Brunei trekkers now in New Orleans

BRUNEI'S very own global trekker Norhayati Abu Bakar and her husband, Harun Kurt Eichbauer and their faithful four-wheel drive Toyota Landcruiser dubbed "Jambo", are on their leg of the South American continent.

In this edition, The Brunei Times presents Norhayati's travel note for her journey entitled: "From Brunei to around the World 2009 - 2010, 25 Years Brunei Independence Expedition". The following are excerpts from their 2010 travelogue (www.overthehorizon.net).

Tuesday, August 3

Jambo cannot enter the USA. That was the situation this morning. We went back to our custom broker to find out the reasons. "They have to let the car in. EPA (Environment Protection Agency) has no say, as the car is 25 year old. Their law does not apply." Our customs broker, Heidi, was competent. She helped to fill the forms, and together with copies of our passports, we went back, ready to argue our case. A US Customs officer came out from behind closed glass and we told him about our journey. He listened tentatively. Finally it seemed that we have met someone who was concerned. He took our papers and passports and said: "Give me a couple of minutes."

Waiting eagerly, we noticed through the glass window that he was scrutinising our passports with a magnifier, checking page by page for any forgeries, made phone calls, and start to work on our forms. After 10 minutes he waved. We went to the counter and he returned the documents, now duly signed and stamped, to us. Import approved! What a happy couple we were at that moment.

Meanwhile, we decided to drive south in the afternoon to the Everglades, an immense shallow watershed to see and maybe have a ride in an airboat. The area of 400,000 hectares is large for a national park, covered with swamps and grass prairies.

The airboat driver drove us for 10 minutes to an Indian village. Arriving, there he told that it was actually past one in the afternoon. Now there were no one around. After 10 minutes there standing around, we had again a noisy drive back. The propeller makes an incredibly loud sound behind you. Well, the trip to the Everglades was not that exciting for us.

Wednesday, August 4

We were in a good mood this morning. Only an x-ray check and perhaps we could get Jambo today or latest by tomorrow. Then came a call from Heidi. "Customs want to open the container and inspect the car." After 33 border crossings in this journey and Jambo passed all with flying colours, and now we seemed to get delayed or even stuck in Miami? Do these US Homeland security officials really suspect that we smuggle drugs or weaponry?

Apparently they saw some of odd-looking equipment during the x-ray inspection that looked something serious and insisted to "open to check". We drove with the keys to the port entrance. There were electronic and surveillance equipment everywhere. We handed the keys to a customs officer and were able to meet the inspection team, explaining about the locks, roof rack and so forth. We really felt unwelcome in mighty USA. Tomorrow we hope to call on US Customs the next morning. If they have no time to inspect until Saturday, then we had no choice but to re-direct the container to Canada or even Australia. What an unexpected problem.

Thursday, August 5

"Apparently the car has been released" ... now those were the words of the customs officer when we called at 8:15am. It seems they realised that all is straight with Jambo. That was good news. We later picked the keys at the port entrance again. Two Homeland security custom officers with revolvers came smiling and brought the keys. Harun gave them a sermon: "This is border number 33 on this journey. We went via Siberia. Europe, all of Africa and South America. If we knew before what kind of trouble we would be expecting, we would not come to your country." One of them was apologetic: "It's not like that, come on ... " and then told us enthusiastically, but very respectfully now, where in the Southwest we should go. They realised our journey is of importance and makes history in Brunei.

Later, at Heidi's office, we paid our dues, all together US$638. Now Jambo could travel all over the USA for one full year, before our permit expires, that says the law. However, we wondered how many times we will be stopped by highway patrol officers. Our total expenditure since Sunday comes with hotel, rented car and customs broker to US$1.484.

Friday, August 6

Jambo finally rolls out for the first time on American roads. Leaving Miami early in the morning we headed North on the Interstate 10, a road system initiated by Eisenhower. When Eisenhower came to Germany in the 1940s, he was so impressed with the Autobahn and found it worth to be copied in the US.

The distances here in the US are enormous. After travelling all day, we stopped by a camping place under trees for the night. The owner was a gentleman in his late 70s and he was curious, and he knew about Brunei a few years back when he had re-visited Thailand and Vietnam. "In the 1960s I flew there." Harun asked, "So were you one of the guys who dropped mines which still linger around and are cleared occasionally by exploding legs of farmers?" Now he did not like to boast anymore. "No, no, I was only a spy," and left us before Harun could put more questions to him.

Saturday, August 7

Early in the morning we were already up and out. The night was hot and we could not sleep. We drove westwards again on the I-10, towards New Orleans. The land is flat along the Gulf coast. Frequent bridges cross inlets and channels. Swamp and marshland prevails here.

We stopped here at New Orleans, to see what was still visible of the damages from Katrina the hurricane, of August 2005, where over 1,800 people perished along the coast. The water flooded over 80 per cent of the city. And today many residents still live in trailers, their houses were not rebuild.

There was one more reason why we came. Jazz was developed here in the beginning of the 20th century, in particular in the Dixieland. Louis Armstrong was the most popular musician of this genre and his band became famous with the song "When the saints go marching in". And it just so happened that on this very weekend there was the "Louis Armstrong Festival". At the French market where we hoped to find a decent meal, and maybe an occasional French baguette. But we were disappointed, we only found tourist junk a mile long. Nothing French at all. Not even a French tourist. Maybe a French perfume. Frustrated we sat down for a burger from a styrofoam plate. No eating culture here either. For these fellow Americans it is too expensive to wash plates.

There were live bands playing Dixie, and the youth danced, enjoying the music and festivity. Restaurant owners had an extra income day. There were plenty of one-man entertainers who took advantage of the large influx of tourists. From afar we could hear the sounds of drums beating "tum tum toto tum; tum tum toto tum". There was this white-bearded musician playing the drum with gutso. Next to him was a young guitar player who had come to some arrangement with the "silver beard" who permitted him to sit with him. His kitchen spoons followed the drum rhythm although the "clacks" were hardly noticed. But he knocked the guitar earnestly and hoped to share the tips from passing tourists.

There were many interesting street musicians that we met here. There was this skinny fellow. He had a microphone, but no amplifier and he was loud. We could hear him from across the street. He was talking about his problems and mimicking too, always watching who was approaching.

"Here comes two tourists I have to whine ... I'm broke, cant' you see? ... cash please I need new teeth," sang the street musician. Yes, we donated one dollar for the pictures we shot; and were out of town afterwards, driving along Interstate 10 towards west. It was dark when we checked into a "run downer" inn on the main road. Plugging our ears and dead tired, we slept into the morning.

The Brunei Times