Getting ready for Christmas

There are many Christmas traditions around the world - even Santa divides opinions of his origins. Or indeed whether he delivers presents in person on Christmas Eve, like in Finland, or  during the night to be opened on the Christmas Day. And of course there are places where Christmas isn't celebrated at all; whilst the Sharia police is going around establishments across Brunei asking to remove Christmas decorations, here are few photos on how our family has been preparing for Christmas. In our two culture family, traditions have always met nicely but this year has been quite unique. With the help of our extended family - i.e friends here - we've built new traditions that suit us here. Starting from our first ever fake Christmas tree...

Mulu caves

Another month, another holiday, this time to the Gunung Mulu National park to visit the famous caves in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Childrens' Christmas Fayre

With help from some very talented ladies, the children in the land of the eternal sunshine got a glimpse of Christmas spirit last week as one of the mums organised a big Fayre for all of us.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Well, not yet but as the weather is distinctively British at the moment, we did manage to light a candle last night for the 1st Advent.

Today it was time for the first door of all of the advent calendars - one happy Sofia has a Haribo one and even happier Phil has a dairy milk one! Mine is a traditional winter scene raising conversation about travelling to Finland to see some snow. Hopefully next year! Or if not Finland, we'll definitely go to Singapore to meet the real Finnish Father Christmas. 

JIS International Day

Sofia's school with its over 1600 pupils from Nursery to Year 13 organises an annual International Week to celebrate all of the different cultures represented within its walls, and remind the pupils about tolerance and joint values.

Girls just want to have fun

We shared a shopping and mojito filled weekend in Kuala Lumpur with few ladies from the base. The main aim was to shop til we dropped, and that got pretty much accomplished.

KLIA2 - a better welcome to KL

There isn't much choice when flying from Brunei, especially if the trip needs to be under $500, so mostly holidays start with an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur. Before the new low cost terminal opened a couple of months back, the crappiness of AirAsia experience was duly carried out of the aircraft onto the ground and all the way with transport into the city centre. 

Now the airport is clean bar from the obvious, the toilets. (I decided to wait until my hotel...) The snaking queue to immigration is gone and replaced with modern booths. Someone might say, though, that the old one queue system was less stressful as you're always bound to pick the wrong queue! But the best improvement for me, even when I was travelling without an infant and all the accompanying parafenilia in tow, was the gate arrival. If you ever landed at the last gate of the old transport and lugged the said toddler and all items for what felt like kilometres you'll know why. I'm currently sat on the KliaExpress and haven't broken into sweat yet! And that is the other major improvement. Not cheap compared to Singapore but the express train will now take you from KLIA2 straight into Sentral Stesjen withouth the old trains, planes, automobiles malarkey - ie bus and train combo. 

I could also write about the massive chocolate shop at the arrivals terminal! Coming from Brunei I had to stop and just admire all the beloved chocolate brands in various flavours... You know you've been to Brunei too long when.... 

To follow the arrivals' shopping, there is now much more space to shop, eat, and browse for free in the departures. The choice of eateries isn't varied but the full package of KLIA2 is such a massive improvement to the old Air Asia experience that I don't mind having a McDonalds.... Especially after the 5 minutes it took us to check in. More travelling coming up! 

Telunas - A small piece of heaven

After Singapore we opted for a relaxing holiday, and chose to go to one of the islands off The city for the ease of it. There are several Indonesian island's just 1-2 hours' boat ride away, biggest of them being Batam and Bintang. However, they didn't really inspire me. I looked further, and found amazing private islands, some of them already fully booked months before our trip. Phil stumbled across Telunas private resort, a newly opened island-getaway further on from Batam within the Riau Islands in Indonesia, and we decided to take the risk as at the time of booking the resort wasn't opened yet.

Our F1 experience

The long anticipated trip to Singapore Grand Prix finally arrived at the end of September. It seems to be one of the things to tick off whilst living in Brunei, and I can see why. Singapore is always a pleasure and the GP with all of its entertainment did top it off. It was a great chance to sample a bit more of its nightlife too as we had Eleanor with us to look after Sofia in the evenings - a rare treat!

