Water way to live

Dubbed "the Venice of the East" and "the Floating City", Kampong Ayer is a water village in Brunei Bay in Brunei's capital city Bandar Seri Begawan.

It was first settled around 1,300 years ago, and the 42 villages have about 39,000 residents.

It is a two-minute water taxi ride to the village, which is constructed of stilt houses and wooden walkways over the Brunei River. The previously wooden stilts of the houses are nowadays built of steel-reinforced concrete poles.

Painted in a variety of colors, Kampong Ayer has schools, clinics, mosques, restaurants, a post office, a police station and a marine fire station. Every family has electricity and piped water.

Inside, the stilt house I visited there had a marble floor, crystal lamps and a karaoke system. There were even 11 cats.