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Algiers-Nice-Athens 2024 France

Two Perfect Days in Nice

Algiers to Nice

I left Algiers absurdly early on February the 13th. My destination was Nice, France. I had been to France multiple times, but never to the South. I was curious to see Nice, but my real reason for going there was to make a day trip to Monaco. But fly to Nice I did; a short hop from Algiers to Paris to Nice. I arrived at about 7:00 AM and I would have three days and three nights in the city before moving on.

From the airport I took the tram from the airport into the city centre. Easy. I walked a few blocks to my hotel, the Hotel du France (which was very nice, with great staff, quince wallpaper, and not too expensive), and dropped off my bag. I walked a few blocks to the sea.

Nice Impressions

I’m not a big fan of the ocean. I live about a block from the ocean in Vancouver and I almost never go to it. I like that it’s there and I like being near it, but I have very little desire to look out at it. I know people who are happy to just gaze out at the sea and frankly I don’t understand what the appeal is. I would much rather sit at a sidewalk cafe in interesting city, or, if I had to look out at nature, I’d much rather look at mountains or a valley than the ocean. But as I gazed out at the Mediterranean from the boardwalk in Nice, I think I kind of got it, at least for a moment. It was so stunningly beautiful. The colours of the water and sky and this uninterrupted stretch of beach were just lovely. And the fact that I could look out at it without actually having to step on sand was even better. They have these strips of chairs along the boardwalk where people can gaze out at the beach and the water. And people did. And so did I.

I liked Nice instantly. For the moment I got off the tram it was beautiful. Beautiful buildings, beautiful streets, beautiful lemon trees, and beautiful people. It just had this wonderfully calm and elegant atmosphere. No one was rushing. It surprised me little. I generally prefer chaotic and loud cities, but something about Nice won me over. And I hadn’t even seen the old city centre at this point.

Day One

I walked through the city and eventually made my way over to the old part of Nice, which was even more charming. The buildings were perfect. They were old and colourful with warm tones of yellow and ochre, coral and tangerine, many with small flourishes of design and just the right amount of weathering to give them character. It was so charming.

Because it is France, many people smoke, and while many people smoke cigarettes they don’t look down their nose at people who smoke cigars, so I was in a good place. I had already mapped out a few cigar stores, some of which had seats outside, but I didn’t need particular cigar lounges, as I was welcome to enjoy a cigar on any patio. I found myself a seat on a patio and had a cigar and a coffee and watched people parade past.

Generally speaking, the people in Nice were dressed beautifully. Even out for a casual stroll they were well put together with smart blazers, jaunty scarves, beautiful bags and sunglasses. Subtly stylish and comfortable. Because I had known that I would be going to Monaco on this trip and I had wanted to smoke cigars and visit the casino there, I had dressed nicer on this trip than I usually do, and I was thankful for it when I arrived in Nice. I didn’t feel out of place. I still had my combat boots (for comfort and possible altercations) but my little black dress, blazer, and oversized sunglasses seemed to work well. Did I look like I fit in? Maybe; but that facade was all done away with once I opened my mouth, and I spoke French like a child.

I walked to the Place Massena where the famous Sun Fountain stands. It features a large statue of Apollo flanked by smaller statues of Earth, Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. It was originally built in 1956, and was somewhat controversial, because Apollo, who, in mythology, leads a chariot with four horses across the sky each day to bring light, was depicted as without his chariot and with his four horses nestled onto his head like kind of a crown. Moreover, he was nude, and not everyone could agree if he should have been or if he was too well endowed. The artist performed a sort of ‘reduction’ on the statue to please the public, which it did not, and it was taken down for many years and put into storage until finally being fully re-erected, no pun intended, in 2011. Problematic history aside it is an impressive piece, framed by salmon-coloured, curved buildings and set on a black and white checkerboard tiled square.

I spent my first day in Nice walking around and looking at buildings and taking pictures, stopping for coffee and cigars. It was very pleasant. I didn’t really have an agenda in Nice. I just wanted to see it and visit Monaco so I felt no need to take anything off a list, which was good. I had a thoroughly awful meal that evening. I made a mistake of eating at a restaurant that I think catered to tourists and I had a pizza which was gross. (As much as I like France, it still is one of the countries with the least options for vegetarians, in my experience.) While I was eating the pizza (and trying and failing to do so elegantly) outside on the patio, a pigeon flew into the window and landed under my table, in trauma. I spent the entire meal checking on it and trying to give it drinks of water hoping that it would regain its consciousness, but it died around the time I asked for the cheque. C’est la vie.

Day Two

The next day, I made my way back into old Nice (just a few minutes’ walk from my hotel) for the morning flower, fruit, and vegetable market. As if the old city needed to be anymore charming. But it was more charming. I walked around; I ate a pear and had a cigar in a coffee. I had my eagle eyes on the socca stand, waiting for it to open up. Socca is a Nice treat. It’s kind of like a very thin, crispy pancake made from olive oil and chickpea flour, sprinkled with salt and pepper and served from various stands around the city. It’s very tasty.

More beautiful buildings. I couldn’t get enough photos.

It was February the 14th. Valentine’s Day and I was in Nice, in France. I saw people out for romantic meals and holding hands, but none of that was for me. I went on a walk up to the Cimetière du Château – because why not hang out in a cemetery on Valentine’s Day?

The walk up the hill was pleasant, and past an aggressive fountain and various tile work pieces displaying Neptune another underwater creatures. At the top is the cemetery and stunning views over the city and the sea.

I wandered around up there for a while before making my way back to the Old Town.

I walked the streets a little bit more, popping into some of the shops. There are delightful vintage stores in Nice. Tiny little boutiques with well curated collections of clothing and accessories. I bought a blazer in a handbag. I’m really not a shopper, but somehow ‘Nice me’ wanted to go shopping. I then went for a very ladylike lunch of an onion tart, a glass of cheap wine, and a cigar.

As I walked around, I noticed that the hours of the restaurants and shops in Nice. I’m from Canada, where things are pretty much open seven days a week and generally long hours. Some things are open 24 hours a day. Why should we be denied the opportunity to buy toothpaste at 2:00 in the morning? But in Nice many of the shops were closed at least two days a week and their hours of operation during the day were chaotic. For example open Wednesday to Saturday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. What this told me was that people there have some sort of quality of life. There wasn’t the need to be working every minute of the day or to be catering to customers 24/7. You want to eat in my restaurant? You fit my schedule; not the other way around. It was kind of refreshing.

I popped into the Palais Lascaris; built in 1648 as the home for the Lascaris Vintimille family until the French Revolution, it is now a museum. It was pleasant to walk through the ornate rooms and there was a particularly good collection of antique musical instruments.

I had really wanted to visit the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, but it was closed for some sort of renovation. So I went to the Chagall museum.

I’m not a big fan of Chagall, so this museum wasn’t high on my list, even though most lists of what to do in Nice will include this is one of the top attractions. It was fine. I have a better understanding of Chagall’s work now, but it’s still not my cup of tea. However, if you like his paintings this would be a ‘must see’.