The White Ball

This is not the White Ball I've always dreamt of but an interesting one nonetheless. Through Phil's work we got an invite to the Istana, Sultan's palace, to celebrate his majesty's 68th birthday. Most service personnel get an invite to this annual buffet with the opportunity to shake Sultan's hand. As per its name, all guests are invited in their No 1 white uniforms and the ladies in white. I am wearing the local outfit baju kurong with gorgeous beading detail.

Breaking the fast

What to eat next....

This post is slightly overdue as we saw the end of Ramadan a few weeks' back. I didn't get to experience fully all the offerings of iftar, or breaking the fast, due to our holiday but we got some good buffet action in.

18 hours later

As promised, this is the account of THE flight(s) as I'm happily sipping rose in nearly eternal daylight in super-warm Helsinki.
Jabatan terbang in Brunei is still not finished despite of the plans of welcoming the ASEAN country leaders through the brand new arrivals hall last year. Most of the departures is wrapped up, leading to an insufficient number of seats for waiting passengers, and to no internet. Note to self, don't go there more than the bare minimum time before departure. At least there are no queues - silver linings....

I was clearly ready to leave Brunei as I completely lost it in the coffee shop waiting for our flight. I was waiting for my coffee, and waiting, and waiting, so I finally went to shout at one of the 4 members of staff who was facebooking (apparently he was texting his manager). Not cool. But I got my mocha frappe pretty quickly after the outburst.

After our previous travels I had grown wise to the "security checks before boarding your flight" so I didn't purchase any drinks just to throw them in the bin. But there's none of this please taste your baby's drinks and meals neither so I was able to share Sofia's drinks on the plane.

Singapore is such a breath of fresh (clean and efficient) air in comparison. Like a weight was lifted off my shoulders when I reached the airports well lit corridors. The process of rechecking our luggage for Helsinki flight took just under an hour and included a rendition of Frozen music to the passport officials (by Sofia) and several accounts of The plane flies niaaaauuuu crash to the bemusement of fellow passengers (again by Sofia). Since T1 in Singapore offers free films, the rest of the 2 hours flew by. Although I would have much rather been shopping! 

On both flights I managed to dodge the chicken & rice option in favour of  beef and potato. Finnair did beat RBA on that. Furthermore Finnair surprised my taste buds in the morning with a cheeky bratwurst fry up. I hadn't realised how much I had missed that taste!

Sofia was a real star on the flights. We did a bit of stickers but most of the time was glued to an iDevice, which I generally loathe but had already given myself the permission to use them as much as I needed. I already feared Sofia wouldn't sleep before night was declared on the flight; Unfortunately I was right. At 2 am,  after 1 Frozen, several games, 2 Gruffalos and a meltdown we had the lights out and a sleeping Sofia. Whilst she kept waking me up wrestling in her seat, she seemed to sleep well until the lights came on 2,5 hours before landing giving us 5 hours of sleep. My made up scarf tent didn't fool anyone. As I tried to convince Sofia  that it was still night, she peaked through the blinds and clearly declared the night to be over....

A bit of breakfast and some more telly later we reached our destination. If Brunei was beautiful in the night, Helsinki greeted us with cloudless skies. Both of us crashed for a nap in the day but all in all the flights went much better than anticipated! 

Leaving on a jet plane

This time it was Sofia's and mine time to pack far too much in our suitcases (yes, in plural. This is the last time I'll buy gifts!) We're heading to Finland for three weeks. I'm completely out of touch with any kind of weather demanding anything longer than hot pants (not that I wear them regularly, I just sweat) and I ended up packing even mitts... Yes, for August!!! And I'm willing to bet I've left all the useful stuff behind.

Sofia packed her own Trunki; it contains: baby and her blanket and a change of clothes, dog in his kennel, a book, nurse's outfit, a ball and pencils. She's been very good at pulling it along. One excited passenger! 

I thought I was a seasoned traveller but I still managed an excellent faux-pas. Demanding a jus for Sofia as all the other children in the check in queue was handed one, I was politely asked if we were fasting too. No, I said, embarrassed. Better wait until our mealtime... 

