From Italy, beauty and brawn on wheels
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
THE participants, director, producer and crew of an Italian TV's travel show called Donnavventura made their way into Brunei early yesterday morning after driving through the Sungai Tujoh immigration checkpoint.
Blazing into view, the Donnavventura team in their four bright red Mitsubishi Tritons were greeted by representatives from the Brunei Tourism Board, GHK Motors and local Triton owners.
The group, in particular the six beautiful women participants, were keen to meet and greet the Bruneians who were just as excited waiting for them at the border.
Many were expecting muscled and tough women, but were surprised when the beautiful and charming ladies came into view.
Stefania Donati, 25, climbed down her Mitsubishi Triton, and — armed with a notepad and pen — was quick to ask questions about Brunei's four districts.
She even asked for basic Malay words to use during their three-day stay in the country.
The Donnavventura show centres on the search for a woman capable of conquering extreme conditions while maintaining her feminine qualities.
The show is currently in its 19th year of production, and the six contestants who arrived in Brunei yesterday were among the final 12 selected from about 40,000 applicants. Fitness and confident speaking ability were among the most important considerations in selecting the contestants.
According to one of the women, there is no age limit for applying, as long as the person holds a valid driving licence and passport.
They started their journey around the world on July 13 this year, while the other six are kept on as reserves.
The women currently hold a wide range of jobs, but the main objective of the Donnavventura is to have an adventure and report their experiences to their viewers.
Elisa Grazzini, 29, is a lawyer and sought something a different experience in her life.
According to her, she was eager to see Brunei's mosques and the water village.
"What I've noticed most is that the people of Asia are very open to visitors. They are known for their hospitality," she said.
For Chiara Babilani, 31, the chance to discover new cultures and experience them first hand was a gift.
The active humanitarian was selected for the second time and anticipates being exposed to different cultures, religions and architecture.
Being an animal-lover, she was very interested in the sultanate's vast biodiversity and hopes to be able to see local animals in their natural habitats.
The six women have to go through three intense months of adventuring, which is far from relaxing.
According to Elisa, joining the Donnavventura requires a great amount of concentration and focus as they still have work to do.
"We do reporting and editing of pictures and the videos," she added.
Being away for so long, they only get a chance to call home about 15 minutes once a month.
"But everybody doesn't have to worry," Chiara reassured. "We have a website which has our individual blogs and a forum where people can see for themselves how we're doing."
The team wasted no time in starting their adventure in Brunei.
After taking photographs with nine Mitsubishi Tritons and their respective owners that welcomed them, the entire delegation started on a scenic road trip to their first location in Seria, the One Billionth Barrel Monument.
The Brunei Tourism's Marketing Director, Chris Robles, is fluent in Italian and he explained to the women the significance of oil and gas to Brunei.
Due to time constraints, the convoy moved straight to Tasek Merimbun.
For the extra kick, they went through dirt and gravel roads through Kampung Long Mayan, Kampung Mengking and Kampung Rambai before reaching Kampung Tasek Merimbun.
The Donnavventura team and its crew then went on a tour of the lake by boat before having lunch at the village head's house.
The visitors were greeted by the Dusun community dressed in their traditional attire, and were invited for a cosy home-cooked meal. Afterwards, they were treated to a brief cultural show. The team and their convoy headed to the capital next.
Over an hour later, having driven past fields, houses and villagers, they found themselves driving into the GHK Motor Showroom in Beribi.
Waiting at the front door to welcome the Donnavventura team were GHK Motor's Chairman, Pg Dato Shariffuddin, Managing Director, Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Goh King Chin and the Director of the Brunei Tourism, Sheikh Jamaludin Sheikh Mohammad.
The ladies were given colourful garlands of orchids as they entered the showroom and were officially introduced to the eagerly waiting public.
After brief refreshments, the women introduced themselves amidst furious camera flashes.
Sheikh Jamaludin then lauded the women for their bravery in conducting such an expedition that is traditionally the realm of "tough guys".
In turn, the women expressed how happy they were to be in Brunei and what they hoped to see and experience during their visit.
Speaking on behalf of her team, Elisa Grazzini said that the team regards each other as a member of a family, helping each other out and cooperating to the best of their abilities.
Later in the evening, the Donnavventura team were invited to a special welcome dinner at Spaghettini in The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Their list of places to explore includes Brunei's famous mosques, Kampong Ayer and the Temburong National Park.