That evening, I took myself out for a quasi-romantic dinner-for-one on the patio of an Afghan restaurant in the old city of Nice. Of course I had a cigar. It was exquisite.

Nice had thoroughly charmed me and turned me into somehow a classier more relaxed version of myself. The next day would be my day trip to the micro-country of Monaco.

Algeria Algiers-Nice-Athens 2024

Museums, Monuments, & Massacres: Day 2 in Algiers

My first day in Algiers had been sunny, but on my second day in Algiers, it was pouring rain. Not a little rainfall, but a heavy, relentless torrent. I was soaked through before I had an opportunity to buy an umbrella. I didn’t realize it until later, but the rain had ruined my passport, washing away the details and colours of my photo until I looked like an apparition. Fortunately, the rain was only a morning problem. By the afternoon, the sun was out, and we began to dry off.

I met my guide Rasha (from Fancy Yellow Algeria) at my hotel, and we embarked on a day tour of Algiers, which was about eight hours. This was the first time, I think, that I have ever had a female guide, which a nice change. We started by retracing my steps from the previous day, but this time, I got to see some extra, hidden places in the casbah. Mosques and dwellings were revealed to me behind closed doors. We went to a bombed-out building where the photos of Algerian heroes hung.

*Too many casbah photos? Well then they shouldn’t make it to photogenic.*

The French colonization of Algeria was a theme.

The French were there from about 1830 to July 1962. The French brought more than beautiful buildings and a European café scene; they brought death and destruction. The tales of horrors committed by the French against the Algerians were extreme: rape, torture, burying people alive, throwing them off cliffs, and worse. This was particularly bad when the Algerians fought for their independence and the French retaliated during the Algerian War (1954-1962). While travel tends to teach me that that people are basically kind, history teaches me that we have always done terrible things to each other and probably always will.

We climbed up to a rooftop and had coffee whilst overlooking the city and the sea.

After a very nice lunch, we took the subway to the botanical gardens. The subway is limited in terms of how much it covers, but is a proper, functioning metro.

We walked through the gardens, which were stunning. Interestingly, it formed the location setting for many of the shots from the 1932 movie “Tarzan the Ape Man”. Which was shot mostly in Algiers but many of the jungle scenes specifically in the botanical gardens. The tree and lagoon from the movie are still there.

From the top of the botanical gardens, we took a gondola up to the Museum of Fine Arts. It is one of the largest Fine Arts museums in Africa and has a good collection of European and Algerian art. The museum seemed to be almost empty at the time that we were there which made for a nice experience.

From the museum we walked over to the monument of Algerian independence, a huge and imposing structure with an eternal flame the countries independence and those who died in the struggle. There is also a small museum just underneath it which isn’t a great museum but it does provide a lot of information about the war and if you enjoy viewing awkward mannequins recreating historical torture, you might really dig it.

We took the subway back downtown and parted ways. It had been an excellent and educational tour. My time in Algiers did feel a little bit rushed, because it was a little bit rushed, but I was happy with what I had seen. I had the evening free to myself. I walked around at night, feeling even more comfortable today than I had the day before and took pictures of buildings and mosques as the call to prayer rang out.

I had done some research on where to smoke cigars. I saw almost no one in Algiers smoking shisha, which was a bit surprising to me, but it just doesn’t really have that scene. I also looked into where I could smoke cigars inside and there seemed to be no real answer. I found one blog for many years ago that referenced a restaurant where smoking was allowed but I couldn’t find it anymore. However, I did find a peculiar restaurant that had both smoking and non-smoking sections and I decided to go there. It was called the Brasserie des Facultés and was a watering hole/bistro across from the university. And they do in fact have a smoking section. I was delighted. The place felt wonderfully 1970s. I ordered some dinner and enjoyed a Romeo y Julieta along with it. How civilized.

Dinner, like my lunch in Algiers, was bland. Couscous or noodles with vegetables served in a tagine. Not offensive, just bland, I longed for spicy sauces.

But good food was just around the corner as I was about to leave for France. Algeria deserves more of my time, and I definitely plan to go back to visit the desert vistas of the South, but for now this is all I would see. The next morning, the third day after I arrived in Algiers, I was on the 6:15 AM flight to Nice.

Europe Iceland

Christmas Eve in Iceland

The day after my magnificent Golden Circle tour, I thought that maybe I would be disappointed with Reykjavik, but I had another excellent day. On my first day I had already seen most of the main sights that were on my list, the second day I saw spectacular snowy vistas, so the third day was an unstructured wander in Reykjavik. I strolled the city having leisurely coffees and stopping to explore new streets. It was still dark most of the day, but I was used to this already and was in the rhythm of Iceland’s short winter days.

Still in the dark, I walked to the National Museum of Iceland. Truthfully, if you aren’t a museum person or if you are lacking time, you could skip this museum, but I really enjoyed it. It had a nice collection of historical artifacts and more modern items from Iceland, including a few creepy items that I enjoyed.

Odds and Ends from the Museum

When I emerged from the museum, the sun was rising and I walked around a little, mostly frozen lake where a congress of waterfowl was floating. The sun, golden and reflecting on the ice, the little row of colorful houses, like exquisitely crafted confections, and the birds. It was magical.

I am aware that I am overusing the word “magical” in my Iceland posts, but it is just a magical place and no other word seems quite right.

It was now Christmas Eve, and most businesses and attractions were closing at noon or 2pm or thereabouts and would have found myself without much to do, had I not booked myself on to a Folklore Walking Tour. Just as it sounds, it is a walking tour that tells the tales of Iceland’s rich history of folklore and ‘hidden creatures’. Iceland has a rich tradition of elves, fairies, ogres, and monsters of various kinds. Most countries do, I suppose, but in Iceland, they traditions seem to have carried on into the present. While it seems that most people do not still believe in such creatures or magic, some still do, and many of the non-believers seem to have adopted a ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude. As we walked Reykjavik on the tour we were told stores of ancient creatures and magic, but also about how certain rocks or trees, believed to house elves or similar folk, have been left intact when road or other construction would otherwise have eradicated them. The result is a perfectly straight road taking a bizarre turn around a collection of rocks so as not to disturb them or those that may live beneath. And there were tales of construction projects being mysteriously interfered with until the enchanted place was spared.

Of course I don’t live my life believing in such things, but I want so much for some fantastical creature to be real that I was as delighted by the stories as the children who were on the tour. It was a lot of fun.

But then the tour was over. It was again dark, and most things were closed. I decided to call it an early night and went back to my hostel to sleep.

The next day was Christmas and the day I would fly home.

Assorted Reykjavik photos from my day

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Montenegro

In Defence of Podgorica

Podgorica is often referred to as ‘Europe’s most boring capital city.’ It is either dismissed or reviled. (For the latter stance, I recommend this blog post, which is too harsh, but it is a fun read.) So why did I voluntarily spend two days there? I shall explain and also justify why Podgorica is actually ok.