This is an 18 hour trip, I will update at the end of it on how we got along! Evening flight out of Brunei sure is a beautiful sight though. 

Three weeks on

The fasting month Ramadan is fully on its way, and as I wrote recently, it is the first one in Brunei (and in our lives) where all food outlets are closed other than for take away until the dusk. That marks iftar or Breaking Fast. Life has taken a new pace also in our household although we haven't participated in the fasting other than via the imposed no drinking in public rule. The government offices shut early, so we've witnessed long queues in the offices before midday (and then its good to start closing to be ready to leave at 1.30 as no one should really work until the end of the working day), abhorrent never-seen-before traffic jams on the motorways at 1.30 (as no one should really stay in the office until the end of the working day) and mad rushes in shops with empty shelfs (no have...). 

As it happens, the half day "rule" seems to apply to our family too. On paper this may sound amazing but in reality there is very little to do outside home comforts. No lunches out, no coffee breaks and no outings as we shouldn't be carrying water around. 

After few phone calls we've gathered that the international hotels only serve hotel guests and the 5* local hotel has decided to take the opportunity to renovate their pool area. So no swimming even, let alone drinking. in comparison to the Middle East for example there doesn't seem to be enough expats in Brunei to cater for non-Muslims even in the way of more lenient regulations. 

The "worst" time has been the two day public holiday to mark the Sultan's birthday as his celebration day marks one of the two days a year when most shops are closed. Two of the Bruneian's favourite past times, eating and shopping, have been banned - what to do! Most expats escaped over the border as whilst Malaysia is a Muslim country, too, it is much less prohibitive than ours. Phil didn't have his passport back from the immigration so we stayed put.... As many people have said before, this time around we have seen how fundamentalism has taken fun out of everything.

A little piece of Italy

We celebrated a friend's birthday in a local Italian few week's back. Sorriso in Kuilap is run by a colourful Sicilian character. The restaurant's reputation has preceded the chef and we became even more determined to give it a go after making his acquaintance on our Sunday BBQs and boating tips around the Brunei bay.

Start of the holy month

The hilal of the new moon of Ramadan 1435 Hijrah was sighted on Saturday night a week ago, marking the start of Muslims' holy month.

Happy official Birthday, Queen!

The High Commissioner to Brunei hosted a group of foreign dignitaries and British citizens (and few frauds, like myself!) at the Empire hotel to mark the Queen's official birthday.

Naughty monkeys - and other excuses

I'd like to say that this blog silence can be attributed to a bad Internet connection due to monkeys breaking our phone line.

Easter in Asia

Celebrations in South East Asia depend largely on the openness of the country. As the region is predominantly non-Christian, the holiday doesn't feature in the calendar but most of the South East Asian countries recognise the festival, if not for other than its commercial value; KFC is  offering an Easter egg decorating competition for the price of a family bucket.

Boat BBQ

Our boat in working order!

A boat BBQ on the Spit has become our Sunday staple. I'm not sure if it beats a countryside walk and a pint..... A short 15 minute boat drive away, the Spit offers a desert island experience with a great set up for an afternoon of swimming and stuffing our faces with our regular selection of chicken sausages (THAT certainly is better in the UK), chicken kebabs and burgers.

New children's menu at the Radisson

There aren't that many ways to entertain a child in Brunei but eating comes very close to top of the locals' favourite things to do, and Sofia has never been a stranger to some makanan. And when it's combined a bit of swimming, she's pretty happy! 

Phil will fix it, yes he will!

It's been one of those weeks.... For 3 days we tried to fill Sofia's new pool - the Intex easy set. It holds over 1,000 gallons of water, so you can imagine what kind of a show we've had in filling, and then emptying it, over and over.

Mothers' Day Brunei Style

On Sunday we celebrated the UK mothers' day as best we could: with an English afternoon tea at the Empire hotel, Jerudong.

Big girl swimming

Most of you know that since arriving to Brunei Sofia has really enjoyed swimming. Despite of her arm injury that put us on dry land for nearly 3 months last year, her abilities have really rocketed.

