Life in the water village, a photo from Brunei and Muara, West

Photographer's Note

My last upload showed the Kampong Ayer (Water Village) of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, as seen from the minaret of the large mosque nearby. But of course I also had a closer look at the buildings on stilts and the jetties connecting them. Today's three photos were all taken in the Kampong Ayer.

As PaulVDV has pointed out, this village no longer exists. Where I walked along sometimes rather rickety jetties in 1976 people are nowadays walking on narrow roads or across lawns of a neat park.

To be honest, the main photo was taken just outside the water village, but I chose it because I thought it was the best photo. I can imagine these two men arguing about the quality of their motor-bikes. The agitated man seems to be making a gesture saying that his Yamaha is so much stronger and faster than his friend's Honda.

Both WS were really taken inside the water village. And all photos were scanned from Kodachrome slides.

pajaran, Fis2, ikeharel, jean113, pierrefonds, PaulVDV, ChrisJ, jhm, COSTANTINO, adramad, macjake, PiotrF, aliabazari oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (115071) 2021-08-26 0:43

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan tekst ...
Lepa scena na ulici, dobro pokazan sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad sa lepom fotografijom u radionici.

Zelim vam lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja

Fis2 (169903) 2021-08-26 1:01

Witaj Gert!
Excellent set of photos, I like to watch places that are inaccessible to me.
Good frames and colors.
Well done.
Good morning.
Krzysztof

ikeharel (112565) 2021-08-26 1:45

Nice taken moment, Gert, those guys look as stopped for a minute and having a chat about daily life matters, though wonder what the finger was aiming to express...
A fine scanned old picture.
Have a nice new day,
Ike

foxy (3461) 2021-08-26 1:51

Hello Gert,
From your last upload I wanted to say that the Kampong Ayer has become deteriorated to make way for the park.
But seeing this upload , it was not that bad ... the Kampong's houses on stilts in a river. A shame that they were all gone ... but as it's a park now I think it's good for the environments.
Ha!Ha! Back to your scanning. It's super stunning 'old' pictures , you scanned.
It's also nice to see the 'orang-orang' , walking and talking ... or even surprised ( WS2 ) on the rickety jetties ( pretty solid to me ) and the washing hanging everywhere to dry. I wonder do they had their washing done in the river :-)
I do like the main photo , I would think that the well-dressed man is keen on buying this motorbike. The beard-man is giving him ONE last chance ! Take it or leave it :-)
Well, as you mentioned 'Yamaha and Honda' ... give me Honda anytime. Because I used to ride a small Honda scooter in Malaysia.
Thanks sharing this 'vanished' part of Kampong Ayer.
Loong

Silvio1953 (220775) 2021-08-26 2:48

Ciao Gert, nice scene with talking couple, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

jean113 (27667) 2021-08-26 3:59

Hello Gert, the body language of the two men suggests a conversation to me; a perfectly timed and it makes the shot even more interesting.
Three very interesting pictures; the ramp that we see in the two workshop pictures cant be an easy object to negotiate.
A valuable archive picture.
I do worry what might happen to these pictures and all the library of pictures if TE ceased to exist!
Kind regards, Jen.

pierrefonds (113716) 2021-08-26 4:48

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the interaction between the men. The point of view is showing the details of the mortorcucle and of the houses. The light is giving good colors rendering. Have a nice day.

Pierre

PaulVDV (62810) 2021-08-26 5:01

Hello Gert,
Three times a really beautiful picture of the water village.
Always with the presence of residents.
On the spot, I realized that my photos would be more beautiful including people. But that was not so easy to obtain. Maybe I should have gone to Kampong Ayer earlier in the morning or have stayed longer in the afternoon. But during the day there were very few people to be seen. It was quite warm during the day when I was there.
I have another picture of two young girls on a wooden walkway. But that photo was taken with my smartphone and of much lower quality. Especially compared to your three photos here.
I also remember the steep bridges we see in your WS.
In my archive can't find a photo of them either. Afterwards, it turns out that there are still enough things/situations to photograph that didn't convince me on the spot. Why not? I don't know. Other people's photos clearly inspire me.
Best regards, Paul

ricardomattos (17408) 2021-08-26 7:21

Hi Gert

Interessante close destes dois homens conversando sobre suas motos em Brunei. Bela foto e composiçăo!