A bit about Podgorica and why I was there

Podgorica was at the end of my Balkans trip. I had started in Ljubljana, gone to Lake Bled, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Mostar, and then Podgorica, from where I would fly home to Vancouver. My plan, when I booked the trip, was to use my time in Podgorica as a base from which to visit coastal and medieval Kotor. But then I arrived in Podgorica and the thought of getting on another bus and traveling in a long day trip AND the thought of visiting somewhere else precious and picturesque just did not appeal. All the places I had been were so busy with tourists and many of them were so precious, that I just found if off putting. I just wanted to do something more normal and unexciting. Podgorica fill the bill.

The thing about Podgorica is that it was decimated in World War Two. Here and there you can see slivers of history. There are a few blocks of old cobblestones and the barest of ruins of a castle, a clock tower, and a stone footbridge. Other than that, everything is after the war and it’s not great. There are even far better cities for Soviet modernist architecture. There are no impressive museums, no ornate churches, no notable street art scene, no wonderful parks. Everything it has is fine.

I arrived in Podgorica by bus from Sarajevo. A stunning journey, scenery-wise. I was deposited at the bus station and walked to my hotel: the Hotel Marienplatz. Perhaps not surprisingly at this point, there are no charming or cool accommodations in Podgorica; at least not that I could find. I picked my hotel because it was central, not too expensive, and looked conformable. After ten days of dorms bed, I was ready for a little comfort. The Marienplatz was on a pedestrian street lined with restaurants and bars and, at night, is absolutely throbbing with music. Fine. I can sleep through anything.

I dropped of my stuff at the hotel and hit the streets. I spent a day and a half (two nights) in Podgorica. Here is what I did…

The streets around my hotel

Laziness Along the River

There is a river that runs through the centre of the city. It is fairly shallow and not that wide and has high, steep edges. Various bridges run across and there is a park on either side. From the bridges you can see people swimming and kayaking in the river. If you were so inclined, you could join them. I was not so inclined, so I wandered around the ruins of the castle and took a picture of some small murals at the foot of a bridge and had a drink at the cutest little tiki bar in the park by the river.

This tiki bar is so cute; just a little tiki shack in the park with a handful of seats – a couple of them are swings. I sat and had a drink and chatted with the bartender and a young guy celebrating his early 20s birthday. We talked about our lives and about how Montenegro has a reputation for laziness – a stereotype the Montenegrins seem to have embraced. During the time I was there, the annual ‘Laziest Man’ completion was ongoing; an event in which men compete to see who can lie down the longest. The bartender spoke about how he had always been a bartender and the young man, who was going to school in Germany, said he aspired to move to Brazil because they seem to not work that hard. Fascinating.

Near the river is a hotel, the Hotel Podgorica notable for its modernist design by architect Svetlana Kana Radević. I went and had a cigar on the very excellent patio overlooking the river.

High Five

I walked to Blok Five, which is a group of high-rise apartment buildings, now at least party abandoned. They were designed and built in the 1970s/80s with the goal of creating a perfect community that emphasized community involvement and communal living. The buildings are worth a visit if you like that kind of architecture or if you like creepy feeling abandoned places, or graffiti. I like all three.

Under the Bridge

I visited a lot of cafes, the best of which was the Itaka Library Bar, which is just under a bridge, by the river. On one side f the structure is a small bookstore (all in languages other than English) and on the other side is a café/bar with some indoor seating, but the real pleasure, was sitting outside, under the bridge and next to a small riverside patch of green. I went there twice and loved it. Great spot to smoke cigars.

Cigars in Podgorica

There are a few cigars stores in Podgorica. None were cheap, but all had good selections. There were no dedicated cigar lounges, but smoking was allowed on every patio. I smoked a ton of cigars during my time in there.

Art

There is an art gallery/museum. Local artists and a few historic relics. Really it is shocking that for a capital city – that this tiny museum is the best they came up with – but it was interesting, and it was free, so I am not complaining. As mentioned previously, there are some murals/street art in Podgorica, but nothing amazing or worth specifically seeking out.

A Glimpse of the Past

There is a small (pocket-sized) historical neighbourhood that someone survived the war and there are a few streets with cobblestones and cute houses with grapes growing. On the edge of the neighbourhood is a clock tower that is the oldest surviving thing in Podgorica and it is…honestly, it is not that interesting, but if you are there, you may as well seek it out.

Two Churches

I walked to the (Catholic) Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus, which is interesting in that it is such a severe concrete, brutalist structure. The walk there is not at all pleasant, as it is just along stretches of highway, but if you are into weird, brutalist structures, as I am, it is worth the walk.

I walked to the beautiful Orthodox Temple of Christ’s Resurrection, which was stunning inside and out – and the walk there was lovely, just across the river and past the tiki bar. I bought a trinket at the church shop and chatted with the woman working there. She seemed genuinely thankful and surprised that I was visiting Podgorica.

Podgorica after Dark

In the evenings I stayed on and around the pedestrian street where my hotel was. During the day the streets was quiet and pleasant but at night….wow. It was like an actual party. Every single bar and restaurant was packed. There was live music and karaoke and DJs playing impossibly loud music. The women were so dressed up. Tiny sequined dressed, skin-tight body suits, stiletto heels, cleavage, fully made-up faces and gorgeous. Men were there too. I asked at the hotel if there was something special going on, but they said, no; on the weekends, locals just like to dress up and go out. After a lot of searching, I found a place on a patio and had a cigar and watched the parade.

Is Podgorica worth visiting?

I did all of this in a day and a half. I walked a lot, exploring to seek out other things of note, but there was not much else worth mentioning. The nice thing was that I got to sight-see at a leisurely pace. Normally I am moving around at such a fast pace; this was a relaxing change.

Podgorica was warm and sunny. It was quiet. There was birdsong and coffee, time for luxuriating on patios, and just being present. There was no reason to rush anywhere to see things because there was not that much to see. What there was to see was interesting and attractive enough. I had a great time. Would I recommend visiting Podgorica? No. Not at all (unless you are on a quest to visit every capital city in Europe), but if you are there, or if you have the opportunity for a long layover, there is enough to see to make it worthwhile. It might be ‘the most boring capital city in Europe’ but still has redeeming qualities and was a nice way to end my Balkans trip.

Balkans Trip 2023 Croatia Europe

Two Days in Zagreb

I arrived in Zagreb on the train from Ljubljana. My first time in Croatia. Croatia was never very high on my list of places to visit, but it fit perfectly into my Slovenia to Montenegro itinerary. I know Croatia has a beautiful coastline and maybe someday I will visit it, but on this trip, Zagreb would be my only stop. The landlocked capital. I know a lot of elaborate and colorful Croatian swear words and I knew they liked to smoke (a lot) so I felt prepared.