Not chicken and rice

Some of the great things about Borneo are the weather and the amount of various seafood available. Even better is combining the two - every day can be a BBQ day!

Salam

I witnessed two toddlers battling through an intercultural misunderstand today - shame I don't have a photo if this but I'll try to explain. We had lunch in a local restaurant and having eaten some sweet and sour fish with a great appetite, and even more cake, Sofia was getting bored. So she started chatting with the little boy at the next table.

Family fun for a tenner

This afternoon was our first cinema outing as a family, to watch Mr Peabody and Sherman. As there is precious little to do on a Friday afternoon, especially it being off for most local people, the theatre was packed with people and their food parcels. (I'll talk about makan another time but if always seem to feature heavily in whatever goes on in Brunei). This did not bother us, though, since we had had change from £10 buying three cinema tickets, so we decided to join them with a family combo.

The film was quite funny, and most of the modern cartoons it had something for everyone. Phil and I giggled at the great one-liners, and Sofia held my hand at the scary bits. The various references to the historical events should tickle the interests of various age groups.

There's really no reason not to go to the cinema at these prices - and you're not really ruining a sunny afternoon as they are all sunny. Besides, there's surely no real reason for the extortionate ticket prices in Finland and the UK alike? When has it become acceptable to pay £5 for a small bucket of popcorn? So one (more) thing to enjoy here! While it lasts, of course - watch this space after April...

From Russia with love

Nominated as the world's fastest sailing boat, the Russian frigate Pallada docked in Muara port for a 3-day visit as part of its tour around the world. This was obviously a big event in this sleepy country with shuttle bus loads of people ferried to marvel the beautiful ship. 

The yacht, built in 1989, has had the same captain since its maiden voyage. I'm sure he has an interesting story, or two, to tell. Some special visitors even got to share a glass of vodka with him, I hear. 

One of Pallafa's missions in this region is to inform and educate the locals of the employment opportunities around the maritime industry, and to provide current students from Singapore a hands-on learning experience as it sailed through the South China Sea. Ironic is that this Asia's biggest island will have its first intake of students for the brand new Brunei Maritime Academy next month to create new employment opportunities... They did not think of this before? 

And what was the best bit according to Sofia? The bus ride, of course...

Next stop: Busan. 

Byes and pancakes

Another "ordinary" day in the expat life: saying goodbyes. It's a privilege of this lifestyle to get to know so many great people, some whom you'd never cross paths with otherwise. But the downside of it is obvious - these fabulous people come and go.

Creature of habits

Why is it, that you always get used to one grocery store, and all the other places seem so disorganised. Shopping seems to take so much longer because you never know where anything is.

On a positive side you may find some gems, such as this

Apple cider - I don't think so! 

Or delights such as this 

Mmmm - a good cup of tea dust after a hard day, anyone?!

6 weeks in Brunei

We've had a crazy busy start to this year with both of my sisters visiting. We've had some brilliant holidays, but also good times here in Brunei. Here are some of the moments we've shared together.

The Yacht club and our boat has kept us busy on many occasions (other than just fixing it...), and the beach BBQs are great fun. I am yet to try waterskiing but I've climbed on board of the mighty jetski... The Empire is a small haven within Brunei, and Miri offers a nice break from it all on the Malaysian side. And the nature is beautifu - you missed out on photos of Susse and I jungle running. There is more to do than this, it's just a small sample of few fun times we had - come and see for yourselves!

A weekend in Miri

Miri is only 2 hours away from Bandar, significantly on the Malaysian side of the border, so many Bruneians and local expats head there for the weekend. This means a lot of swimming, sunbathing in a bikini without angering anyone, and perhaps some cheeky cocktails in the pool bar... 

Mango fish

Mango fish has become one of our most favourite local dishes. It is a delicious marriage between hot chillies, tangy green mangos and sweetness of chilly sauce. And it seems to be a bit like spag bol - each chef has their own recipe. First we were introduced to this dish at the yacht club in Brunei but since then we've understood how their kitchen caters for the western tastes - their fish comes with the sweet mango, for instance. There's also a difference in portion sizes; occasionally it comes in small deep fried bits with the garnish, other times it's served as a whole fish (obvious challenge for 1-2 diners...). 

