Monthly Archives: May 2012

O, Brunei – We Don’t Need That Billionth Barrell of Oil!

After our Singapore fling, Phyless and I hopped the short 800 mile trip over to the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace.  With a population of less than half a million, it is the only sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo and, apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Pantai Seri Kenangan - the "unforgettable beach"

Pantai Seri Kenangan – the “unforgettable beach”

Once we arrived we visited some of the most beautiful sights of the small nation including the Dewan Majlis or Parliament House, Pantai Seri Kenangan (literally translated as the “unforgettable beach”), and Phyless tried out the kebaya, a traditional blouse-dress combination worn by many women in Brunei.

Phyless Tries on a Kebaya

Phyless Tries on a Kebaya

After the fashion show Phyless and I visited the Taman Tasek, a forest reserve in the middle of the city which has a natural waterfall in the middle of a lush forest.  Following a few leisurely backstrokes in the cool waters, we took a boat three kilometers west of Bandar Seri Begawan’s city center, past the Istana Nurul Iman, the residence of His Majesty The Sultan.

Visiting the Istana Nurul Iman - residence of His Majesty, The Sultan

Visiting the Istana Nurul Iman – residence of His Majesty, The Sultan

Visiting the largest residential palace in the world, with golden domes and sweeping roof lines, we hoped for an opportunity to greet His Majesty and members of the royal family but, sadly, it was not Hari Raya so we were out of luck.

Phildup enjoys the Sultan's Palace

Phildup enjoys the Sultan’s Palace

Finally we ended up at our target landmark – the Billionth Barrel Monument.  Built to commemorate the billionth barrel of oil produced by the onshore Seria Oil Field at the S1 site (where the first well that was dug about 70 years ago), it was designed by a local architect.  Seria, is known as the oil town of Brunei due the first discovery of oil in the area.

Visiting the Billionth Barrel of Oil Monument

Visiting the Billionth Barrel of Oil Monument

Phyless and I had our picture taken in front of the monument in a moment of irony – a monument to oil by two fuel gauges on full!  Thank you, VMAC, for this hilarious and amazing opportunity.  Sure hope the truck fleets back home aren’t missing us too much – we’ve still got full tanks and lots of vacationing ahead of us!

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Singing About Singapore

Rising Above Singapore

Rising Above Singapore

Phyless and I flitted over to Singapore after our adventure in Papua and were amazed and delighted by all the incredible sights we saw.  We soared 165 meters above the city in the Singapore Flyer,  the world’s largest Giant Observation Wheel and also one of Asia’s biggest tourist attractions.  You can even see a glimpse of neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia as well as Marina Bay’s skyline.

Enjoying the Singapore Flyer View

Enjoying the Singapore Flyer View

After we left the Flyer we headed over to the amazing Gardens By The Bay.  This billion dollar 101 hectare superpark features more than a quarter of a million rare plants in huge domed conservatories.

The Singapore Supertrees

The Singapore Supertrees

and is split into three waterfront gardens.  What impressed us most was their latest attraction – the “Supertrees”.  Designed by British architects Grant ­Associates, a bunch of these botanical beauties stand at up to 50 meters tall and contain between nine and 16 levels.

Strolling At Night Under the Supertrees

Strolling At Night Under the Supertrees

Each supports a diversity of tropical ferns and flowering creepers and is equipped with rainwater-harvesting systems and photovoltaic collectors capable of storing the energy used to power the park’s lighting at night. In addition to being fuel savers like Phyless and I, these Supertrees are also works of art, illuminated with colored lights and video projections.

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Keepin’ It Green in Pa-Pa-Papua

Meeting the Papua Mudmen

Meeting the Papua Mudmen

One of the most exciting activities of our Papua, New Guinea visit – a place known as 120% adventure travel and not for the inexperienced or faint of heart – was our visit to the legendary Asaro Mud Men!

