Village city on sea

This is a very unusual sight. Village, okay... but on the river?

Well, this is the Kampong Ayer in Brunei. I just came across this and well, cool! Houses are built on stilts on the Brunei river, but above all, thousands live in there with modern ammeties compatible with that of a city, like gas stations, schools, medical clinics, fire stations and markets.

Being the biggest 'village on sea' in the world, the Kampong Ayer is split into 28 kampong section. This houses are being built by wood and are being connected by wooden walkways.

While the older generations prefer to stay in these water villages, the younger genrations would find living on land a more attractive choice. With government offer of free housing on land and greater convenience in going too work, will the Kampong Ayer soon become history?

In the past, fishing and trading was the main revenue for Brunei. The water villages were therefore more apt for such activitites. With the discovery of huge supplies of oil, more and more people left the villages to work on land in plush houses that were more beautiful and safe to reside in.

However, these will not discourage the villagers in preserving their heritage.

Says kampong elder Salleh, "This is our heritage, we own the houses and we will not let this community die". He is in fact enthusiastic about building a museum on water to share to the younger generations Kampong Ayer's rich history.

With forecast that oil resources will deplete starting from 2020, tourism will be the next long-term solution to Brunei's revenue. And Kampong Ayer presents as a terrific tourism spot with its rich heritage and uniqueness.

Except that the government will need to consider changing and modernizing certain Kampong Ayer's appearances and introduce some new safety measures.