Sadly this meant that we would only have 35 minutes after the plane lands to collect our bags and get to the long distance bus station in Miri. Looking grim, so we spent the airport time at the Coffee Bean Cafe ekeing out a latte whilst we used their free wifi to try and arrange a taxi to Brunei from Miri. To no avail, so if we didn't make the bus then we'd spend the night in Miri.
Flight was fine, along the north Borneo coast, the land beneath dark green forest, with old brown rivers snaking to the sea. An hour was too short, even on air Asia!
Last off, as we were at the very back of the plane, pushing old grannies out of the way, we ran to collect our bags, yes! they came quickly, but there was a queue at the taxi ticket counter, come on come on, gill barking at girl who seemed half asleep and who didn't even know where bus station was! Amusingly, the people in the queue knew and said that the bus was leaving in 20 minutes, YES!!! we know we screamed, thats why we are in a hurry!!! Run to get cab, traffic jam to get out of airport as dignitaries around, due to Sarawak election, guns everywhere, come on come on. Yes we are on the bypass, I had time to check-in on foursquare and 15 mins later, we pull into a parking lot with buses. Driver drove around looking for Brunei bus, YES!! It hadn't left, phew, we'd made it. Thanks Amma!
It was as we relaxed on the bus that I realised that my backpack looked a tad moist and smelt most strangely. And sure enough, it had had a meeting with a bottle of Thai fish sauce. Nmm nice.
We'd heard conflicting accounts of where to get the bus and how long the journey would take, the LP and Internet were contradictory. So if this blog can help fellow travellers here is the quickest way to get from Miri to Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei by bus.
Buses leave Miri long distance bus station at Pujut Corner which is out of town at 15.45 and costs RM 40 each. There is another one at 8am. The journey takes 4 hours. We had maybe 10 fellow passengers, so had loads of room to push back, doze and stare at the unchanging green and flat landscape.
Two immigrations to navigate, all out of the bus at each for a relativley painless process. However, upon getting on the bus at Miri, we were asked if we had any wine. We answered honestly NO. Surely that juniper secret water in unlabelled plastic water bottles doesn't count? At Brunei immigration, it was bags out of the bus and an inspection. Yes Gill came clean! Now I was at the border with a drinks smuggler and she had looked so innocent on the bus! Lots of tutting, more forms to fill in and Gill in the bad person queue! You can take the girl out of Liverpool...... Fortunately they don't have the death penalty for alcohol smuggling yet! The signs for drug smugglers were a lot less friendly. She (this is Gill, just let me add here, WE were allowed to keep it.... And the real smuggler here was Ant, he had a half filled bottle of the stuff too which he didn't declare....)was allowed to keep it, but urged to drink it all before she left Brunei? We love a challenge!
Back on the bus, same flat green landscape, but bigger houses, much better cars and oil wells off shore, their flames burning brightly as the sun set spectacurlay in a thunder storm. Quite an intro to Brunei. Admittedly 4 hours is a long time in a bus and so we were glad to get to Bandar Seri Begawan or BSB as it is known locally. And yes Amma was there again, the drop off point was only 10m from our hotel in downtown BSB. Secret water has never tasted so good.
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