Arrival at Kampong Awat-Awat on Monday, 22nd September 2014. The car trip from Bandar Sri Begawan took about 3 hours through the immigration checkpoints at Kuala Lurah and Labu. To reach Awat-Awat, the drive went through the small towns of Limbang, Sarawak and Bangar, Brunei.
Kampung Awat-Awat is located at Batang Trusan's estuary beckons visitors with its unique delicacy, the smoked fish known as tahai and its udang kering (sun-dried prawns) which was in season when we arrived.
Kampung Awat-Awat is a village above water at the Batang Trusan estuary with the water flowing into the Brunei Bay.
Even now, villagers use boats to get to their homes as the road linking this village with Lawas ends at the north bank of Batang Trusan.
Kampung Awat-Awat is actually made up of four villages - Kampung Ujong, Kampung Tengah, Kampung Masjid and Kampung Bangsal - with Kampung Ujong being at the end as aptly described by its name. According to Kampung Ujong's headman Jinin Munap, Kampung Awat-Awat has about 160 houses all standing on stilts three metres above the surface. The houses here are linked through a maize of wooden footbridge that is about two kilometres long.
"Previously the houses stood on wooden stilts but over the years the stronger concrete stilts have replaced them," said Jinin in the Brunei Malay dialect that is widely spoken in the Lawas district.
Even now, villagers use boats to get to their homes as the road linking this village with Lawas ends at the north bank of Batang Trusan.
Kampung Awat-Awat is actually made up of four villages - Kampung Ujong, Kampung Tengah, Kampung Masjid and Kampung Bangsal - with Kampung Ujong being at the end as aptly described by its name. According to Kampung Ujong's headman Jinin Munap, Kampung Awat-Awat has about 160 houses all standing on stilts three metres above the surface. The houses here are linked through a maize of wooden footbridge that is about two kilometres long.
"Previously the houses stood on wooden stilts but over the years the stronger concrete stilts have replaced them," said Jinin in the Brunei Malay dialect that is widely spoken in the Lawas district.
Arriving at Kampong Awat-Awat. Taking a Penambang (small boat) that took passengers across a small river for a very small fee (50 Malaysian cents per person)
A view of part of Kampong Awat-Awat
A fishing boat - common views in the village
Haji Mohammad Sofian putting bait to his fishing line
Mohammad Haji Mohammad Sofian with a small size fish known as Kapas-Kapas
Haji Abdullah Haji Tengah showing off his freshly landed grouper.
Hajah Jamilah Haji Abdul Hamid trying her skill on 'Mengurit' using a utensil specially made to find clams
Big size clam known as kunau (?)
Taking a boat ride to a fishing spot along the Awat-Awat River
Actually, early morning (dawn), the boys were awake early to continue with the fishing activities