Parabens

Ricardo

ChrisJ (171392) 2021-08-26 7:28

Hello Gert,

A good daily life scene from the water village that no longer exists. The men seem to be discussing the pros and cons of the Yamaha. The old farming equipment is called a hayrake by Americans. Tfs!
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bf/ae/5d/bfae5d948c3ffb00163ef2b9b2d48c00.jpg

jhm (211734) 2021-08-26 9:16

Hello Gert,

This are always nice picture taken from life.
It seems a heavy discussion between the two men.
Excellent sharp and clear photographed.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

lousat (138703) 2021-08-26 10:08

Hi Gert,3 beautiful photos that you had surely taken to remind you of the locals with scenes of everyday life, but which have become important now because they show parts of this village that no longer exists. Excellent quality for a great new contribution from your magical archive. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

Tue (91700) 2021-08-26 10:32

Hej Gert,
Det er lidt trist at tćnke at vandbyen ikke lćngere findes, ogsĺ fordi jeg undrer under hvilke vilkĺr beboerne flyttede. Du fangede mřdet mellem de to mćnd meget godt her. Som du skriver ser det ud til at det her handler om en diskussion om motorcyklerne. De varme farver i forggrunden stĺr godt frem fra den mere blĺlige baggrund.
Lars

jmdias (114402) 2021-08-26 12:08

gert

curious as these men looks more like people from arab world while the women looks more like philipine-malay style. I presume this corner is a mix of races.
nice these views from this country not so famous in terms of images.
take care

jorge

mcmtanyel (67819) 2021-08-26 20:11

Hello Gert,
Another lovely photo that can be added to my Small Talk collection.
Regards,
MT

ifege (47131) 2021-08-26 21:25

Hi Gert
3 excellent scans from within the village giving us a glimpse of water village life. You caught the man on the left in the main photo at a perfect moment.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (115673) 2021-08-26 23:08

Hello dear Gert
an impressive photo from another
world in 1976
I red carefully your useful notes
and I am really suprised that
this village no longer exists...
the life goes one...and conditions
of living change...
regards
Costantino

dkmurphys (79209) 2021-08-26 23:45

Hello,
Well, I wasn't even born when you've visited that place! I admire the high quality and the colors. Great everyday life scene.
Enjoy a nice weekend.

D

mkamionka (73560) 2021-08-27 1:05

Hi Gert,
Maybe the semi naked guy is selling the motorcycles?
He appears as if he was trying to convince the other guy to purchase one of them. He may have more motorcycles in the wooden crate behind them.
Very nice poses of the people, well captured,
M

GyurMaster (24696) 2021-08-27 12:43

Dear Gert,

While all three photos are good, it is obvious that the main upload is the best. The main figures are well-placed and I like the gestures of the man on the left. I noticed some bg. separation, thus you must have used some better camera. Can you recall the type?

Best Wishes,
Gy.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

adramad (72622) 2021-09-02 8:29

Hi Gert,
The three photos of the town of Agua are very interesting, in this photo the men seem to talk about motorcycle issues, while the other two photos show us the catwalks that the residents use, as we can see in them.
Sharpness, lighting, color, and magnificent composition; they are managed to perfection, in this beautiful image.
I like very much.
You have a good day. Very best regards.
Luis.

macjake (98262) 2021-09-03 13:45

Hi Gert
in the WS, that little child, is now probably the same age as me, around 46. I wonder if he's still living in the same village, or did he get out and explore the world. Now I know you say the village no longer exists, but i'm sure there are other similar villages. in terms of the two men talking, maybe he's telling the other guy, do not talk to my wife again, haha...who knows, that's the fun of it. I wonder what's inside that large crate. cheers
Craig

PiotrF (54246) 2021-10-05 13:15

Hello Gert,
A very nice daily life scene from street. The atmosphere of this place is shown perfectly. Interesting picture from your archive.
Fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

kasianowak (17672) 2021-10-06 1:11

Hi Gert
I do agree with your choice of main image, even though they are all great scenes - not sure you can call them street photos, maybe "boardwalk" photos? :-)
I really like the way you framed this shot and your timing is perfect to capture the man's gesture which makes the image quite amusing. And I think you are right assuming that the merits of the motorbike must be the subject of the conversation.
Best wishes
Kasia
PS. My goodness, I do understand now what you meant when you said I was off for so long... Time flies but I can see its passage well when I look at the date I was last active on TE. :[email protected]
Greetings from Schiphol Airport!

aliabazari (21445) 2022-04-01 23:28

Hello Gert
A beautiful view of the conversation between the two men. Interesting text about Honda and Yamaha. A good documentary of everyday life. Thanks for sharing