Brunei - Kampung Ayer

For me, a visit to Kampung Ayer is the highlight of any trip to Brunei. It's how the Brunei people used to live. They built their houses on stilts over the water. Today, the style has changed, but the concept remains the same. Initially, I was very nervous about visiting, but that soon passed.


I'm usually very reluctant to wander around quiet residential streets of cities with my camera blazing. People think you're either a weirdo or a deviant. Luckily, the people of Kampung Ayer are well used to tourists wandering through their town, so I didn't feel so bad. Most people said hello as I walked past and most smiled. I soon had my camera out, clicking like crazy!


Apparently, the Sultan has tried to move the people out of the Kampung numerous times. (A "kampung" or "kampong" is a traditional village in the Malay world). He wants to portray Brunei as a modern, industrialised country. Having people on the edge of the business district in tin sheds kind of detracts from this vision. Apparenty, the people rejected offers to move because they like the sense of the community in the Kampung. They like their life on the edge of the river and saw no need to move.


This is such a difference from Singapore. There was a new article recently about the last two people living in kampungs in Singapore being forcibly ejected so that their houses could be demolished and something new and modern built in their place. I love the fact Brunei has let these people be. Without it, the city would just be another boring Asian city.


The government eventually conceded default in trying to demolish the kampung. Instead, they've tried to make life there as comfortable as possible. Every house has running water and electricity. The government has also built schools and clinics in the village. All in all, it seems to be working for everyone.


There are, however, some signs of decay. There were quite a few houses that were sliding back into the mud and quite a few houses that had obviously been demolished or fallen to bits. I also didn't see any new houses being built, so perhaps this lifestyle is going to slowly die as the young people decide to move into dry land.

That would be a shame. The village has a real life to it and anyone coming to Brunei should make the short walk from the big glossy mosque and walk into the ordinary lives of the people of Brunei.