Lamunin

There is something idyllic about the whole affair - driving through to Lamunin from the sleepy passageway of Tanjong Maya in the Tutong District of Brunei Darussalam. You have to make the trip early in the morning, not because you need to - but because the scenery beckons you to. Prime rice fields dot the way sporadically in the 15 minute journey from the Tanjong Maya junction to Lamunin. You have to find them carefully though; they have become almost indistinguishable from the thick overgrowth. Occasionally, you may see a network of strings from the distance interconnected to a tiny stilt house - the sign of an operating rice field.

Flashes of the past can be seen in the form of still-inhabited and abandoned old houses throughout the area. But increasingly the area is modernising - brick houses are the order of the day. School buses stopped continually in the early morning, bringing the children to several schools in the area, the size of the buses forcing other road users to exercise care as they negotiate the rather smallish road.

The road has character, the tarmac a stark contrast to the greenery around it. Peppered with dutifully filled potholes, the road meanders through to Lamunin. For a brief stretch, a behemoth water pipe rises from the ground, a stark reminder that water is being pumped from the nearby Layong Reservoir, supplying some areas of Brunei with ample water. Water buffaloes romp nearby, and to the chagrin of the unlucky driver, occasionally cross the road divide, oblivious to their status as accident precursors.

Lamunin used to be inaccessible when severe flooding occurred at Penapar. The road level has been raised as a result, making the trip now possible during such seasons. Penapar is a flood-plain. You can spot the severity with the water level marks left on the walls of the houses. Often these marks are higher than the bottom of the window sills. During floods, the populace would park their cars at the kerb of the road, since their driveways and the houses are located at lower ground. Driving to Lamunin at such times is a surreal experience; it is almost as if you are driving in the middle of a big lake. To keep their houses accessible, stilt walkways are normally constructed alongside these houses, and perhaps a boat or two for contingencies. Children seem to benefit from the floods; schools are sometimes closed. Bathing in the raised river water becomes an enjoyable past time, with parents keeping their eyes open on the possibility of lost crocodiles.