I checked in to my hostel, a popular spot called, inexplicably, the Swanky Mint Hostel and familiarized myself with my top bunk in the all-girls dorm room. My roommates were a group of girls traveling to celebrate their recent graduation – from high school. Nice girls. As I get older it is weird to be, often by far, the oldest person in the hostel, but despite that everyone is still friendly. Ultimately, we’re all just travelers of a certain style and that seems to transcend the widening age gaps.

Swanky Mint Hostel, complete with a nice patio bar

My hostel was in a very central spot. Perfect for walking. I set off to stop number one: a nearby excellent cigar store, where I replenished my stock, which was already dwindling a bit after Slovenia.

The thing that stuck out to me about Zagreb, culturally, is that everyone seemed to be at all times occupying vast sidewalk cafes, lingering over coffees, brandy, and cigarettes. (Seriously, do people not have jobs?) Smoking was not technically allowed indoors, but that did not seem to be an issue for many places I went, that had ashtrays on the tables inside and out.

My next stop, after an espresso, was to visit the thing I most wanted to see in Zagreb: The Museum of Broken Relationships. A small museum, it contains items donated by people from around the world and each item is accompanied by a story of a relationship that ended. The objects are simple: a toy, a note, a box of pasta, a record, an article of clothing. The stories are mostly sad. Some of the relationships are long ones and some are brief. Some ended in tragedy and others just faded away. Aside from a few lighthearted ones, they are sad and affecting. I don’t think I have ever been in a museum that was so quiet. No one spoke. Everyone just read and observed in silence. I think that museums of war and historical tragedy can sometimes feel difficult to relate to, but everyone can relate to having their heart broken. It was really affecting. (I just bought my ticket at the door, but I think it is advisable to book in advance because it is very small, and it fills up quickly.)

I spent most of the rest of that first day just wandering around, taking in the streets. Unfortunately, there was a lot of construction going on and many churches (including Saint Mark’s) and some of the museums were closed, but the city was lovely to wander.

The city is on two levels, upper and lower, connected by a funicular. I do love a funicular.

Bright yellow, ornate buildings and parks full of flowers. Inviting cafes, public statues. One of the nicest sights was the Stone Gate (Kamenita Vrata), the last remaining gate to what was once the medieval, walled upper city. In the 1700s it was engulfed in a fire, but a painting of the Virgin Mary somehow survived and it has become an important and beautiful shrine, with candles and worshippers. There was a charming altar and candles for worship in an archway.

In a main square, a brass band played rousing, patriotic sounding songs.

That evening I had dinner and a cigar on Tkalčićeva Street, a main pedestrian street lies with restaurants. It was very busy and felt quite touristy but was a good spot to watch people parade up and down.

The next morning, I went to the Dolac outdoor market, where people sold flowers, fruits and vegetables, and honey. I bought an apple and some kind of bread items filled with cheese and vegetables. At this point in my trip, after only a few days I was already getting a bit tired of the mostly-bread diet that seems to be on offer for vegetarians.

I burned off my breakfast with a long walk to the Mirogoj Cemetery. A pleasant walk to a pleasant cemetery. Neither are things I would say are must-do/see, but I enjoyed myself.

I caught a bus back to the city for more aimless wandering before catching the tram to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was excellent and free.

I went back to the cigar store and found a place to have an underwhelming dinner and an excellent cigar.

I walked thought some of the long tunnels that connected different parts of the city. It is not obvious where they are, but you can find them on maps. It was fun, if a bit eerie, to walk in without any idea where I would pop out on the other end.

That evening, I wandered to a less central neighbourhood. Away from the tourists. I don’t know what it was, but it was a cool area with funky bars and cafes, bookstores, and whatnot. I found a super cute bar and sat on cushions on the sidewalk and had a negroni before headings back to my hostel to swap travel stories.

Late that night I was off to Sarajevo.

I enjoyed my time in Zagreb. I bet there is a lot more cool stuff there to see and do that I could not discover in my short time. I actually think it might be a good city to live in. It had a good mix of beauty and grit (and loose smoking laws). Sadly I did not find use for my Croatian profanities. I’ll have to return to Croatia.

Onward to Sarajevo, which would be my favourite stop on this trip.

Brazil South America

Museums and Murals in São Paulo

I woke up on my second day in São Paulo with a plan. (The first day’s post is here.) The thing that I most wanted to see in São Paulo was Batman Alley (Beco de Batman) and I wanted to get there early. I was staying in the centre, so I got on the subway at Luz station, and I took the train to Santuario Nossa Senhora de Fatima station. From there, it was a fairly short walk to the area I wanted to see. I used maps.me to navigate my way. Once one I was just a block or two away from Batman Alley there were some signs that pointed me in the right direction. It was early and there was almost no one else around.

Batman Alley is a long street (or now really a collection of streets) in one area that is famous for being covered in murals. Apparently in the ‘80s there was a mural painted of Batman which is how the street got its name. Now it covered in murals, like a winding outdoor art gallery and the area seems to be spreading. Murals of all different styles are painted and then painted over. It’s constantly changing. You could go and come back a few months later and the whole landscape of murals will be completely different. There are still paintings of Batman, however.

It was delightful, and going first thing in the morning was the best because there was really no one else around. By the time I left, there were some vendors setting up to sell jewelry and whatnot and a few other tourists had appeared, taking elaborately posed pictures in front of the murals, so I was glad that I went when I did. I love street art, so this was fantastic for me.

From there I meandered over to Coffee Lab, which is known for being one of the best coffee shops in São Paulo. I didn’t have much to compare it to having only been in São Paulo for less than 24 hours, but it did have excellent coffee and a nice atmosphere.

I hopped back on the nearest subway station and went to the Museum of São Paulo. An art museum. An excellent art museum. It wasn’t even really on my list of things that I had to do, but I’m so glad that I decided to go. The museum is in an interesting building, and it has a collection of regular exhibits and special exhibitions. The thing that was amazing about it was that one floor which seemed to be their permanent collection, was that the art wasn’t displayed on the walls. Art was displayed with each painting free standing above a heavy cement base and the paintings just sort of floating in midair. The thing that made it more interesting was that the title of the painting and the artist’s name and any description of the painting were on the back of the canvas; so you would walk around looking at these paintings unsure of who or what they were until you walked around to the backside of it. This is maybe the most creative and interesting way of looking at art, because you are not influenced by knowing what you’re looking at. You are looking at a painting and you have to judge it on its merits and how you really feel about it without being influenced by the fact that you know that it’s a Picasso or Modigliani. I also like that they displayed the art without segregating it into era or type of painting (so there might be a very modern South American painting hung right next to a classical European painting).

It was fascinating. They also had an excellent exhibit of Gauguin’s Tahitian work, which I enjoyed.

The museum is on Paulista Ave, which is supposed to be a very important major street in São Paulo, so I walked down it until I reached the next subway station, which was quite a ways, I was not impressed with the street; it was big and it had a lot of buildings but I thought most of them were quite unattractive and there wasn’t really much on the street that interested me, but I’m still glad that I saw it.

