to stop/ shut for prayers (except Mosque's )



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Even Shell, the oil producer in Brunei is shut for the 2 hour duration



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Across the Baram River, huge floating dry dock



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Gagging for a cup of tea



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Into Bandar Seri Begawan (capital of Brunei) & found a great value hotel for USD$ 50 with aircon & free wifi



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[KTMphil]

With some time to spare in Brunei,it would be a shame not to set eyes on some of the spectacular Mosques in Brunei's capital.


The biggest mosque in Brunei is Jame'asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque, built in 1988 but not officially named until 1994. The mosques has total of 29 golden domes which symbolizes 29th Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah. Quite a spectacle. There's easy bike parking everywhere.



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[KTMphil]

1km south is the equally if not more elaborate Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.





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Named after Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei who also initiated its construction, the mosque serves as a symbol of the Islamic faith in Brunei and dominates the skyline of Bandar Seri Begawan. The building was completed in 1958 and is an example of modern Islamic architecture.






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Muslims cleansing in holy water before entering the mosque


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The mosque's most recognizable feature - the main dome, is covered in pure gold. The mosque stands 52 m (171 ft) high and can be seen from virtually anywhere in Bandar Seri Begawan. The main minaret is the mosque's tallest feature. In a unique way it mixes Renaissance and Italian architectural style. The minaret has an elevator to the top, where a visitor can enjoy a panoramic view of the city.




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Built in an artificial lagoon on the banks of the Brunei River at Kampong Ayer- the "village in the water", the mosque has marbleminarets and golden domes, a courtyard and is surrounded by a large number of trees and floral gardens. Abridge reaches across the lagoon to Kampong Ayer in the middle of the river. Another marble bridge leads to a structure in the lagoon meant as a replica of a 16th Century Sultan Bolkiah Mahligai Barge. The barge itself was completed in 1967 to commemorate the 1,400th anniversary of Nuzul Al-Quran (coming down of the Quran) and was used to stage the Quran reading competitions.




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I think this is the prettiest mosque i've ever seen


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[KTMphil]

Just a little further south east & you get to the "Kampong Ayer", meaning water village, on the Sungai Brunei River


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The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque can be seen to the north in the distance



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Quite a mish mash of squatters


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Another beautiful mosque as the southern end of the Kampong Ayer


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[2wheels]

Another epic adventure.
Congrats and well done Phil.
Really like this pic.

 

[KTMphil]

Managed to get the GPS data together, below is a map of the loop we did. This was the first time the loop has been done (even by rider's that have lived and ridden there for 20 years) and quite a breakthrough, as before, if you rode south to Ba'Kelalan, to get to Bario, you had to backtrack all the way through Brunei, quite a chore. This trail through Indonesia creates a great riding loop.

 

[watchman64]

Great ride and pictures. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

 

[KTMphil]

Rob just gave me another trail which runs down between the two "parts" of Brunei that would be worth riding

 

[Biggs]

Do you ever venture closer to Kuching?