The Royal Brunei Police and My Grandfather

Within the last 7 days there were 20 thefts according to the papers. I thought that was a bit worrying. I spent my Thursday evening and early Friday morning researching about the Brunei Police for my Sunday Brunei Times weekly column. That recent statistics was a far cry compared to Brunei in the early 20th century.I discovered that in those years, murder, rape and armed robbery were virtually

The Future of Brunei Roads 2007-2012

I have had the National Development Plan publication for more than a month now. It ws only lately that I decided to take a look at the list of projects, partly because it is now part of my work but also as a Brunei citizen I am very interested what the government plan to do.I have always been concerned about roads and traffic jams especially at Jalan Tutong at the Bunut/Medewa area as I pass this

Sultan Hashim and PPP

I have always called the The National Development Plan for 2007-2012 the 9th NDP until I was told recently that it is not. It should be called NDP 2007-2012 which I thought was a bit of a mouthful. Anyway, the ambitious projects in the plan would be financed by the government. But other funding alternatives will also be developed including the PPP modality. Perhaps PPP can build that bridge to

Full Moon Party

Full Moon Party in Thailand: There are about 10,000 to 20,000 people attending every month at this Koh Phangan beach party. It is of course known as the Full Moon Party. International and Thai DJ's are entertaining the party until the crowd go wild. Paint yourself in UV colours and let your body lose control. The DJ's play all kinds of music; techno, trance, goa, drum n' bass, dub, reggae, commercial hits, house etc. on about 15 sound systems along Haad Rin beach. There are also many small tables on the beach where you can sit down with your friends or meet new friends from all corners of the globe. You can order drinks and food from the restaurants and bars next to the Haad Rin Nok beach.

Full Moon Party is not just a normal party but monthly Haad Rin's dance music festival which is famous worldwide, with everything from drum and bass to full-on psy-trance. Paradise Bungalows, the site of the original Full Moon Party, consistently puts on the biggest show with inspired decor and a combination of superb resident and international guest DJs.

Fullmoon party is at the south-eastern part of the island at Haad Rin Beach, Koh Phangan, Suratthani, Thailand.

The regular boats are running 4 times per night from Bophut and Big Buddha Beach, Koh Samui (70 Baht). Speedboats are operating all night long. They can be booked at nearly every travel agency for 300-400 Baht per roundtrip.

Pai - Pai City

Pai (ปาย) is a small town (pop. 3000)

in North Thailand, between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son on Route 1095. The surrounding district is Amphoe Pai. Both are named after the Pai River.

Pai is a predominantly tourism-oriented town, offering a relaxed atmosphere with a broad traveller & backpacker scene. In early 2006 a sudden boom in guest-house and bar construction has resulted in a great deal of spare capacity - capacity that is partially taken up by an increase in Thai people visiting after Pai was featured in a romantic Thai film.

You may reach the destination by:

By road
Route 1095 which connects Pai with Mae Hong Son (50km as the crow flies, but approx. 110km by road) and Chiang Mai (135km) is a very scenic route through the mountains which takes several hours (but worth it). It's a steep and windy drive, with lots of curves, so take a plastic bag and some motion-sickness pills if you need them.

By motorcycle
Route 1095 isn't as bad as people make it out to be. There isn't much traffic and you can hear the cars and trucks coming. If you're a little adventurous, rent a motorcycle in Chiang Mai and make the ride up to Pai. You can stop at the waterfalls and small towns along the way, and you'll really enjoy the trip, as opposed to being motion sick in a bus for hours, and being forced to stop at the driver's friends restaurants. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and being on a bike makes you feel like part of the mountains. The locals will think you're crazy, and the construction crews get really excited when you come through. Make sure to take some warmer clothing on your bike, as it tends to get a bit chilly in the higher portions of the ride. As a novice rider, expect the trip to take around 5 or 6 hours, including stops at sites and restaurants along the way.

By bus
Buses and minibuses go to Chiang Mai (Arcade terminal) and Mae Hong Son. Regular public buses take around 4 hours and charge about 80 baht; minibuses take around 3 hours and tickets (sold by travel agencies) cost about 160 baht. One strategy is to get to Pai using the public bus so that you can get an idea as to how winding the road is and then you can decide if you want to splash out and get the mini bus back to Chiang Mai.

By plane
The nearest domestic airport accepting flights from Bangkok is Mae Hong Son Airport, which has direct flights to/from Bangkok (Thai Airways and PB Air).
The nearest international airport is at Chiang Mai.
Pai now has daily service from Chiang Mai. Tickets can be bought at Aya Services in Pai, or from the ticket office in the Chiang Mai airport. It's near the Air Asia office, on the far end. Chiang Mai to Pai - SGA departs daily from Chiang Mai at 10:55am and arrives in Pai at 11:30am. Return flights are at 11:45am arriving at Chiang Mai at 12:20pm.

The town itself is best explored on foot. For exploring further afield, bicycles (40-100 baht/day) and motorbikes (from 100 baht/day) can be rented from many agents along the main street.
Motorbike taxis are also readily available.

The town itself has no special sights; most people come simply for the relaxed atmosphere. Nearby attractions include hot springs and waterfalls, and a hilltop temple. There is also a wonderful canyon which provides the perfect spot for a sunset. This is a great spot to visit after seeing the WWII bridge built by Japanese-held POWs.

There's an abundance of guesthouses in Pai, most of them in the budget range (a bungalow goes for around 100-500 baht depending on amenities included). Mid-range options are rare and there's no top-end hotel. But Pai is not a package-tour-place.
Heading out of town there are swarms of bungalow setups.
At the bus station there is a 2007 (!) map of Pai. Get this as it will show you the location of most of the guest houses (> 100 places). There is also a discount for motorbike rental.

What would Superman do?

Sometimes I wish I am Superman or the most powerful man in the world so that I can solve everyone's problem. One sample of letters in my tray - from a lady whose family lives in a government barrack with 2 bedroom with 6 kids, the eldest is married and is staying with her with her own 2 kids. The husband, a non-Bruneian, will retire very soon (by the time the letter arrived, he would have retired

Ignored Old Brunei Boats

Those who know me know that I have a penchant for stamps and currency notes. I do collect other things - aircraft models, coins etc. But stamps and currency notes are my favourite, hence my other blogsite here.I was going through some magazines last night and I found a photograph of this old Brunei boats. These boats were used by our very own Brunei fishermen at the turn of the last century. They