Views from a minaret, a photo from Brunei and Muara, West

Photographer's Note

The past few months Paul Vandervorst (PaulVDV) has posted photos from Brunei, a Sultanate on northern Borneo. Last week he noted that the last 18 photos from Brunei on TE, covering an entire page, were all his. He expressed a wish to see someone else soon uploading another photo that would make the page not only his own.

I decided to accept the challenge and Paul has welcomed my intrusion on his page.

This is the view I found in October 1976 from the minaret of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque (built in the 1950's) in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. In those days visitors could go to the top of the minaret by air-conditioned elevator, unfortunately no longer possible.

What we see here is the 'Kampong Ayer', or Water Village, of houses built on stilts in a river. I didn't remember now that this was just a small part of the village. To my surprise and confusion I found from Paul's photos and descriptions that this part no longer exists. It has has been replaced by a large park, as shown in this photo:

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Brunei/West/Brunei_and_Muara//photo1597021.htm

Today's remaining Kampong Ayer, much larger than the one I saw, is a short distance away.

You can see the mosque in this photo, also by Paul:

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Brunei/West/Brunei_and_Muara//photo1596064.htm

or in this badly scanned photo I took in 1976:

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Brunei/West/Brunei_and_Muara//photo1119307.htm

Another view from the minaret, showing a part of the modern city, is in the WS. Another WS will show you a glimpse of the mosque.

My photos were all scanned from Kodachrome slides. (Paul's were obviously not.)

I will remain in Brunei for another few uploads.

pajaran, Fis2, ikeharel, PaulVDV, pierrefonds, jean113, jhm, mcmtanyel, COSTANTINO, jemaflor, ChrisJ, adramad, macjake, aliabazari ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

Fis2 (169659) 2021-08-23 0:41

Witaj Gert my neighbour today again :)!
Fantastic view from a minaret, landscape makes impression.Excellent framing and colors.
Good work from Your archive.
Well done.
Have a nice new week.
Krzysztof

pajaran (114845) 2021-08-23 0:41

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
lep deo garda, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i perspektivom.
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici.
lepe fotografije i secanje.

Zelim vam lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje u novoj nredelji koja je pocela.
Paja

ikeharel (112397) 2021-08-23 2:11

Hello Gert,
From the Google-map view, I could detect some changes on those poor dwelling area across the water, guess it was renovated, modernized and evolve to better place since 1976.
Anyway, a magnificent picture through time past, well scanned.
Good afternoon,
Ike

ChrisJ (171172) 2021-08-23 3:38

Hi Gert

Wow! Very different from the aerial views I got in the mid 1990's to early 2000's when Royal Brunei air ran regular passenger services from Brisbane to Bangkok return. Looks like the oil reserves had not yet been developed, as the water village is much like Malaysia or Indonesia. Good aerial view from the top. Tfs!

PaulVDV (62790) 2021-08-23 5:28

Hello Gert,

I don't find it easy to compare the water village from my memories of March 2020 with the situation of 1976 as we see it in your photo here.
I had seen your previous photos of Brunei before going there but actually I should have printed the view from above of the minaret to make a comparison with the reality during my visit. Also, I never got on top of the minaret ... (Visits weren't possible anymore)

I believe that Kampong Ayer has changed on different places.
First of all, the part that is located that close to the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque no longer exists. In 2020, Kampong Ayer consisted of two water villages on the other side of the river. Two parts that between themselves were not connected by walkways but only by boat.
But when I look at the most remote part of the water village in your picture here, I don't recognize the village I saw there either.
I think Kampong Ayer has really changed a lot.

I was told on site that fires are the biggest problem for a water village that is mainly built from wood and with houses relatively close to each other.
On site I also saw remnants of former homes
(especially metal pillars in the water that supported the earlier wooden houses). Houses will then be rebuilt in the same place. Also in other nearby places. In this way, a water village is always in transformation.
This is probably not the only reason for a strongly changed situation. Government decisions and housing projects (such as the one I visited) also provide a new image of the village.

When I look at your main photo here, I get the impression that the water village was much poorer back then than it is today.
Possibly the view from above leads to a different impression. I could never see the village from such a height.
Of course, the country has now become a lot more prosperous and the poorest will also have benefited from this.

Your photo here clearly strikes me as a third world picture where I wouldn't have described Brunei and Kampong Ayer that way during my visit.

Remarkable, but the village seems to be located a lot lower than the street that runs around the pond in which the boat-shaped pavilion is located. So I guess that the entire area where the park is now has been accumulated.

Since I couldn't/shouldn't (?) go to the top of the minaret, I didn't see the view in the other direction (your WS1) as you did. But I've gone through that part more than once.
I think that neighbourhood has remained fairly unchanged. The tall buildings and the wooded hills are for me still the situation of March 2020.
However, new construction has been added between that district and the river, including a shopping center and fast food restaurants.
No idea what used to be on that new site. Possibly nothing, maybe it was also a part of Kampong Ayer.
I also searched on Google Map but unfortunately that map confuses me even more than my memories.

Oops, a message says my critique is too long ...

