August 12th is International Youth Day. I am reminded of the boys Kenric and I met in Kampung Buli Sim Sim in June 2018. Kampung Buli Sim Sim is a water village…
Tag: Borneo
Niah National Park and Gua Niah
We hired a driver to take us from Miri to Niah National Park and then, drop us off in Bintulu; all three places are in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. I had…
Jawi, The Arabic Way of Writing Malay
The script on the top of the sign is Jawi. It is the Arabic way of writing the Malay language, the official language of Brunei. It was created when the Arab traders…
A Water Taxi Tour Through Kampong Ayer
Kampong Ayer may be one of the few attractions in Brunei, but this 600-year-old “Water Village” is the world’s largest settlement on water. Currently, there are about 13,000 people who live in…
Sinalau Bakas below Mount Kinabalu
We hired the young man who was our Grab driver, Elliott, to take us to Kinabalu Park. You may recall seeing a video of the beautiful Mount Kinabalu with annoying screaming in…
No Alcohol Sold in Brunei
The alarm went off at 6:00 am and we were at the bus station by 7:20 for the 8:00 am bus. Not long after arriving at the station, I heard, “Caren, what…
A View of Mount Kinabalu from the Nabalu Market
I waited for a long time for the people to shut up or move on, but they never did. With the video on mute you’ll be able to enjoy the majesty of…
My Mini-Me is An Oncologist
Another evening, another good meal with an old friend. Twenty four years later, she still has the same laugh and I think I do too because we laughed in unison just like…
My BFF in Kota Kinabalu
My very good friend brought us to her home for dinner tonight. Her children had referred to me as their Mom’s BFF. The last time I saw my BFF and her husband…
Japanese POW Camp in Sandakan
In 1879, the British North Borneo Company chose Sandakan as its capital. The city flourished, but fell into the hands of the Japanese during WWII. Allied soldiers in Singapore surrendered in 1942….