Bandar Seri Begawan to Sarikei Sarawak

Blog 1

Kampong Ayer Mosque Bandar Seri Begawan

Arrived exhausted in Sarikei last night. The restaurant across the road had apparently run out of everything. A random stranger appears beside me with a few quick words on my behalf and the menu difficulties disappear. The stranger is an electrical engineer who worked on the air conditioning system in Aorangi Centre in Auckland and has recently visited Queenstown. Once again the world shrinks.

It started just 10 days ago in Bandar Seri Begawan. Visiting Brunei was part of the motivation for travelling in this part of the world. Barb and I spent two years here in 1981 to 1983. A time apart, jungle with monkeys  and snakes to our back fence. “Special tea” in teapots to disguise the beer. Panaga Club for expat social life. Underwater hockey in the pool, rugby and netball in the blistering heat. This time just a mad cyclist but equally blistering heat.​

Recent cyclists deaths had prompted knee jerk legislation changes to close all high speed roads to cyclists. The cyclists had both been hit by an unlicensed driver travelling at 180kph in broad daylight, so perhaps less of a cycling problem more of a driver one. Never the less it required me to take my bike on minor roads deteriorating to jungle tracks (the only workable route Reg from Brunei Cycle Doctor could find for me).

Unacclimatised and heat fogged I decided my befuddled internal compass was better than my GPS. Fortunately I had informed Brunei Police of my intentions so I wouldn’t get arrested trying to cross the one forbidden highway junction. They used my GPS track to find me and turn me around. By the time we neared the highway junction my balance sense had also gone awol and the Police contingent kindly bundled me and my bike into their vehicles for the final stretch. Terima Kasi Brunei Police.

A short haul took me across the Border to Sarawak next day, ending the day in Miri (the limit of my previous Sarawak experience). The previous two days effort limited my range next day to a short haul down the coast on the South China Sea. I spent an afternoon recovering as the only guest in Tim’s Seaside Resort. 

The coastal road south east showed the dominance of palm oil economy, huge continuous plantations. Gone were the IBan longhouses of old, replaced by long concrete structures of the modern longhouse pay-off. The effect was a palm oil desert with tall security fences cutting off any off road access. In a huge industrial complex at Samaluju I found a friendly refuge in a foreign workers camp, a comfortable cabin for the night.

Bintulu gave a modern city break with cuisine to match. Heading into the tiny kampong of Balinyian had a traditional feel much to my liking. The shower consisted of a bucket of water and a ladle. It worked well. Air con came from a breeze down the open corridor.

I was finding the options for free camping limited. All the roads were lined with deep sungais (drains) linked to the larger rivers allowing free-flow crocodiles. Further off road into jungle the floor was often deep swamp, nightly monsoon rain turned everything that wasn’t swamp into a brief one. Matu was my first tent night when the kindly owner of a fully occupied home stay offered a tent site on his back lawn. The tradition of generosity on the road continued with a breakfast watched by all the neighbours around the table.

The last 3 days of travel has been dominated by huge batang (rivers) and corresponding massive bridges. Yesterday the Daro Bridge across the Batang Lusaka spanned 4 kilometres. Later in the day a 15 minute ferry ride across the Batang Paloh is about to be replaced by another huge bridge.

Riding in intense tropical heat requires some strict disciplines. Ride at a pace where you are not continuously panting, hot air in the lungs is massively drying. Know the heat level you can tolerate, find shade and cool down before you cook. Hydrate continuously to keep the mouth moist, take quantities of something other than water to stop electrolytes being flushed (fruit and coconut juice is good). Ice creams at every stop.


Once again the journey has been highlighted with magical interactions with local people like the Chinese, Iban, Malay sisters in Balingian. A brief insight into lives of people so far yet so incredibly close.

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​Kampong Ayer Bandar Seri Begawan

Omar Ali Saifudden Mosque Bandar Seri Begawan

Tokong Chinese Temple Bandar Sei Begawan

Diversion route deteriorates Brunei

South China Seaside resort out of Miri

Drink stop

Balingian Home Stay

Lunch and drink stop

Camping unwise

Concrete IBAN Longhouses

River fishing village around Mukah

Shark statue leading to Oya Market

Neighbours for camp breakfast Matu

4K.m bridge over Batang Lussa