Kampong Ayer - Venice of East

#weekendgetaways Kampong Ayer, meaning “water village”,is built on stilts above the Brunei river. It is a traditional village built and inhabited since days of yore and synonymous with the Bruneian Sultanate history.More than 30,000 people inhabit Kampong Ayer, the largest water settlement in Southeast Asia, and travel about by boat or the extensive network of wooden walkways, footbridges, and boardwalks. Kampong Ayer’s 4,200 structures include homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, schools, and even a hospital. We walked over the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha bridge and visited the water village. You can find boatmen plying the river at the waterfront across the street from the Yayasan building. Prices are generally along this line, with locals paying 50-75% of quoted - $1 to cross the brunei river to the water village - $10 to roam the water village and with a view of Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha bridge by boat - $20 to do the same as $10, plus ply upstream and see nurul iman palace, royal tomb, mangroves, and proboscis monkeys. This trip needs at least an hour of your time.