The Seizure of Labuan

This lithographic print of Brunei is probably one of the most reproduced old scene of Brunei. This print came from a book written by Frank S Maryatt entitled Borneo and the Indian Archipelago and printed in 1848. I managed to get a reprint edition of that book in Kino during my last trip to Singapore. I think there were a couple of copies left and it is sold for $159.43.Frank Maryatt was a

Brunei 1955 - Does anyone know the building?

I bought this old photograph from someone in Penang sometime last year. I have posted it before but I did not get any response. This photograph was taken sometime August 1955 and the person who wrote it (at the back of the photograph) told his daughter how tiring his journey was using a jeep to get to Brunei from Miri.The interesting things about this photograph is that this was probably one of a

SAMET ISLAND

Attracted by its proximity to Bangkok and its podery white sand, backpackers, package tourists and Thai students flock to the island of Samet Island, 80km southest of Pattaya beach, whose former name, Kaew Phitsadan Island, means “the island with sand of crushed crystal”. Only 6km long, Samet Island was declared a national park in 1981, but typically the ban on building has been ignored and there are now over thirty bungalow operations here. Inevitably, this has had a huge impact on the island’s resources: the sea is no longer pristine, and you occasionally stumble across unsightly piles of rubbish. Though the authorities did try closing the island to overnight visitors in 1990, they have since come to a (controversial) agreement with the island’s bungalow operators who now pay rent to the Royal Forestry Department.

Samet Island ’s beaches tend to be characterized by the type of accommodation you find there, though as the island gets increasingly upmaket, it is becoming more difficult to find a bungalow for under 300B a double in high season on any of the beaches. Ao Phrao beach, Ao Wong Duan beach and Hat Sai Kaew beach have the most up-market places to stay, but all the other beaches still have at least a few budget-orientated bungalow, with the most accessible beaches – Ao Hin Kok beach, Ao Phai beach and Ao Tub Tim beach – being the most popular in this category. More up-market bungalows are usually made of concrete and have good, tiled bathrooms; the most expensive have air-con, but prices also depend on whether or not you have an uninterrupted view of the sea. Samet Island has no fresh water, so water is trucked in from the mainland and should be used sparingly; most sets of bungalows offer at least a few huts with attached bathroom. Electricity in a few places is rationed for evening consumption only, but even these outfits have video shows after dark to help keep the beer flowing.

All beaches get packed on weekend and national holidays, so at these times you’d be sensible to take the first available room and if necessary change early the following day. You could also try phoning ahead to reserve a room, though not all bungalows accept bookings and it can be hard getting through in the first place as most places on Samet Island still rely on satellite phones. At Songkhran (the Thai New Year, in April) it’s said to be impossible to find a bungalow even on the most remote beaches, so it’s probably worth altering your itinerary accordingly. Many bungalow managers raise their rates by sixty percent during peak periods and sometimes for weekender as will: the rates quoted here are typical high-season rates. If all affordable accommodation is booked up, you can always camp – in accordance with national park rules, camping is permissible on any of the beaches, despite what you might be told.Until a few years ago, Samet Island was considered to be malarial, but has now been pronounced safe. You’ll still encounter plenty of mosquitoes at dusk though, so take lots of repellent; nets or screens are supplied by all bungalow operations and repellent is available from stalls and shops on the island.

Beach at the East of Samet Island

Beach at the West of Samet Island

Old Survey Photograph 1950s

How is it that everytime we looked at a photograph we can tell instinctively approximately what year it belonged it? Is it the way people dressed? Is there any other tell tale clues?I have been to many places and in each of those places, I have not been able to blend in. Maybe my physique has something to do with it but even then people have been able to tell people apart. We are able to tell who

Food Security in Brunei (Revisited)

I am quite alarmed reading the various news about rice and other agricultural products. I remembered when I was at another place, we always discuss on the implication of Brunei relying solely on Thailand only as the rice supplies. But other alternative producers such as Vietnam and Indonesia curb exports as soon as there are problems in their domestic economy. Understandable but definitely

SIMILAN ISLAND

Rated by Skin Driver magazine as one of the world’s top ten spots for both above-water and underwater beauty, the nine islands that make up the Similan Island national park are among the most exciting diving destinations in Thailand. Massive granite boulders set magnificently against turquoise waters give the islands their distinctive character, but it’s the thirty-meter visibility that draws the divers. The underwater scenery of Similan Island is nothing short of overwhelming here: the reefs teem with a host of coral fish, from the long-nosed butterfly fish to the black-, yellow- and white-striped angle fish, and the ubiquitous purple and turquoise parrot fish, which nibble so incessantly at the coral. A little further offshore, magnificent mauve and burgundy crown-of-thorns starfish stalk the sea bed, gobbling chunks of coral s they go – and out here you’ll also see turtles, manta rays, moray eels, jacks, reef sharks, sea snakes, red grouper and quite possibly white – tip sharks, barracuda, giant lobster and enormous tuna.

Sabah Stamps in Brunei

I spent a fair sum of money buying this old envelope. No, no, no. I haven't gone el loco just yet. This envelope is important. I have talked about the time when Brunei did not use Brunei stamps. This envelope is proof of one of those times.For about a year after the British took over Brunei (or as the Australians would claim, it was the Ozzies and not the Brits) from the Japanese in 1945, the