As the story goes, many years ago in the village of Asaro, north-west of Goroka, the Mud Men were beaten in a tribal fight and chased off their land. But it didn’t end with that.  The most vengeful warriors covered themselves with grey mud and huge mud masks before they attacked the enemy to take back their land. Their payback raids were reputed to be especially brutal – like an intense box hockey tournament! The enemy escaped in wild panic as these “ghosts looking people” emerged from the jungle.

As we ventured into the territory of the ferocious Mudmen, they emerged suddenly from the jungle, covered with mud from top to toe.  We both screamed, fearing the worst, but fortunately the Mud Men were just getting a good laugh at our expense. They showed great skill in shooting while teaching us to use a bow and arrow making me happy we we were not their intended targets.

Phildup with the Mudmen

Phildup with the Mudmen

They were very interested in our tales of our travels but, as they are a fuel-free tribe, could not grasp the awesome benefits of our new fuel-saving lifestyles.  No worries – those fabulous fuel savings, courtesy of VMAC’s ingenuity, will benefit us back home but for now we’ll focus on “mudmen-power” for our New Guinea vacation stop!

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Tickled Pink in the Blue Water Mangroves

Our Cozy “Room” at Raja Ampat

Halfway between Jakarta and Papua, New Guinea, we stopped at Raja Ampat or ‘Four Kings’ – the name given to a group of four Indonesian islands: Waigeo, Misool (which is home to ancient rock paintings), Salawati, and Batanta.  The area’s blue water mangroves are a unique, world-class destination for underwater enthusiasts who flock to see the world’s best marine sights.   Increasingly well-known as the world epicenter of marine biodiversity, the islands of Raja Ampat offer a world of thrilling big animal encounters, the chance to see new species, pristine reefs of  hard and soft corals and some of the world’s most intriguing macro creatures.

Phildup enjoying the Blue Water Mangroves

During our series of dives in the crystal blue waters we spotted archer fish, pygmy seahorses, turtles, frog fish and a plethora of soft and hard corals.  But the most compelling part of our underwater adventure was the beautiful light and shadow from the mangrove roots.  Floating along underwater it was hard to believe that trucks back home were laboring through yet another tank of gas while we enjoyed the VMAC gift of a true fuel break!

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Jakarta? I hardly know her!

A view of the National Monument in Jakarta

Well, now that I know there is very spotty WiFi in the Australian outback I think I’ll be able to post a little more frequently. We had not noticed too many fuel gauges touring around the city but we started to feel right at home when we heard about Jakarta’s Car-Free-Day’s. These are held on the last Sunday of each month! Someone should tell these Indonesian gas gauges about VMAC’s new Intelligent Digital Controls and they might get more than one Sunday off per month!

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That’s not a knife…. that’s a knife!

A setting sun at Glen Helen Gorge

Crikey! What a trip so far! Phyless and I both agree that the extreme conditions in the Australian Outback would be no match for VMAC’s new Intelligent Digital Controls. Too bad the same cannot be said for myself as Phyless witnessed me shrieking like a girl when I saw a spider the size of a baseball.

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Back on dry land! Albeit upside down…

Sydney, Australia

After a fantastic voyage we’ve finally hit land! Unfortunately our ship’s navigation is not anywhere near as sophisticated as VMAC’s Intelligent Digital Controls and our journey took a little longer than expected… However, the added time allowed us to work on our tans.  What a trip!

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Setting Sail for Australia!

Phyless getting her sea legs

Well we had a great time in Hawaii but today we left for Australia! Setting sail without fingers or thumbs was tricky but now that we’re off there is just smooth sailing ahead. With the wind on our backs and our tanks full of gas it’s time to kick back and enjoy the Pacific.

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Hawaiian luau, A real gas!

Hula dancing on the big island!

Oh how I love Hawaiian culture! Today, Phyless and I were shaking our gauges with the locals and making the most of our last day in Hawaii! Tomorrow we will set sail for Australia where I hopefully won’t have to wear any more vegetation.

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