Border Crossing from Miri to Brunei (Sungai Tujuh Imigresion)

The crossing was the easiest crossing I have ever done with Bluey thoughout my journey in South East Asia. Following Rider ChrissBlogpost,I got the weblink for brunei Vehicle Entry Pass and from there just filled up the form online a few days in advance and within minutes I got the 2D barcode for vehicle entry.

I rock up the Malaysian Border and they just stamp me out barely giving me any notice and then I rock up the Brunei Immigration which was also a few second checks before a stamp in was approved for 30 days.

Border Crossing - Malaysia to Brunei - Sungai Tujuh Immigration 

Next was customs and ride up to the booth, took out the printed 2D barcode and scan it and I was good to go. Easy ... too easy that I worry I missed some important step. Felt so unreal that it was too easy.

One custom officer saw my bike and with a smile asked me to move forward and park to the side. I thought yea ok, this will be the customs checks and I had some tobacco with me as well so I wanted to declare and be upfront first abiding with all their rules. He asked some standard questions like what I was carrying and I was more than eager to show him my camping gear stash in the box while he left my bag untouched.

Crossed in to Brunei - Waiting for Rain to Stop

Ciggarattes is a no no .... pay tax ... but for the ammount i was carrying, he said sure its ok.

Then he saw the flag I stuck on Bluey, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos. A big smile on his face and we started chatting as he was also an adventure biker who has ride all the way up to Guangzhou China.

I ended up chatting with him for nearly an hour exhanging stories on customs clearence, budgets, tackling bribes with local police while on the journey etc. Etc and then the rain came ... so I had to wait another hour and we talk more with the custom officer excusing himself from time to time to see to work but as it was a quiet border and not much people were crossing on a tuesday morning, it was a barrage of adventure stories exchanged.

At one point I even forgot that I was talking to a customs officer and we were exchanging stories of all the hassle to get the bikes into other countries for touring including backdoors connections, bribing, getting a carnet without putting down the heavy deposit, some side money after settling all the customs paperwork and the things we do slightly illegally just to be touring in another country legally.

It was a great start to Brunei, and somehow I know that this will be a very friendly and happy country.

The Start of Brunei Adventure

Traveled on: Aug 2019

Miri the Black Hole.

Always there will be a place thoughout my travels where I call it the black hole and for me in Sarawak, that was Miri. I stayed a total of 5 nights in Miri doing almost nothing, watching movies, seeing sunset, a few museum here and there but the bulk of the time, sleeping and just aimless scrolling on google.

Heck, the fact that I even missed updating my journal the whole 6 days I was in Miri doing nothing was a defination of Black Hole. (Somehow ending up staying longer without knowing why – the black hole – sucking you up and compelling you to stay)

Miri has a charm I could not explain, just the right time right place right chill type of vibe to go around for the tired long term traveller is what I would call it. My favaruite passtime was watching the sunset in Miri.

Sunset at Coco Cabana - Miri 

Sunset at Coco Cabana - Miri

Sunset at Coco Cabana - Miri

A few things to do in Miri was the historic Grand Old Lady Well No.1 Up on a hill with a view point of the coast of Miri town. The other was drinking. I found quite a few niche watering hole in Miri and in a way it makes sense with the proximity to Brunei where drinking is no fun. 

The Grand Lady Well No.1 - Miri 

Miri City 

Watering Holes in Miri - Alice in Borneoland 

I did manage to make a daytrip to Tusan Beach to see the natural formation of a cliff that looks like a horse drinking water from the sea. It was reported to be collapsed in 2020 so I was fortunate to see it at all.

Tusan Beach is also famous to see the Blue Luminesanse plankton which gives off the natural Blue Tears Phenomenon ... although ... there is some luck required to actually see it dependent on time, clouds, microorganism etc ... I did not stay to try and see it as the roads were not lighted at night for a motorbike ride.

Iconic Horse Drinking Water at Tusan Beach - Collapse in 2020

Tusan Beach Monument - Guess they have to change it now 

A large part of Miri was also spend debating with Audrey as she was also sucked into the black hole of Miri, we talked alot about a lot of thing, philosophically mostly. Audrey expected me to understand her view point of why the people think the orang utan needs saving, that the palm oil is a bad industry and that the laws in Brunei where gays are to be a death sentance is inhumane.

I used many ways to explained but basicly told her that in this part of the world, in their eyes, the westerners are the crazy one, thinking that gay is normal, that forest are being chop for palm oil is pure nonsense. Forest is being chopped for timber, and then after for plantation which so happen to be palm oil. Why single out palm oil? Enviromental ? Bah. I dont belived it to be that simple.

The western forget that they have already destroyed their own natural ecology and fully cultivate their land. What the people here in Asia now is doing the same thing to strive to get out of poverty but while we harvest the land for the spoils, we have desinagted forest reserved for the habitat.

I always find that the ideology of the young western people are so fragile, easily influence by the media, the sad stories and in this generation, the peer pressure to be a good enviromental friendly human. Sure we may be destroying rainforest for palm oil, but frankly I truly belived that the ones destroying the world are those trying to impose what they think is right onto other peoples minds.

How do you know you are wrong if you belive that you are right !

The dificulty of changing a point of view is like asking someone to change his religon ....

Miri Mascot The Sea Horse at Coco Cabana Beach - Miri

Miri Old Town. 

Traveled On: Aug 2019