The water village of Kamponf Ayer was founded at least 1000 years ago and is considered the largest stilt settlement in the world with around 30,000 people making their home above the water.
Kampong Ayer is a community of houses that are built along both banks of the Brunei River on the outskirts of the city of Bandar Seri Begawan which is the capital of Brunei. The name Kampong Ayer literally translates into “water village” in Malay.
The village is in transition as many of the old wooden homes are falling into decay and new stilt homes supported on concrete pylons are appearing in the village. However, most of the village houses are still timber homes colorfully painted in blue, green, pink and yellow.
Villages
Kamponf Ayer appears to be a single continuous complex but it really consists of approximately 40 separate stilt villages.
Stilt Houses
The stilt houses may seem to be antiquated but these houses are equipped with modern utilities including running water, electricity, satellite TV and air conditioning units although many houses hang their laundry on a clothes line to dry.
Elevated Sidewalks
The houses and clusters of villages are connected by 38 kilometers (23 miles) of elevated wooden sidewalks. Many of the sidewalks preform dual functions for walkways and supports for utility piping. Many of the homes have potted flowering plants along the sidewalks.
Boat Pickup Station
It might seem inconvenient to live on the water but water taxis travel along the waterway 24 hours a day and can be signaled from any the small jetties that seem to be located only a short distance apart. The standard fare for a short fide is $1 Brunei.
Impressive Bridge
Getting from Kamponf Ayer to Bandar Seri Begawan can be reached by car also by crossing the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge. The bridge is a modern cable-stayed bridge that makes for an impressive backdrop to the stilted villages.
Country Flag
I always look for the country flag of the countries that I visit and many of the houses in the Kamponf Ayer villages have the Brunei Flag displayed along the waterway.
Self-contained villages
The villages appear to be just a mass of houses grouped together but they are actually self-contained communities with stilted mosques, schools, shops, clinics, restaurants, police stations and fire station all above the water.
Mosques
The Tamoi Mosque is a green and gold domed Mosque on the perimeter of the villages which can easily be seen from anywhere while traveling along the waterways.
A much smaller Mosque also along the perimeter of the villages is the gold domed Al-Mugtadee Billah Mosque which has a tall golden minaret.
Schools, fire and police stations
Schools, fire stations and police stations are all part of any community even when they are built above the water on stilts. The large school (1st photo below) was full of students that all waved to us as we passed by in our boat. The fire station and police station (2nd & 3rd photos below) were interesting as they both had land and water capabilities.
The Dust on My Shoes
One of the things that I enjoy most about traveling is being exposed to different cultures and lifestyles. The water village of Kamponf Ayer is one of the most dramatically different lifestyles that I have experienced. I like being in a boat and being on the water but I’m not sure how I would like having to get in a boat every time I wanted to leave the house. Walking through the villages on wobbly wooden boardwalks is another experience that is fine if I am only doing it for a short time but I don’t think I would enjoy it if it was an everyday experience.
While I don’t think living on a stilt house in a water village is for me, I did enjoy visiting Kamponf Ayer and experiencing a lifestyle that I had never seen before. I am always amazed by how many ways people in this world have learned to live in their local environments.
I think there is a lot to the saying “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” I think this is why my travels have changed me so much. It has given me a chance to understand other people’s experiences.
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