How to spend 2 days in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Brunei’s capital is known for Islamic architecture, the world’s largest floating village and the Gadong Night Market. Discover how to make the most of 48 hours in Bandar Seri Begawan if you’re a curious tourist.

Day one: Morning

Start the day early and get down to the compact city centre. Most attractions are within walking distance; it’s easy to see the best of the capital in the first morning of your 48 hours in Bandar Seri Begawan. First, head to Omar Ali Saifuddien, the capital’s most famous mosque. Snap a few photographs of its artificial lagoon and ceremonial royal barge. Next, stroll around the centre in loop ending at the Waterfront. Enjoy the views of the Brunei River and floating village. Piccolo Café sits near the Waterfront, which makes an ideal spot to cool down with a cold drink.

Day one: Afternoon

The sprawling conglomeration of stilted structures in the Brunei River is called Kampong Ayer. Known as the ‘Venice of the East’, it houses more than 13,000 residents. The world’s largest floating village has several villages along with their own mosques, shops and schools. Wooden boardwalks connect the villages above the water as speedboats ferry passengers from one place to the next. Water taxis cost around B$1 ($0.66 USD) from the Waterfront to Kampong Ayer.

Day one: Evening

In the early evening, head to The Mall Gadong. Apart from offering several floors of goods, it also provides an air-conditioned haven to escape from the stifling heat outside. Brunei has lower taxes compared to its neighbours, which makes designer clothes and electronics more affordable. You don’t have to visit the shopping centres on your 48 hours in Bandar Seri Begawan, but it does offer a window into the pastimes of locals. And you might be able to get that new phone or camera for a fraction of the price elsewhere.

Day two: Morning

Wake up bright and early and either hire a taxi or arrange a private driver from your hotel. First, head to Brunei’s largest mosque, Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah. Plan to spend 20 or 30 minutes strolling around the outside and snapping photographs. Next, visit Istana Nurul Iman, the Sultan’s official residence. With a total of 1,800 rooms, this is the world’s largest house. Get photographs from the river or at the nearby park.

Day two: Afternoon

At the time of writing in 2018, most of the museums in Brunei are free. This is the perfect excuse to soak up some of the local culture on your 48 hours in Bandar Seri Begawan. First, visit the Royal Regalia Museum in the city centre. This houses all the extravagant gifts given to the Sultan of Brunei in a two-storey, air-conditioned building. Visitors need to remove their shoes at the door and sadly you can’t take pictures. Other worthwhile museums in Bandar Seri Begawan include the colonial Twelve Roofs House and Brunei Museum.

Day two: Evening and night

Save the best for last: witnessing one of Borneo’s famous sunsets. Brunei doesn’t have an international reputation for white-sand beaches, but it does offer a few quiet spots along its South China Sea coastline. Muara Bach lies approximately 30 minutes from the capital by car. You might need to either hire a car or get a driver (there aren’t many buses and they stop running at 6:00 pm). After the sunset, return to the capital and enjoy a meal in one of the restaurants along the Waterfront overlooking Kampong Ayer.

See more: Discover the magnificent Brunei

Source: Internet 

Best hotpot restaurants in Shanghai, China

Shanghai might be considered southern China, but in the depths of winter the chill really sets in. This is when locals make a beeline for hot pot restaurants, where vegetables, thinly-sliced meats and other goodies are cooked in a boiling, soupy brew. Here’s where to find them.

Yan Gege (Yàn gégé, 焱格格)

Prominent Hong Kong actor and animal rights activist Lü Songxian founded this vegetarian Beijing-style hot pot restaurant to show off the beauty of produce and clear vegetable broths. Be sure to try the delicious fresh tofus, and the huge selection of mushrooms that take up a whole portion of the menu and tout various different medicinal curative properties. Also delicious are the crisp lotus roots and egg dumplings.

Hong Chang Xing Mutton Hotpot (Hóng zhǎngxìng, 洪长兴)

It’s impossible to miss the towering blue dome when driving on the Yan’an overpass towards the Bund that marks Shanghai’s oldest halal restaurant. Founded in 1891, this century-old restaurant is a family-owned mutton hot pot restaurant, where you’ll find tables huddled around a bubbling pots of clear broth, heated by a charcoal fire. You’ll dip in an array of thinly-sliced meats, vegetables and tofu for a long and perfectly warming meal. While there are other locations, this is the one where the atmosphere is just as interesting as the food itself.

Elixir Health Pot (Wú lǎo guō, 无老锅)

This hot pot serves soup that you could simply drink straight from the pot, as it’s a bubbling potion touted for its health properties and skin rejuvenation by celebrities across Asia. The white ‘collagen’ pot is particularly wholesome (and delicious), made from pork bones and knuckles that have been simmered for hours, until the resulting soup is thick and fragrant, somewhat akin to tonkatsu ramen broth. Later, Chinese herbs including goji berries, ginseng and other roots are added to impart their curative properties. This is a hot pot that rejuvenates as well as warms the belly. Be sure to order their special house made ‘ice cream’ tofu (bīngqílín dòufu, 冰淇淋豆腐), the light little egg dumplings (dànjiǎo, 蛋饺) and the special mushroom platter (蘑菇拼盘, mógupīnpán) to pair.