At the next subway station I again got on a train and hopped over to Ibirapuera Park, in the middle of which is the Sao Paulo Museum of Modern Art. The museum is really in the middle of the park and it was quite a walk to find it, but it was pleasant walking through the park, which has a body of water in the middle and everyone was out riding bikes and running, playing ball and having picnics. It was a nice atmosphere.

The museum was fine. I enjoyed the art, but it was relatively small given the effort it took to get there.

On the way out I found myself utterly lost trying to get out of the park I was trying to go back the way I came but I got turned around and every time I tried to exit the park, I found myself faced by a fence. I eventually found a gate out and then realized I was nowhere near a subway station. I got on a bus only to discover that they only take exact change and I only had paper money, which they would not accept and there was no way to pay by a card, so, frustratingly, I had to get off the bus and walk quite a distance to the next subway station. That was a bit annoying.

But I did make my way to the subway eventually and went back to the centre and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Assumption and Saint Paul; a large cathedral from the 1950s which was which is pleasant to visit. (And even had its own cathedral traffic lights on the surrounding streets.)

Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Assumption and Saint Paul

From there I walked around the central area. It was Sunday and the streets were filled with people. There was a market going on with vendors selling mostly clothes, trinkets, toys, and electronics. It was very lively. People were flying kites and selling food. It all felt a little bit rough around the edges but was lively and it was nice for a wander.

At this point it was late in the afternoon and I had to start thinking about getting back to the hotel because I had a flight heading out of Brazil, but I still made one more visit to the Mercado Municipal Paulistano, where I had been the day before for lunch. I had a quick meal and then went back to my hotel to pack up and take the train to the airport.

Mercado Municipal Paulistano

I really liked São Paulo. I wasn’t supposed to be there; I was supposed to be in Paraguay (you can read about that debacle here), and I don’t know if I would have had a better time in Paraguay, but São Paulo was good. I liked it better than Rio, and it was entirely different from Salvador. It made a nice end my trip to Brazil, despite all the hassles of getting there in the first place. Brazil was a place that I had never really been excited to see but now that I’ve been, I’m glad that I’ve gone, and I would go back to see more of the country. A country that big and diverse deserves more than one visit.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Farewell, Minsk

I had one day left in Minsk. I had already seen basically everything I thought that I could see and yet there was still more. I had a quick breakfast at my hostel and then went out for a walk. I walked along the banks of the river to the National Museum (full name: “The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War”).

I think one could give the National Museum a miss; it’s not amazing but it is interesting and I did learn a lot about the history of the country.

State Museum of Belarus

From there I walked up to the Komarovskiy Market, the largest market in Minsk. On the way, I had coffee at about three different neighbourhood cafes, each one very charming; some with books, some with dogs, all with great coffee.

Cafés in Minsk

The market was enjoyable; very similar to markets that I’ve visited and other former Soviet countries. Lots of breads, dumplings, pickled items, and fruits and vegetables. Also a ton of local honey. It is a great place to try some local food. I snacked on some delicious fruits and baked goods and then made my way over to a new museum.

Komarovskiy Market

I visited the Memorial Museum-Studio of Z. Azgur. Zair Azgur was a Belarusian sculptor, active from the 1920s to the 1950s, famous for sculpting hundreds of busts of Belarusian and Soviet military and political figures. His studio is now a museum. It holds over 4000 items, not all of which are on display at one time, but for travellers, it’s most interesting because of the sheer number of statues of Lenin and Marx and Stalin on display. It’s increasingly rare to see such depictions.

When I first entered the museum, I entered a small room with a number of busts. Quite impressive. I took a lot of photos and found it interesting. Then I was led to upstairs to a larger room, which had me gasp when I entered it. A huge room stacked floor to ceiling with busts of Soviet figures. It’s lit beautifully and very interesting to walk around. In the centre of the room is an impressive figure of Lenin striding forward, his coat waving up behind him, as well as a very serious statue of Stalin sitting in in a chair, and an enormous bust of Lenin’s head that was nearly as tall as I am. It was super cool and I think it should be on everyone’s list for Minsk.

Room No.1

Double Lenin

In the afternoon, I just wandered around the city a little bit more, had a short nap at my hostel, and in the evening I went to the opera. The opera house (full name: “The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus”), was just a block from my hostel in the middle of a park. A stunning white building built in the 1930s and designed by Iosif Langbar.

*The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus*

I’ve discovered that going to the opera at any former Soviet country is a great idea, because the opera houses are beautiful the shows are excellent, and the tickets are ridiculously cheap. They were showing Die Fledermaus at the opera and I picked up a ticket for less than $10 Canadian. The show was sung in German with Belarusian and Russian sur titles so it wasn’t the easiest of shows to follow along with, but I had a great time.

In the evening I walked around Minsk a little more, had a cigar of course, and went to bed early for my extremely early flight.

More Minsk buildings that I liked

I absolutely loved my time in Belarus. For me, it was kind of a leisurely trip. I had several days in the capital and my day in the countryside, and I never felt that I ran out of things to do. It’s a place that I would consider going back to in order to see more of the country. I don’t know if it was less touristy because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, or simply because it’s Belarus, but it didn’t feel at all touristy. It felt entirely authentic, and I liked it.

And so, it was onward to Dubai for another long layover, a long layover in London and then back home.

Europe Oslo weekend 2023 United Kingdom

London Layover: Easter Sunday Edition

It was Easter Sunday in London and I landed at Heathrow from Oslo, en route back to Vancouver. This was the end of my weekend trip to Oslo. I had an eight-hour layover in London, which meant, of course, that I would be going into the city, just as I had two days prior, during an even shorter layover (wherein I visited “Little Venice”).

Again, I had only a very small, under-seat sized backpack, so I just zipped through the airport, without having to faff about with luggage storage, and to the Heathrow Express. Once at Paddington Station, I took the Tube to Piccadilly and walked around from there.

I found myself gravitating towards the West End. I walked past Squares Trafalgar and Leicester. (I always feel the need to explain that even though I know many people hate Leicester Square [a position I find quite reasonable], I have a fondness for it, because that is where I worked when I lived in London, so many years ago.)

The thing that struck me on that Easter morning was that everything was so empty. Sure, it was a bit early, but cafés and some shops were open, but the streets and squares were empty. Perhaps people were at home with family or sleeping in, but I felt like I had London to myself – in a wonderful way; not in a “28 Days Later” way.

I walked down St. Martin’s Lane and had coffee and a bite to eat on New Row, which is normally jam packed with tourists and walkers, but now was serene.

I walked over to Covert Garden, which was a bit busier, but not the throngs that I would normally see on a sunny, beautiful day.

Covent Garden. The last time I was here it was a sea of people

I did have a plan for this layover; it wasn’t all aimless wandering and espressos. I was to visit Sir John Soane’s Museum, so that was my next stop (on foot). Sir John Soane’s Museum (which I shall now simply refer to as “The Museum”) is in Holborn, near Covent Garden, just on the side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It is a museum set in the former residence of and displaying the collections of English architect Sir John Soane, who lived from 1753 to 1857. (It is actually two residences, side by side at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.)

