At a glance: Kota Kinabalu & Brunei

Kota Kinabalu or K.K. to locals is a melting pot of Asian tribes. The population is a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and of course native Filipinos who have been there for a long time. I am not sure if the Filipinos at K.K. are citizens or migrant workers.  60% of the population is Muslim, 40% are Hindus and Christians. Surprisingly, they live in harmony.

On the way to Mt. Kinabalu for a rainforest trekking, we drove by a river village. These are a large group of houses on stilts. According to our Indo guide, Rama, the residents of the water village is locally known as the Badjaos...and to my surprise, most of them are Filipinos. Rama said that they've been inhabitants there for a long, long time.

I remember learning about the Bajaos in my history class in high school. They must have been from the same tribe and was just separated geographically.

My heart sank for the Filipinos are not only poor in their home country but they are also the mediocre class in Malaysia. But they choose to stay there for they earn well enough in K.K.

Along the banks of the Brunei river is another water village similar to that of K.K. It seemed like a slum but it isn't and a tour of Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan actually includes a short visit to the water village. According to our Brunei guide, L'ong (a Bruneian of Chinese-Malay descent), the water village is a part of Brunei culture. Brunei is not ashamed of it at all. This village is complete with the necessities of a town. We saw among others a floating mosque, a floating primary school and a floating police station. Residents of the water village are ferried by boat taxis.