Coming from the
Philippines, first you have to get to Kota Kinabalu. Both Air Asia and Cebu
Pacific have flights to the said destination. Since most flights arrive in the
late afternoon, you have to postpone your three hour Labuan trip until the next
day. I suggest you stay at a guest house that is located near Jesselton Point,
which would be your point of embarkation the next day. Sleep well.
Ferries from KK to
Labuan usually take three hours and a half. The ticket price is 31 ringgit plus
a 3.60 terminal fee. As far as I know there is just one counter selling this
ticket. They also have discounted tickets if you are planning to go directly to
Brunei on that same day. It costs around 55 ringgit. A single journey ticket
from Labuan to Brunei, on the contrary, will cost you another 35. However, if
you are planning a one-day stop at Labuan, I don’t think this ticket is an
option. There are two ferries on a daily basis. One leaves at 8 AM, the other
at 1:30 PM. If you want to reach Brunei on the same day, take the morning trip
from KK. Upon landing at Labuan you’d still have time to run and change money
or eat lunch before you ferry to Brunei leaves.
The ferry is
air-conditioned and it would take you not more than three hours and a half to
get to Labuan. It gets a bit chilly inside so better wear a few layers, or just
bring a light sweater. There would be a TV in front playing a pirated movie.
The film of the day was Too Fast Too Furious. You would be able to finish that
movie because the trip is long and bumpy. May lubak ang dagat? Hahaha. I
almost got seasick so I just tried to sleep but could not find the right
position.
I guess it would
be nicer if the ferry was of an open-air type. Nothing beats being slapped in
the face by the strong winds of the sea while battling motion sickness.
Projectile vomit! Better sedate anyone from your party who is paranoid because
this part of the South China Sea is really rough, and it is not uncommon to see
giant waves by the window. I no longer tried to find out if going outside was an
option, or what the difference was between economy and business class.
Better to just stay on your seat. You really don’t want to vomit on someone
while trying to navigate the shaking cabin.
Since the Labuan
Ferry is an international port, you would have to go through the immigration
counter if you are going to or coming from Brunei. Having said that, please
always bring your passport with you. The terminal is small so getting lost is
not an issue. If you still need to buy a ticket for the next day (if you are
not going direct) the ticket counter is just next to the arrival hall. In the
arrival hall itself are flyers and counters for renting cars or motorbikes,
which is a popular choice for foreigners who would like to explore the city on
their own. A motorbike costs around 30 ringgit per day. A Proton Gen-2 would
cost you some 70 ringgit, not bad for driving around Labuan in style. You will
also see lots of paper ads for Uncle Jack’s guest house.
The Departure Hall
is on the other side, but still in the front side of the building, next to the
toilets. Both international and domestic departures pass through there. There
is an X-Ray for your baggage and a counter at the center where a member of the
staff gets one part of your ticket. After that you head straight to the
immigration counter where your passport will be stamped for exit of Malaysia
via Labuan. Again, only guests going to Brunei pass through here because Brunei
is the only international destination. Check-in time is not that strict. The
ticket would tell you to be there 45 minutes before. Do that and the crew at
the terminal would tell you to wait until 30 minutes before the trip before
they let you pass through immigration. There are around five daily trips to and
from Brunei and not all of them are full. In our case, not even half of the
ferry’s seating capacity got filled. Or maybe because it is a Sunday? Connect?
Hahaha.
My seat number was
not indicated on my Labuan - Brunei ferry ticket because as I already told you,
it wasn’t full. Free seating! The toilet was pretty nasty. It was flushing but
looked so unsanitary. And the smell is not something you’d really like. In
other news the movie playing on the ferry TV was very inspirational. It was
Titanic starring Catherine Zeta Jones. Okay. At least this particular ferry
ride lasts for just less than an hour and a half. Upon arrival at Muara
Terminal you have to line up for the immigration again. And then you go through
the Customs’ X-Ray. I mean, your things go through the X-Ray, not you. Welcome
to Brunei!
This is not yet
BSB. BSB = Bandar Seri Begawan, not the BackStreet Boys. There would be a bus
waiting for you which would bring you to the city center of BSB, but not before
it goes through the airport. Muara belongs to a different district. BSB is also
in a different area, so expect around an hour of travel, or maybe just around
40 minutes. After that, welcome to BSB!
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei Through Labuan Via Ferry
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