Lincoln’s Inn Fields

The Museum is free, but limited to about 90 visitors daily, so often there is a queue, but I got there early and waltzed in. Once inside, you understand why the visitors are limited. But for a couple of more spacious rooms, The Museum is a series of narrow corridors and every inch is covered in extraordinary antiquities. Paintings, sculpture, coins, tombs, weapons, instruments, frescoes, friezes, busts…everything you can imagine and things you could not. There is even an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus of Seti I, dating to the late 1200s BC. I tripped over the stairs next to it, making the loudest possible clatter, and spent the rest of the visit terrified I would break something.

*I can’t imagine dusting all these objects*

Images from The Museum, including a little mirror selfie

It is extraordinary. Like the home of a rich, cultured, hoarder.

I left there feeling ebullient. London is just amazing. It has almost all the things I want in a city: history, art, culture, multiculturalism, cigar lounges, excellent curries, expansive public transportation, green spaces…I felt so happy to have had two visits already this year (albeit short ones).

I walked around for a while longer, feeling happy, and then eventually I got back on the train to go to the airport. (I did pop by the usual cigar spots, but they were closed for the holiday.)

A wander in London

What an excellent weekend. I didn’t even mind that it was cut short by work. Two long layovers in London and 30 hours in Oslo? Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.

As I left, I knew I would be back in London again in a month as part of my forthcoming trip to Belarus.

Europe Norway Oslo weekend 2023

One Day in Oslo

I had planned to go to Oslo for Easter weekend from Vancouver. I have a recent history of travelling abroad for four day long weekends from Vancouver. I can travel to Europe over a four day long weekend and get two to three days in a city. Perfect for a city break. I’ve done this in Valetta, Riga, Sophia, and Copenhagen in Europe; and Panama City, San Salvador, Mexico City, and Playa Del Carmen in North America. Oslo seemed like a great place to spend the weekend. Subtracting the flight time, I would have two and a half days in Oslo. Great…except, something came up at work, and a couple of days before I left I discovered I would have to be at work a day early. I could have cancelled my trip, but I was so excited to go, that I thought, “Why not?” It seemed like a challenge. Would I enjoy a trip that was so far for such a short time? So I flew to Oslo (via London), spent one day in Oslo, and flew back to Vancouver. And it was great.

I had a very pleasant, short layover in London on the way there and got out of the airport for a few hours to see ‘Little Venice‘ and then I took a short flight to Norway and landed in Oslo just after midnight.

Norway Flag and partial map

Norway and Oslo are not ‘off the beaten path’, but for those of you who are cartographically challenged, Norway is the first on the far left of the vertical triad of Norway, Sweden, and Finland and Oslo is down near the bottom. It is famous for its fjords, stunning arctic landscapes in the North, trolls, and concept of Koselig (effectively the concept of coziness and warmth in a social and natural setting). Did I experience any of these things? No! But I did have a great day in Oslo, and I look forward to returning to Norway to see more.

*I hardly used any cash in Oslo, which is a shame, because how cute are these Kroner?*

On to the day…

Landing in Oslo

I arrived so late on Friday night that it was just after midnight and, hence, Saturday morning. I would be leaving at 5am Sunday morning. I walked up to the immigration guy in his booth at the airport and expected he would stamp me in without question, as most countries in Europe do; but he did have questions.

“What is the purpose of your trip?” He asked.

“Tourism,” I responded.

“How long will you stay?” He asked without looking at me.

“I leave tomorrow morning,” I replied.

He looked at me. “You are coming for only one day?”

“Yes. It was supposed to be longer, but I have to be at work. I thought I would come anyway.”

“You live in London?” He inquired.

“No. Vancouver. Canada.”

At this point, he put my passport down and sat upright. He had several more questions, but I explained to him that this is the kind of crazy travel that I do and, finally, I heard the ker-chunk of the passport stamp, and he said in a deadpan delivery, “Enjoy your day in Oslo.”

Getting in as late as I did, the train was no longer running, and I had to take a taxi to my hostel. It wasn’t $100 CDN, but it was close. (I was supposed to have arrived earlier but my flight out of London was delayed. If you are going to Oslo, try to arrive at an hour when public transport is still possible.)

I stayed at the K7 hostel, which seemed like the best budget option in the centre. I paid for a private room over a dorm though, which I was glad about, given how later I was arriving and how early I would wake up. By the time I got to sleep it was 2am. I set my alarm for 5:00am.

K7 Hostel

Early Morning at the Opera House

I woke up after three hours sleep questioning my life choices, made myself a coffee in the hostel kitchen, and headed out for a walk.

*“The Tiger” statue. Why? Because Oslo was dubbed “Tigerstaden” (“Tiger City”), based on a poem by Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson*

It was brisk, quiet, and beautiful. I went out to see the thing in Oslo that I was most excited to see, the Oslo Opera House. Built-in 2007 and designed by Snøhetta, it is a stunning, angular, white marble structure, right on the edge of the harbour and designed to look like a giant iceberg. It’s beautiful just in its own right; just to look at it from its different angles. What makes it spectacular though is that it is not just to be used as an opera house, but as a structure that also functions as a public space, meaning that people are allowed and encouraged to walk on the building and to use its sloping sides for recreation, for reflection, and as a spot from which to enjoy the view of the water. First thing in the morning I had it all to myself, which was great, however, I better appreciated it when I went back in the afternoon and saw it when it was covered with people. I love the idea that it’s a beautiful building, but it’s also made to be a part of the landscape like a public square.

*View of the harbour from the Opera House / sculpture “She Lies” by Monica Bonvicini*

Other than the Opera House, that morning I just generally walked around Oslo and looked at the streets and the beautiful buildings. It was very quiet, but it was very sunny and cold and the buildings were colourful and beautiful and there were numerous statues that I could look at. Nothing not much was open at that point, I did manage to get a sandwich from a convenience store, which was not inexpensive, but reasonably priced and gave me enough fuel to start my day. (Lots of photos here, but the writing continues.)

colourful buildings on a quiet Saturday morning

*Freia clock at Egertorget square (Freia is a Norwegian brand of chocolate)*

*me and my morning cigar near the Oslo Theatre*

more sights of very early morning in Central Oslo

Viegland Park

After I was finished my walk around the city centre, I continued walking in the direction of Vigeland Park. On the way, I passed a flea market that was just setting up, which was nice for a quick browse. It was a long walk to the park, but it took me through several more residential neighbourhoods and was very pretty.

Vigeland Park is a park that is filled with sculptures of one artist: Gustav Vigeland. The sculptures are weird. I don’t really know how else to say it. I mean, they’re well done, and they are distinctive in their style – a style that I don’t really have language to describe, but they’re weird. They are all sculptures of people in various stages of life and activity: fighting and running and aging and posing in weird positions…there’s a tower of people piled on top of one another and people on each other’s backs. Probably the most famous is the angry baby statue, which apparently is good luck if you touch its hand (I cannot attest to this as I do not like babies), and a man attacked by babies and violently trying to shake them off, which is probably what I would look like if I were ever asked to babysit. (Don’t ask me to babysit.)