This time around we sampled the recipe at Apollo seafood centre in Miri, a local Chinese favourite with plastic chairs and cheep and cheerful feel to it. But don't be fooled by its appearances: the food is guaranteed to be fresh, as it is cooked to order once you've made your pick from the various fish and crab tanks. They don't really have a menu, just day's offer, and cooking suggestions. Our mango fish was made of red snapper. The other dishes of our copious dinner consisted of "wet" butter prawns and squids, amongst other things. I had heard of wet noodles before but never wet prawns - but the owner was very personable and proud of his kitchen, and was happy to explain different options. He even made some more suggestions for our next visit. He insisted on cooking some Sarawak specialty of bamboo hearts in a mild curry sauce which was delicious. I'm sure he told us the name of the dish but there was a slight language barrier with his accent.... One thing I didn't like was vegetables cooked in sambal - but then again I have realised I don't like sambal with so far one exception at the Miri boat club.

And I'm happy to say that this mango fish made it to the top of our list.

All in all, a great night finished by another Miri favourite, lemongrass martini 

Happy Birthday - me!

I've really been spoilt this year - one of the firsts of spending my birthday in the sun, and celebrating for the whole week starting in Singapore. And by sun I mean the Equator blazing hot all day sun, not the beautiful blue skies sunshine when it's -20 degrees! 

My parents treated me to a stay in the world famous Marina Bay Sands with its infinity pool on the 57th floor. The view is truly breathtaking, and waking up above the Singaporean skyscrapers is amazing. Once in a lifetime I'd say - since the rest of the experience is pretty impersonal. There are thousands of hotel rooms, and thus the second you step into the complex you join a queue that won't have an end. There's a check in queue, a wait for your luggage and a rumble to get a seat by the pool. All the beautiful (and less so) people are trying to get a spot by the pool's side to have a photo taken, and all Japanese tourists are snapping selfies. (so I had to try one too!) 

So I probably wouldn't hurry back - if not to sample the chocolate and cheese buffet...

Singapore has got everything to offer for a tourist - or an expat. I couldn't help but compare the experience to a weekend in Brunei.... People are really helpful, what ever you might need can be found in shops, public transport works a treat, and there's a nice vibe to the place. And there's life! My favourite place was the Arab quarter (ironically), especially the quirky Haji Lane with one off shops, bars and coffee shops. We also enjoyed the quays but I did have to have a double take having paid roughly £15 for 2 pints... Luckily a local took us around on night two and we were able to save our pennies. 

However, one tick in the box had to be collected no matter the cost: Singapore slings. Raffles is sympathetically renovated, and I enjoyed the athmosphere in the Long bar despite it not even being in its original location. It may have been the time of the day - we found it a tranquil and cool haven after a day's walking, but granted, it is a tourist trap. I found it slightly amusing that ladies sitting next to us ordered the signature cocktails without even checking the menu and then asked the bar tender what is in a Singapore Sling. Hope they liked it! I just felt sorry for the staff behind the bar; I wonder if they ever get to make anything else except mixing slings and occasionally pouring pints... 

At least I ordered an 1889! 

And finally this weekend is spent by the pool in Miri. I'm a lucky lady!

A very non-Asian weekend in Singapore

You know you've lived in Brunei for too long when the day in Singapore starts with Swedish meatballs and is wrapped up with a game of icehockey. Luckily with refreshing beverages! 

And what more could a mum-on-holiday-on-her-own want than a relaxing long bath with a good magazine! 

We stayed in Wangz hotel in the trendy Tiong Bahru area of the city. The hotel is very comfortable and welcoming with only 41 rooms (a small hotel for Singapore!), and the breakfast buffet is excellent with eggs cooked to order and goats cheese à volonté; my personal highlight! It kept us going all day. Whilst they don't have a pool, they've got a cool roof terrace with a nightly happy hour and a brilliant view. 