The Brunei Times
Blazing into view, the Donnavventura team in their four bright red Mitsubishi Tritons were greeted by representatives from the Brunei Tourism Board, GHK Motors and local Triton owners.
The group, in particular the six beautiful women participants, were keen to meet and greet the Bruneians who were just as excited waiting for them at the border.
Many were expecting muscled and tough women, but were surprised when the beautiful and charming ladies came into view.
Stefania Donati, 25, climbed down her Mitsubishi Triton, and — armed with a notepad and pen — was quick to ask questions about Brunei's four districts.
She even asked for basic Malay words to use during their three-day stay in the country.
The Donnavventura show centres on the search for a woman capable of conquering extreme conditions while maintaining her feminine qualities.
The show is currently in its 19th year of production, and the six contestants who arrived in Brunei yesterday were among the final 12 selected from about 40,000 applicants. Fitness and confident speaking ability were among the most important considerations in selecting the contestants.
According to one of the women, there is no age limit for applying, as long as the person holds a valid driving licence and passport.
They started their journey around the world on July 13 this year, while the other six are kept on as reserves.
The women currently hold a wide range of jobs, but the main objective of the Donnavventura is to have an adventure and report their experiences to their viewers.
Elisa Grazzini, 29, is a lawyer and sought something a different experience in her life.
According to her, she was eager to see Brunei's mosques and the water village.
"What I've noticed most is that the people of Asia are very open to visitors. They are known for their hospitality," she said.
For Chiara Babilani, 31, the chance to discover new cultures and experience them first hand was a gift.
The active humanitarian was selected for the second time and anticipates being exposed to different cultures, religions and architecture.
Being an animal-lover, she was very interested in the sultanate's vast biodiversity and hopes to be able to see local animals in their natural habitats.
The six women have to go through three intense months of adventuring, which is far from relaxing.
According to Elisa, joining the Donnavventura requires a great amount of concentration and focus as they still have work to do.
"We do reporting and editing of pictures and the videos," she added.
Being away for so long, they only get a chance to call home about 15 minutes once a month.
"But everybody doesn't have to worry," Chiara reassured. "We have a website which has our individual blogs and a forum where people can see for themselves how we're doing."
The team wasted no time in starting their adventure in Brunei.
After taking photographs with nine Mitsubishi Tritons and their respective owners that welcomed them, the entire delegation started on a scenic road trip to their first location in Seria, the One Billionth Barrel Monument.
The Brunei Tourism's Marketing Director, Chris Robles, is fluent in Italian and he explained to the women the significance of oil and gas to Brunei.
Due to time constraints, the convoy moved straight to Tasek Merimbun.
For the extra kick, they went through dirt and gravel roads through Kampung Long Mayan, Kampung Mengking and Kampung Rambai before reaching Kampung Tasek Merimbun.
The Donnavventura team and its crew then went on a tour of the lake by boat before having lunch at the village head's house.
The visitors were greeted by the Dusun community dressed in their traditional attire, and were invited for a cosy home-cooked meal. Afterwards, they were treated to a brief cultural show. The team and their convoy headed to the capital next.
Over an hour later, having driven past fields, houses and villagers, they found themselves driving into the GHK Motor Showroom in Beribi.
Waiting at the front door to welcome the Donnavventura team were GHK Motor's Chairman, Pg Dato Shariffuddin, Managing Director, Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Goh King Chin and the Director of the Brunei Tourism, Sheikh Jamaludin Sheikh Mohammad.
The ladies were given colourful garlands of orchids as they entered the showroom and were officially introduced to the eagerly waiting public.
After brief refreshments, the women introduced themselves amidst furious camera flashes.
Sheikh Jamaludin then lauded the women for their bravery in conducting such an expedition that is traditionally the realm of "tough guys".
In turn, the women expressed how happy they were to be in Brunei and what they hoped to see and experience during their visit.
Speaking on behalf of her team, Elisa Grazzini said that the team regards each other as a member of a family, helping each other out and cooperating to the best of their abilities.
Later in the evening, the Donnavventura team were invited to a special welcome dinner at Spaghettini in The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Their list of places to explore includes Brunei's famous mosques, Kampong Ayer and the Temburong National Park.
The Brunei Times
Business Besides Oil