*Vigeland Park*: *me after making an impossibly tight flight connection*

The park would certainly be more picturesque in the summer; at the time that I was there it was April, and the trees hadn’t really started growing leaves and the grass was partially still covered with snow. It was still nice for a stroll.

Back in Central Oslo

I hopped on a tram to head back to the city centre. I wandered around some more, looking at notable buildings and checking out streets.

*Statue of Queen Maud near the Palace. Fun fact about Maud: she had an 18 inch waist. Some of her dresses are at the museum and they are shocking.*

Then I was hungry again. This would be, as it turns out, the only sit-down meal that I had in Oslo. I just had too much to do, and I didn’t have time to spend it eating food. (I did, somehow, find time to smoke four cigars. Priorities.) I found a cafe near the harbour and got a table outside. It was a sunny day; it wasn’t warm but with a coat and a scarf it was lovely to sit outside and have a bit of pumpkin soup with a cigar and a cup of coffee.

*A My Father cigar and coffee on a chilly afternoon*

A Gallery and A Museum

Refuelled, it was time for museums. I went first to the Astrud Feamley Museum, specifically because I love modern art and I knew that they had some Damien Hirst pieces there. It was a great museum small enough to navigate the short period of time with lots of weird and wonderful modern art I really enjoyed it.

*Astrud Feamley Museum*: *Damien Hirst wishes you a Happy Easter*

About a two-minute walk away is the National Museum, which is also excellent. It’s quite a bit larger and it has a wonderful display of modern art from both Norwegian and international artists, as well as more historical items. I didn’t linger too long in either museum, but I enjoyed my visits.

*National Museum: Cupboard XII by Simone Leigh (foreground); and Escalade Beyond Chromatic Lands by Sheila Hicks background)*

More excellent art at the National Museum

I enjoyed walking along the harbour as well seeing so many people out sitting outside enjoying meals and drinks in the sunshine.

Koselig in action?

I also noticed the saunas floating in the fjord. I had investigated renting one of them before I went to Oslo, but I decided against it because (1) too expensive; (2) it doesn’t seem like something that I would want to do with such a short period of time. But if you’re there for longer, they look fantastic. You rent your own sauna and you just sit out there floating in the fjord enjoying the heat and then you plunge into the water and do it all over again. If you’re the sort of person who likes to travel with friends (I am not that sort of person) this might be for you.

Smoking Cigars in Oslo

It was around this time that I popped in the only cigar store that I saw in central Oslo, which was Augusto Cigars. It’s a very good cigar store; the proprietor clearly takes tobacco very seriously and had a great selection. I bought a few cigars, but the main reason that I went there was that I had read that they had a smoking lounge. They do, but it was only available for members.

Augusto Cigars

As far as I could tell the smoking laws in Oslo were quite strict. You really can’t smoke inside anywhere; the outdoor smoking laws, however, I couldn’t quite figure out. Some places allowed smoking outside which is why I was able to smoke my cigar with my soup over lunch, but many did not. Although the man didn’t let me smoke in his establishment, he did recommend a place that I could go later and smoke which I did.

A Dame in Damstredet

From there I walked to a different area of the city, around Damstredet and Telthusbakken. I did that because one I love to walk through the city and see the sites that I can see and because the areas those streets specifically are known for having old beautiful and colourfully painted wooden houses from the early 19^th century. It was charming. The houses are brightly painted and wooden, set closely together on cobbles streets. They are adorable. Again, they would have been more adorable had it been summer or springtime with leaves and plants out in full bloom, but I really enjoyed the walk in the area nevertheless.

I strolled through a cemetery, and then meandered my way back to central Oslo, walking along streets with lots of appealing cafes, restaurants, and shops, with people out enjoying the day.

modern buildings

A bar I visited and one of the few murals I saw

Oslo Evening

I will say that at this point I was very tired. I had slept little on the flight coming to Oslo, I had slept only about three hours in my room before I went out, and I had walked at this point about 25 kilometres. If I had more time in Oslo, there are more things that I would have done. There’s a tremendous number of museums there (unfortunately the one with the Viking ship that I most wanted to see was closed at the time), and I certainly could have done everything that I did at a slower pace. But the only thing that I really left off the table being in Oslo for such a short time was that I didn’t get to go on one of the fjord cruises to see the water. But there’s always next time.

I spent much of the evening in a bar smoking cigars. The man at the cigar store had recommended a bar called Dr. Jekyll’s Pub. It’s quite pleasant inside and allows cigar smoking on it nice back patio that is sheltered from the wind, heated, and welcoming. When I sat down there other people out there enjoying cigars. I chatted with the bartender and then preceded to chat with the other people (all locals to Oslo) out there smoking. It was a very relaxing way to end the day.

It was dark by the time that I left. I got a falafel from a local shop my dinner and walked around a little bit more (ok, about 5 km more) in the dark and then taking one final view at the Opera House, which really is just stunning, and then I went back to my hostel room and went to bed. By the time the day was over I walked over 30 kilometres and seen many of the highlights of the city.

While there are a lot of sights to see in Oslo, there really is just a lot of joy from walking around and taking in the vibe on the streets. I’ll go back to Oslo because I want to see more of Norway but all-in-all, I was happy with my ~30 hours spent in the city.

*me in front of a building entrance i liked*

*There is a store here called “Dale of Norway”.*
*(If you’ve just stumbled on this post and don’t know me: my name is Dale.)*

Leaving Oslo

The next morning, at about 4am, I took the train back to the airport, which was cheap and efficient. When I was going through immigration at the airport, I found myself standing in the queue in front of the same man who had stamped my passport when I entered Oslo. I walked up to the counter.

“Hello. I remember you,” I said.

He looked at me and said, still deadpan, “And I remember you. How was your day in Oslo?”

“Fantastic. I can’t wait to come back.”

He stamped my passport with something that approached a smile and wordlessly handed it back to me. It was the perfect bookend to my trip.

Of course, my trip wasn’t entirely over; I still had a long layover in London on Easter Sunday ahead of me…

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Brunei Darussalam

Brunei Darussalam

I flew from Manila to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was one of those places I knew little about but decided to go to because I was in the area, so to speak. I would be there for about 36 hours, which was just right, I think, for a visit to the capital. Since Brunei is a bit lesser known, here are some fast facts…

Fast Facts

Brunei Darussalam (Or just ‘Brunei’, if you’re cool) is a teeny tiny country on the island of Borneo (surrounded by Malaysia) in South East Asia. It is a bit bigger than Luxembourg, but smaller than Rwanda. Most of it is rain forest. About 500,000 people live there. It was controlled by the British until 1984 when it gained true independence. It is a Muslim country. The capital is Bandar Seri Begawan, which is where I was visiting.