Best regards,
Paul

pierrefonds (113534) 2021-08-23 5:42

Hi Gert,

The wideness of the area is giving deoth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details of the water village. The light is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Silvio1953 (220525) 2021-08-23 8:25

Ciao Gert, great POV from minaret, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

jean113 (27613) 2021-08-23 9:10

Hello Gert, a valuable picture showing what this place was like 45 years ago.
Seeing how close the houses were to each other I guess that the conditions were not too healthy/hygienic so maybe that is why the landscape has changed.
It's a very interesting picture especially with the minaret in the immediate foreground.
The two extra shots add to the story.
Kind regards, Jean.

jmdias (114220) 2021-08-23 10:28

gert

we can notice a great contrast between the clear shapes of the monumental mosque and those poor village ahead. I presume they removed the poverty a little more ahead. I liked this view with the waters and the part added by mankind after.

take care

jorge

jhm (211734) 2021-08-23 10:41

Hello Gert,

(Reactions to my picture of the Lady with hors
Yes I ask almost always the permission, but only vocal.)

We get a lovely panorama view about the village on poles as and island
You chose a nice angle, created nice depth and perspective.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

Tue (91526) 2021-08-23 11:07

Hej Gert,
Det er meget interessant at se det samme sted som Paul viste, som nu er blevet til en stor park. Kompositionen er meget god med det hvide tårn og træerne på bakkerne der sammen med vandet danner en ramme på begge side af vandbyen. Husenes lyseblå tage står godt frem fra det hele.
Lars

lousat (138561) 2021-08-23 12:30

Hi Gert,back in your rich archive with 3 pics from Brunei inspired by Gert,these pics are very precious,surely something has changed after 45 years as you wrote,the quality of pics is very very impressive,i like it! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

mcmtanyel (67583) 2021-08-23 20:14

Hello Gert,
Well, I feel sorry for the people who had to relocate, but the park is prettier IMHO. I wonder how the park would look from this point.
Regards,
MT

ifege (46869) 2021-08-23 21:36

Hi Gert
A good one from the vault and showing a very different water village to what it is now as Paul has shown us as. It reminds me of the Kampongs beside the water that I saw back in 1988 in several towns in Malaysia.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (115477) 2021-08-23 22:12

Hello dear Gert
an old photo of yours taken
so many years ago....
you are very lucky to have visited
places like this one and Paul too...
...he expressed a wish to see someone
else soon uploading photos and you are
the best person to do so taken photos
from your rich archives
thanks for the presentation
regards
Costantino

jemaflor (146234) 2021-08-23 23:44

Hi Gert,
Interesting viewand POV with the tower and this village, well presented your old shot, Brunei, interesting and original country, a photo of this country as the last photos of our friend Paul, tfs.

emka (157280) 2021-08-24 1:50

Hello Gert, Nice that Paul inspired you to look for the Brunei pictures in your archive. It is interesting to compare your and Paul's experiences and photos. strange that this elevator is not used anymore. It provided a fantastic view of the water village from above.
Amazing quality of the old picture (there is maybe too much green, but not important).

Have a nice day

MAlgo

mkamionka (73290) 2021-08-25 2:46

Hi Gert,
I sincerely hope that TrekEarth will survive for a bit longer and that you manage to upload more photos from this little known country.
Yes I am glad that Paul shows so many photos from there since I know so little about this place. Your photos will certainly add another perspective.
I truly admire quality of your scans. I suppose maybe the original photos were of exceptional quality. My negatives from early 2000 are in such a poor shape with plenty of scratches etc. Good scanner didn't help too much even with the infra red scanning etc
Anyway the view is amazing with the three different worlds from magnificent fragment of the temple in the foreground to tighly build village and finally with a natural scenery at the back.

Today the main photo gallery does not work, also when I try to go into photos from a given country it is not working. However I can still see new galleries for all TE members separately.

Great quality work here,
M

adramad (72536) 2021-08-29 11:18

Hi Gert.
This photo is a great panorama of the Town of Water, also that vivid color adds a lot of strength to the composition, a notable difference with what remains of this place today and that we have seen in Paul's photos. Here it had a more authentic flavor.
The photos of the WS are equally interesting.
A magnificent coloring that gives a lot of chromatic richness to the image.
Very good lighting management and very good sharpness.
Well done. I like it.
I wish you a pleasant week.
Very best regards.
Luis.

macjake (98260) 2021-08-31 1:14

Hi Gert
love the WS #1, I wish you had posted that as a main photo, but this isn't my gallery haha. Cool to see all the old cars in that shot. I'll have to check out the other photos which you added links to after I write this, i'm sure it'll be very interesting. what a great view from up here, but I just couldn't imagine living in such an area and in such conditions. We really do have it good. Good to see a new post here, other than Paul's haha. cheers
Craig

kasianowak (17672) 2021-09-06 10:49

Thrilled to see this as I followed Paul's posts from Kampong Ayer.
Great shot with the minaret in the foreground. There is no part of the image that would be boring to look at and the landscape changes from water to village to hills to blue sky.
The park is nice, but you were lucky to see and photograph these houses.
Have a nice week.
Kasia

aliabazari (21197) 2022-03-26 21:50

Hello Gert
Beautiful view of this coastal city with tin roofs. Clarity and lighting done well. Good composition of the minaret in the foreground. Beautiful shot. Thanks for sharing