Up early for an 0730 departure to Ulu Temburong National Park - an eco activity day tour organized by Allan. We bus to the city, catch a high speed cigarette style ferry with 2 x 200hp outboards that whisks us away down mangrove channels, rivers and open waterways at high speed to the next stop, Bangar. Then by bus again to Batang Duri where we go upstream by Longboats to Ulu Temburong National Park. This is an amazing trip where the experienced long boat skippers take 5 of us in each boat with a poling crew member in the bow and a 15 to 30hp outboard on the stern up the rapids, over rocks and river stones, through the shallows and around logs through the densest of jungle on either side. Quite an amazing ride. We go all the way up to the National Park and then further to a treetop canopy walkway up about 1000 steps all told from the river to the canopy walkway then up the scaffolding steps to the walkway above the trees. Done it, don't need to do it again, don't like heights but it was ok. I guess coming from NQ with Skyrail seeing above the canopy is not something new to us. We go back in the Longboats to a great (and well earned) lunch beside the Temburong River then take lilo type floats to paddle back down the rapids and repeat the trip in reverse. A really great day in the jungle and on the water.

Being devils for punishment on our return at a bit after 5.00pm we do the Mangrove Tour which goes by boat up past the Sultan's Palace and into the Mangrove Creeks and Rivers. We passed a rock in the river which looks like a boat set in the middle of the stream tipped on its side, the local mythical story is that it belonged to a local guy who left and made good and came back to visit Brunei but did not visit his poor mum, as a result he and his boat were turned to stone, so all Brunei'ns learn this story when young so they always look after their Mum's. A good story.

On the trip we spied the local Probiscus Monkey and the Long Tail monkey, as well as Sea Otters, one of which had just caught a good sized fish and was busy taking it home and one just chomping away on his dinner. This was an enjoyable and easy couple of hours also where we learnt a bit more about local custom and myth. Brunei is indeed a well run and organized country which has many benefits for the locals and obviously good employment levels and income. There are many massive mansions here, all modern cars and a very nice clean city.