I feel like the things that Brunei is most famous for its (1) being wealthy [oil]; and (2) the Sultan. The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien (or Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III for short), is currently the longest serving monarch in the world. He has been on the throne since October 1967. (When he assumed leadership, Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a brand new album.) The first time I heard of him was in the 1990s when a lawsuit was filed in the US alleging that he invited beauty pageant winners to Brunei and then kept them as sex slaves. (The lawsuit was dismissed because he’s the Sultan.) Here’s what seems to be verifiable about him: He loves excess and pomp and circumstance (a visit to the museum is a must do – the palanquin alone is worth a glimpse because of its scale). In the 2010s he adopted Sharia law into the penal code. Although he ultimately rolled back things like death by stoning and amputation, it’s still pretty strict. It’s illegal not to attend Friday prayers if you are Muslim and alcohol is banned.

Back to the travel report…

I arrived in Brunei at about midnight. The border crossing was easy and I went to take a taxi to my hotel. The thing that proved problematic was paying for the taxi. There was no public transportation at this time of night so the taxi was my only option. The issue was, I didn’t have any local currency (Brunei Dollars) and all of the currency exchange facilities at the airport were closed. I tried the two ATMs at the airport and neither of them worked with either of my two cards. Fortunately, I had a stash of US dollars on me and so I approached two of the taxi drivers that were hanging around out front of the airport (the only two taxi drivers that I found) and I negotiated a ride to my hotel. It was a little bit frustrating because I didn’t have small enough bills and so I ultimately ended up overpaying I think for the taxi ride. So my advice is when arriving at the Brunei airport late at night, make sure you have cash in small denominations (and in perfect condition – the taxi drivers would not even accept bills with creases).

I arrived at my hotel the Qing Yun Resthouse Bandar, which is perfectly located right across from the waterfront in a very central location and it’s also extremely affordable. It was brand new and spotlessly clean however my room didn’t have any windows, which was less than ideal. Whatever, I would only be there one day.

*windowless room at Qing Yun Resthouse Bandar*

The man working at the hotel (the only person I saw at the hotel) also didn’t speak English. Brunei is one of these places where English is not widely spoken and I had (admittedly) made little to no effort to learn any Malay, so communication sometimes was a challenge, but again I relied on my excellent charades and awkward smiling.

The Terrestrial Sights

My initial impression of the capital was that it was not that impressive. It just looked sort of ordinary. That initial impression was softened as I saw ‘the sights’ and explored a bit more.

On my way in from the airport I had passed a couple of incredible looking mosques by the side of the highway I never did make it back to them. I tried to snap a couple of pictures from the taxi window and failed miserably but even in the blurry captures you can still get a sense of the grandeur of them.

My first stop was the big Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is definitely the most recognizable site from Brunei, and rightly so. It’s spectacular. It looks like something out of a fairy tale; huge, white, golden gleaming, and sitting in the middle of a pond; every angle of it is astonishing. It’s not astonishingly old, however; It was built in the 1950s.

I walked around it and attempted to snap a couple of selfies and then eventually went inside for a look at the interior which was lovely. The men outside who were working on the grounds were very friendly everyone wanted to know where I was from and to chat as best we could.

The thing that was a little bit disappointing about Brunei was that when I arrived it was cloudy and raining, which I figured would spoil my photos. How wrong I was! My favourite photo of the big mosque ended up being the one with the stormiest looking skies. The clouds lifted and the sun came out later and I went back to take more photos, but I didn’t think those had the same atmosphere.

I went to the Royal Regalia Museum. There is more than one museum, but I only went to the one. It’s worth going to learn about the history of Brunei and the Sultan and look at the artifacts and riches of the Sultan and his family.

The Aquatic Sights

Beyond that, and without leaving the general downtown area of the capital, there isn’t much else to do in Brunei itself – on land. There are however some excellent excursions that can be made on the water. From the waterfront there are boats floating around and as I walked along the waterfront several of them would slow down and call out to me to see if I wanted a ride. One man who spoke a little English engaged in conversation with me and I told him I was interested in seeing the floating village and the mangrove forests and he agreed to take me out. I forget the exact price, but it was quite cheap.

We went out for about an hour or so, first through the water village of Kampong Ayer. It’s a small village located on the water (houses on stilts and floating structures) just off the shore from the capital of Brunei. About 10,000 people live here. Apparently, it has been a village for centuries, although at this point the houses all look quite new.

We sailed around the village looking at the different houses. We didn’t stop anywhere to visit anyone, although I understand that is possible.

From there we went into the mangrove forests past thick walls of green trees. Going this way was quite interesting, and it gave us a view of the Sultan’s palace rising above the treetops, shining white.

One of the great things about going into the mangrove forests in Brunei is that if you’re very lucky you’ll see the proboscis monkeys, otherwise known as the ‘big nosed monkeys’. It was pretty extraordinary: we didn’t have to go very far before we saw them up in the trees; maybe about four or five of them. They were sitting and hanging out and sort of jumping from tree branch to tree branch, and I could definitely see their noses which were in fact, well, kind of like penises or potatoes, and very large. I tried to get some photos but they were all useless. This is the best one:

The only other wildlife that we saw on this trip was an alligator who had drowned and was floating belly up in the river and was quite bloated. I’m not going to post that picture because it’s very gross.

The under-looked thing about taking a boat out in Brunei is that if your boat captain is cool (and mine was), you can smoke on the boat. In addition to alcohol being banned in Brunei, smoking is pretty much banned. It’s not illegal to smoke, but the smoking restrictions are so severe that I couldn’t find a place enjoy a cigar. You can’t smoke inside or on sidewalks or on patios or balconies or in parks or on paths… And I was told that you will be found and you will be fined. As far as I understand it, the best place is to get a smoking hotel room, and those do exist; but I didn’t have one of those, so I was delighted to get to smoke on the boat, even if it was just cigarillos and not a full cigar.

Back on Land

After my boat adventure, I had lunch at a little cafe near my hotel which was quite nice, and I chatted with the owner as I was the only person there. We talked for about an hour, and he gave me his feelings about living in Brunei, which seemed to be lukewarm at best.

I spent the next couple of hours just walking around the city.

I visited a picturesque Chinese temple: Teng Yun temple.

It was at this point that I felt like I had really done everything I wanted to do in Bandar Seri Begawan, and I was satisfied that my flight was leaving that night. I had dinner at a local restaurant, Curry and rice that I think cost me about $2.00. It was delicious.

And that was my trip to Brunei. A lot of people had said that it wasn’t worth going to, but I don’t agree. I think every place is interesting and every place is worth visiting – some places for a short time and some for a longer time. I feel like I did Brunei justice. I wouldn’t go back, but I’m glad that I went.

I slept for a short time in my hotel room waking up at an ungodly hour to catch a flight to my next destination: Kuala Lumpur.

Wandering North

Tag: museum