Reykjavik

Last weekend, I was 400km from the Equator, today I am 270km from the Arctic Circle. Jay and I are in Reykjavik, which is the capital of Iceland, and the world's northernmost capital city. Iceland has a similar population to Brunei (just less than 400,000 people). The language, I am finding, is more difficult to pick up than Malay. There is a slightly different alphabet, with some complicated sounds.

Try some of these phrases.  http://youtu.be/7QKAdCZEkcY

This snowman is just outside our accommodation.

   

Throwing a snowball in a nearby park.

 

Shortly after taking this photo, it began to snow.

The snow and mountains create a dramatic vista as you look down the streets of Reykjavik.

 

Museum of London

I went to the Museum of London. Beneath the city are layers of history. 

• This is a piece of the city wall, a defensive structure that surrounded the old city. The bottom of the wall was built in Roman times. A new wall was built directly on top of that, hundreds of years later.

• The  Roman Emperor Claudius brought elephants when he invaded Britain around AD 50. This was to impress and intimidate the native tribes. In Lord of the Rings, Samwise dreams of  seeing an oliphaunt, and is amazed when he  sees them being ridden to battle by the Haradrim. I wonder if JRR Tolkien got the idea of the oliphaunts in the Battle of Pelennor Fields from this historical event.

• I learnt that half of London died in the plague, known as 'The Black Death'.

• A new rail tunnel is being dug under the city. As the digging progresses, many artefacts are being unearthed. One of them is this patu from Aotearoa. How do you think it got there?

The River

In tikanga Maori, a pepeha introduces the speaker by naming te maunga, te awa, te moana; the mountain, the river and the sea. These identify the place where you live, or where you come from.
When I think about my pepeha, I name two rivers: the mighty Waikato,where I live, and the River Thames,where I come from. Both rivers are magnificent, but their histories are very different.

From Blackfriars Bridge, the London skyline is stunning with a diverse array of old and new buildings. 

Looking west  you can see the London Eye and Big Ben

The Embankment beside the Thames is busy with people, and the river is busy with boats, large and small. 

  

It seems that every inch of the city is crammed with old and interesting buildings, memorials, and remnants of hundreds of years of history. The Thames is more than just a river; it is a character in a story that has been unfolding since the last ice age.
Some of the story- The Thames.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a fantastic story with the River Thames   playing a supporting role.  

Great Expectations   

London Calling

Flying in to London, the plane circles the city and I find myself glued to the window. The River Thames, the bridges, Big Ben and the Tower of London can be seen clearly. It is an amazing sight.

This morning I caught the Underground train (the Tube) straight from the airport in to the city, and then a short walk to  the cafe where my daughter works.

This is Jay, at Hilliards cafe.

Then my nephew  messaged me and we also got to catch up. I haven't seen Craig for about 3 years.

There are a lot of  'kiwis' working at  the cafe. Living and working in London is something that many New Zealanders get to experience. Perhaps a UK OE* is something that you would like to do in a few years.

*UK - United Kingdom
  OE - overseas experience

Images of Brunei

I fly out to London tonight. 

Here are a few pictures which capture some of the impressions that I  have of  Brunei. It is not really a tourist destination, however it is interesting and quite unique. The people have been incredibly friendly; genuine smiles and waves from perfect strangers. And I have actually seen the Sultan of Brunei. I'm pretty stoked about that.

A typical shopping precinct. 

Malay is the main language spoken in Brunei, but signage is often in Malay or Jawi, an Arabic script.
I think this sign wishes you a safe journey.

This one says welcome (Salamat datang). Pantai is beach.

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This is  Sekolah (school) Menengah (secondary) Ripas. My friend is a teacher here.

This is the view from upstairs. An Iroquois helicopter has landed in the field; it comes from a nearby British army base.

National Day Brunei Darussalam 23 February

Today is National Day in Brunei. To celebrate, there is a parade for the Sultan in Bandar Seri Bagawan, the capital. Thousands of people march past the Sultan in battalions of school groups,

government departments, corporations, and miltary units. It is a peaceful, joyous occassion with brightly coloured uniforms, and lots of flag waving. I feel very privileged to have been there to see it, and to have seen the Sultan of Brunei, even if he was at a distance.

The Spit

Yesterday evening, we went for a walk down to a place called The Spit, a narrow strip of land with the sea on one side and the river on the other.

Behind me is the South China Sea. You can see an oil rig out to sea.  Oil and gas are very important for Brunei's economy.

We discovered that Sunday evening at the Spit is the place to be if you are a young adult in Brunei, with a car. I was impressed at the collection of immaculate, gleaming, small cars. Suzuki Swifts were an obvious favourite.

Kampong Ayer

This is Kampong Ayer, 'water village' in Bandar Seri Bagwar, the capital of Brunei. 

We went for a boat ride around the village. 

This is a school.There are crocodiles in the water, but I haven't seen any...yet.

Some of the older houses are being replaced with new buildings. An older house costs around $15,000, a new one, around $70,000.