If you manage to find a good deal with them, I'd highly recommend the hotel. 

More repairs

Sometimes I've got a feeling that my life here is just waiting for things to be fixed; if it's not the car, it's the boat, or the jet ski... It's the water logged garden or the leaking pipes. This week it's the air con that hasn't been working properly for few weeks now.

Let's be British about it

We had our third attempt of the Annual Beach BBQ on Sunday, as it had been rained off twice in January. It didn't look marvellous this time around either but the master chefs decided to go for it. And I'm glad they did; the rain held off for the afternoon, and good chicken thighs and sausages and burgers were had. Pork is always missed when firing up a BBQ here but at least we got to wear shorts in February! 

No one is safe

...from the American commercialisation, not even this strictly Muslim country. Maybe we should go to the cinema tonight as the rumour has it that after April, when the Sharia law comes in, there will be men and women's side separately. No naughty business in the cinema then! 

Since it is celebrated as friendship day in Finland, I'm sending love to all my friends -

Hyvää ystävänpäivää!

Over the mountain we go (again)

We set off fairly late from Sepilok with the aim of reaching Kinarut Laut (south of Kota Kinabalu) at an acceptable time to enjoy their home made cheeses and sampling their Australian cellar's offer. A perfect ending in site to motivate us to get by another long day in the car....

Animal sanctuaries at Sepilok

The Kapili-Sepilok forest reserve hosts two important centres where tourists can spot orangutans and Bornean sun bears in their natural habitat. The reserve is a much needed conservation land for the primary jungle that is fast disappearing to plantations and commercialisation in the wider Sabah area.

Swimming with the turtles

Diving around the Mabul island and adjacent dive sites offered a whole host of different marine life.

Diving with the Scuba Junkies

We stayed on Mabul island, surrounded by white sandy beaches and clear, turquoise waters.

Sandakan to Semporna, or the great oil palm route

The route was estimated by local travel agents to take 6 hours, so we were fully prepared for a long sitting. However, Phil managed to shave off whole 2 hours of the journey time to all of our amazement as the road surface started as shockingly as on the last leg. But after the first half an hour the road was clearly paid by the local palm oil plantations as it was more than passable! I know this endless count of road surfaces might be a bit boring for a casual reader but I've never before needed a co-driver not for maps but pothole spotting....

Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, or I'm glad we have a 4x4

325 km - 6 hours...

First hurdle on the journey was to get out of busy Kota Kinabalu. Make sure to fill up before embarking on the journey as the petrol stations are sparse... Which can only be a good thing as the next 200 km are going up and down to get beyond the majestical Mount Kinabalu; There are enough of slow vehicles to overtake without petrol tankers!

Kota Kinabalu night market

We wandered into the night market for dinner with fresh seafood in mind. Luckily it was a bit breezy as the fish smell is quite pungent on a still day (as smelled from the Le Meridien's pool, opposite the market). The market was really busy due to the extra traders for the Chinese New Year but there was enough choice in stalls to find seats.

The road trip

The day arrived when the Pajero that spent the last 3,5 months at the workshop was put to test: 4 adults and a toddler, 604 miles, 5 stops... What could possibly go wrong?!

Club Tropicana - all non-alcoholic drinks are free

The 63 Squadron's Annual Dinner had a slightly different tune to the ones I've experienced before. The welcome speech introduced the evening as an "informal and relaxed way to spend time together" - although it also apologised for bad food before even getting to the buffet part of the evening...!

It's raining, it's pouring....

Since we've lived here, no one has really been able to confirm when the rainy season is; every time we've had some rain (for more than 2 hours a day, that is) someone has announced with great authority that "this is it, this is the rainy season". I don't know about the seasons, but it sure has been rainy, and it hasn't stopped for 10 days...

Happy New Year!

6 months have gone by since we arrived to this abode of peace they call Brunei. I can't really believe it! So many things have happened - or we are still waiting to happen, and yet it feels we haven't really achieved anything.

Welcome to follow our lives as we try to get our lives sorted at the Equator and travel around Asia (hopefully). Some pics from our beach Christmas and first "proper trip" to follow.