Once done with my Kampong Ayer walkabout, I headed back to the jetty at Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery to catch the Penambang back to Waterfront Bandar Seri Begawan.
Looking out to Waterfront Bandar Seri Begawan from the jetty.
The steps down from the jetty.
Another lady managed to call her Penambang from another pier. Ah well.
As I was there on the eve of the Brunei Darussalam Regatta 2019, not all boats were operating as Penambangs as they were used as safety escorts too.
A regatta boat training for tomorrow’s event with the Brunei Fire and Rescue Department (BFRD) escorting.
Finally about 10 minutes of waiting, a Penambang came with passengers heading to my jetty. A local asked me if I was going to Waterfront Bandar Seri Begawan and if I didn’t mind sharing the boat with him. Sure, no problem.
The Penambang decided to dock at the floating pontoon beside the jetty instead.
Heading down to the floating pontoon.
Departing from Kampong Ayer.
Zooming across back to the city.
Crossing the Brunei River at speed.
Approaching Waterfront Bandar Seri Begawan.
Arriving at the steps with more passengers waiting to catch a Penambang.
Disembarking from the Penambang after paying my fare to the captain. Surprisingly, after giving the captain B$1, he returned me a prepared B$0.50 as change, making my fare just 50 cents. Looks like sharing with locals gets you a better fare, or that the single crossing itself costs B$1 and then it’s divided by the number of passengers.
Looking back at my Penambang with a new set of passengers boarding.
More Penambangs arriving to drop off passengers. Where were all these when I was waiting at Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery.
Overall, a fun and interesting ride on the Penambang across the Brunei River. Perhaps next time I would like to try a longer ride to see where these speedboats can take me too.