Holy Cow

Anthony Zhao, the founder of this hot pot spot, trained in some of Shanghai’s finest dining establishments before he broke off to pay tribute to his native Shanghai cuisine. At Holy Cow, the kitchen serves primo, pesticide-free beef from Dalian and vegetables grown on their own farms. They also serve frozen soup dumplings that go into the hot pot and come out fat and delicious. The soup itself also merits being consumed by itself, as it’s a clear meat consomme that’s bolstered with Chinese herbs. It’s a healthful, flavorful and delicious experience sure to satisfy a crowd.

Hai Di Lao (Hǎidǐ lāo huǒguō, 海底捞火锅)

This particular chain is from Sichuan and has made a killing not only for its spicy hot pot, but also for the service. During peak hours, there will generally be a wait for a table, but the staff will make it worth your while. In the lobby, you’ll find free fruit, manicures, shoe shines and more which will help make the time pass quickly. There are several locations around town – this is one of the more popular.

See more: The signature dishes that define Chinese cuisine

Source: Internet

All about Boun Pi Mai, Lao's New Year Festival

Boun Pi Mai is one of the most important annual festivals to celebrate Lao New Year in the lasting several days in mid-April. It is a time when the entire country stops working and begins to party, and so do you if you visit Laos during Boun Pi Mai.

What is Boun Pi Mai

Boun Pi Mai, the start of the New Year in Laos, is a splashy good time for visitors, although a decidedly more gentle ordeal than its same-day counterpart in Thailand (Songkran).

The Lao New Year takes place in the middle of the hot summer season, in April. The new year celebrations usually last three days – 13-15 or 14-16 – though festivities in major locales can last longer than that (Luang Prabang’s Boun Pi Mai lasts for about 10 days).

During the New Year, the Lao believe that the old spirit of Sangkhan leaves this plane, making way for a new one. This belief – like the rest of Bun Pi Mai – is grounded in the Brahmanic and animistic religions that long preceded Theravada Buddhism, says former Culture Research Institute head Houmphanh Rattanavong.

Three Days of the Laos New Year

“In the Brahmanism religion it was believed that the time from January to the first day of Pi Mai in April is a dark, or bad, period of the year,” explains Mr. Rattanavong. “In Buddhism, the last day of Pi Mai is seen as a bright or prosperous period, so our ancestors chose April as the month of the New Year.”

The first day of Boun Pi Mai, known as Sangkhan Luang, is considered the last day of the old year. Lao will clean their houses and villages on this day, and prepare water, perfume, and flowers for the days ahead.

The second day, the Sangkhan Nao or "day of no day", is neither part of the old year nor of the new year.

The third day, known as Sangkhan Kheun Pi Mai is the official start of the Lao New Year. Locals dress in their finest silk clothes and perform Tak Bat, the traditional offering of alms to Buddhist monks; then climb Mount Phousi to pray at the stupa at its summit.

At family gatherings later in the day, locals hold baci ceremonies for good health, and beg senior family members for forgiveness.

Getting Soaked in Boun Pi Mai

During the New Year, water plays a big part in the festivities – Lao bathe Buddha images in their local temples, pouring jasmine-scented water and flower petals on the sculptures. The faithful will also build sand stupas and decorate these with flowers and string.

At each temple, monks will provide the water, as well as blessings for the devotees flocking to the temples and the white bai sri strings, which they will tie around devotees' wrists.

People also get soaked during Boun Pi Mai – people respectfully pour water on monks and elders, and less reverently on each other! Foreigners are not exempt from this treatment – if you're in Laos during Bun Pi Mai, do expect to be soaked by passing teenagers, who'll give you the wet treatment from buckets of water, hoses, or high-pressure water guns.

Locals sometimes throw flour as well as water, so you’ll feel both wet and doughy at the end of the holiday.

Celebrating Boun Pi Mai in Luang Prabang

While Boun Pi Mai is celebrated throughout Laos, tourists should be at Vientiane or Luang Prabang to see the holiday at its most intense. In Vientiane, families make the rounds of the different temples to bathe the Buddha statues, especially the ones at Wat Phra Kaew, the city's oldest temple.

Luang Prabang is probably the best place to celebrate Boun Pi Mai in Laos, as it is the former royal capital and a present-day UNESCO World Heritage site. In Luang Prabang, the celebrations can stretch out to a full seven days, celebrated in different places around the city.

Tips for Travelers

Boun Pi Mai is considered part of peak tourist season in Laos, so don't expect to make any bookings on the spur of the moment. If you want to be in Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng during the Lao New Year, book at least two months in advance to get the dates you want.

Consider it unavoidable: you will get wet during Boun Pi Mai. (So will everybody else.) At the same time, there are certain locals you shouldn't throw water at – monks, elders, and maybe the occasional well-dressed woman on her way to an important New Year event! Choose your targets judiciously, but expect to be liberally soaked.

See more: Explore the Konglor Loop in Laos

Source: Internet