My Travel Adventures

Since I had seen everything I had planned to see in Brunei on my first day, I could not escape having to make some last minute plans. That very afternoon, I stopped by a tourist office close to my hotel to book a river cruise. Since it was set to depart early in the morning, I decided to buy some durian crackers for breakfast instead of eating at my hotel. I also bought a whole bag of rambutans for only one dollar fifty, which – despite my best efforts – I was not able to finish by the time I checked out. That evening, I ate dinner at an Indian diner, having given up on trying to find local vegetarian options. The fresh garlic naan was one of the best I ever had, which is sad considering I do not foresee ever returning to Brunei.

Planning a weekend trip to Bandar Seri Begawan from Bangkok is not easy. As far as I can tell, the only direct flights are operated by Royal Brunei, the island country’s national carrier. While the airline schedules four flights a week, the timing around the weekend is a bit awkward, as the plane flies in on Saturday afternoon and departs on Sunday evening, leaving a visitor less than 24 hours to explore. That being the case, I decided to fly to Brunei through Malaysia: I arrived on Friday evening, stayed at an airport hotel, and left for Bandar Seri Begawan early next morning.

I dedicated my last day in Malaysia to exploring its capital. Kuala Lumpur is a relatively young city, having arisen from a tin-mining settlement in the nineteenth century. The period brought about an enormous demand for tin: it was used to make household items, line tea chests, and fuel the industrial revolution in the Western World. To harness the production of this valuable material, the local Raja invited Chinese miners and engaged Chinese businessmen in support of the venture, succeeding in expanding the town despite rampant malaria and other tropical ailments. Disputes over the flourishing industry led to the outbreak of the Selangor Civil War (also known as the Klang War) between 1867 and 1874, which saw Kuala Lumpur burned to the ground and decimated by an outbreak of cholera.

My second day in Malaysia was dedicated to the exploration of Malacca. Legend has it that the city was founded in 1402 by King Parameswara, known as Iskandar Shah after his conversion to Islam. Parameswara had been the ruler of Singapura until it was invaded by the Majapahit Empire, which had its centre in East Java and extended its influence all the way to northern Malaysia and Eastern New Guinea. Exiled from his homeland, Parameswara was once resting under a Malacca tree when one of his dogs cornered a mouse deer. In one last act of defiance, the mouse deer stood up and pushed the larger dog into the river. Inspired by the deer’s courage, the king decided to found a city on the very spot and named it after the tree under which he had witnessed the scene.

Only two weeks after my return from Indonesia, I am on the road again. I never planned to travel as far and as often as I am right now, but the circumstances have aligned to make it both possible and desirable. Firstly, Thailand is holding a holiday for yet another royal anniversary: this time, it is the Queen Mother’s birthday. Secondly, most of Southeast Asia is quickly heading into wet season, threatening to make travel more unpleasant in the coming months. Thus, it is imperative, as the Romans say, to carpere as many dies as possible.