After waiting for 4 years plus / 2 years of marriage / 3 months of single mother's life, Ummi finally got her transfer to KL! Alhamdulillah!
So, Ayah went to Labuan to help Ummi and Adi packing up stuff. And Ayah wasn't going alone, he was with Mok & Tok Ayah. Mok had long expressed her interest to go to Brunei, and Tok Ayah said, why not go there while Ummi and Adi was still in Labuan?
Friday 26th, Ayah, Mok & Tok Ayah, arrived in Labuan, to be greeted by Ummi and Adi at the airport. We drove down to the rented chalet in front of the beaches at Panchur Hitam. Mok & Tok Ayah couldn't help comparing Labuan to Bachok, a beach side town back home in Kelantan, mostly because the long beaches and serene and calm surroundings. Ayah & Tok Ayah went to the nearest masjid for Friday prayers, and all of us take a rest before heading to town after Asar.After Asar is pretty much spent in the town. A simple drive-around the town and trips to shoplots to buy some souvenirs, like the pearls and clothing shop. Most of the stuff has to be bought today, since tomorrow, we'll be in Brunei for the whole day. We stopped at Pohon Batu, to treat Mok & Tok Ayah some chicken wings (what Labuan is well known of), and headed back to the chalet after Maghrib.
Night time, the place that is a must for anybody's coming to Labuan - Anjung Ketam. It so happened that Anjung Ketam is full of diners, first time this full, Ummi said. Anyhow, we still managed to get some seats. After waiting for quite a while, we started cracking open the crabs, and Adi is so kind to fell asleep the whole night and let Ayah and Ummi enjoy the whole dinner. Thanks a lot Adi!
Saturday 27th, our ferry to Brunei is 9 am. The plan is to have breakfast at "The Choice", the air-conditioned mamak joint in Labuan. But the place wasn't open till 8.30, so we have to settle down for another mamak joint across the street. Nevertheless, that shop also serves "Teh Tarik Madras", which Ayah and Ummi intends to order for Mok & Tok Ayah.
After breakfast, we all made our way to the ferry terminal. Ayah had to run quickly to the nearest money changer, as the money changer at the terminal wasn't open yet. Luckily, there's a close one nearby, for Ayah to get some Brunei dollars.
The ferry is kinda packed. And most of the passengers, looking at the separate queues at the immigrations, are foreigners from Indonesia and Filipina. The trip is kinda hectic at start, for Ayah had to fill up all the papers for declaration, H1N1, etcetc for the whole families. But, its all well after Ayah finished filling them and still have some time to enjoy the scenery outside.
When we arrived at Brunei, our first and foremost to-do-list is to purchase the 4.40 pm ticket to go back to Labuan a.s.a.p (the tickets are not sold in Labuan). To our amazement, the counter that sells those Brunei - Labuan ticket is only opened at 3 pm above. Thank God, there's a counter lady nearby that arranges with us for a tour van to drive us to the travel agent in the town to buy the tickets, and take us around the town for a fee.
Noted that, this is the first time for all of us, except Ummi, to be in Brunei. It's also the first time Adi to be outside of Malaysia. Consider it as a gift for your 7-month birthday, haha!Our destinations including:
- Masjid Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin, famous for its golden domes and minarets, being a landmark of Bandar Seri Begawan. Photography is only allowed outside of the prayer halls.
- Masjid Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin, famous for its golden domes and minarets, being a landmark of Bandar Seri Begawan. Photography is only allowed outside of the prayer halls.
- Royal Regalia Museum, the museum where the theme is about the royal coronation of the current Sultan. It also displays wide ranges of gifts to Sultan, received from dignitaries and civilians around the world. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed here as well.- Masjid Jame' Asri Hassanal Bolkiah, a masjid with golden domes and minarets that resembles the former mosque. We stopped for our Zuhur prayer here.
- Istana Nurul Iman, the residential palace, touted to have 3000 rooms! Of course, the palace is off visits, so we just snap some pictures outside the gate compound.- Kampung Air, from far, as we decided the time is not enough to board those water taxis. Ayah made it up for Mok & Tok Ayah, by bringing them along the walkaway around Kampung Air in Labuan instead, the next day before the flight.
- The Mall, near the Rizqun Hotel, to buy some souvenirs
Other than that, it just a drive-around, looking for significant buildings and amused at the billboards around the city. Mind you, the ferry terminal is quite a distance from Bandar Seri Begawan, so, we are lucky to have the tour guide to drive us around. He's also kind enough to bring us to a restaurant, where the food and the pleasant atmosphere come at such a bargain price. We headed back to Labuan with our 4.40 pm ferry.
That night, Tok Ayah treated us for the dinner. We dined at the Island Tomyam, near the airport. Not like the night at the Anjung Ketam, Adi is quite active that night. Ummi and Ayah had to do our regular routine, taking turns to eat while taking care of Adi. We made our way and Adi & Ummi said goodbye to the waiters there.We decided to stop at Nenek Sakinah's house that night at Durian Tunjung, since Ayah promised her to bring his folks around when they come for Labuan. We have a nice chat and some coffee before heading back to chalet.
Sunday 28th, is the day where Tok Ayah & Mok will go back to KB. We took some pictures at the beaches in front of our chalets, and to surprise Tok Ayah & Mok, we stopped by at Kg. Air to show them around. There's a plenty time for the flight, we even stop for breakfast at McDonald's airport while Tok Ayah & Mok are checking their luggages in.
The next 2 days are just days where Ummi packed everything up at her office, arranged for packers to pack the stuff at home, sent the car to cargo, and take a drive around Labuan for the last time, taking pictures with Adi at places like the Chimney and the Teleport. 4 years will most probably leave such a deep memory to us all, especially Ummi.So long, Labuan. It's been a nice time knowing you!
