Brunei

I imagine that Brunei is what the world would be like if there were no drugs or alcohol. Clean, safe, rich, pleasant… just nice in general. Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital of Brunei, and where we spent most of our time. It’s quite an interesting city. Walking around there is always a random building with a gold roof in sight, which is a constant reminder of the wealth of the country.

However, an interesting statistic that I found out was that close to half the population of BSB life in Kampong Ayer (or the water village), which consist of rickety looking houses built on water. For this reason, a main form of transport seems to be the water taxi.

Sightseeing around Brunei primarily revolves around looking at mosques. There are two main ones in the city. The smaller Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is located in the middle of the city, and the other, Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, is a few km’s outside. The Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosquei is a very impressive building, especially at night when it is illuminated by blue lights. It was definitely a wow moment when seeing the mosque for the first time.

We also took a trip out of the city to the city of the Bangar via speed boat. There is a lot of jungle trekking etc. to do from this town, but due to time restrictions we were not able to. We just enjoyed the speed boat ride through narrow rivers with thick jungle on either side to and from the city.

The other main attraction which we visited was the Empire Country Club and Hotel. The hotel is an extravagant resort only within reach of the rich and famous, so as a mere commoner, it was nice to be allowed inside and take in the luxury. While walking past the man made beach of the resort be bumped into celebrity Pamela Anderson, and also during our day at the hotel we bumped into singer/actress Samantha Mumba. The resort also boasts a cinema and a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, which costs $220 to play a round of golf on.

And this wouldn’t be a post about Brunei if I didn’t have at least one paragraph about the sultan. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is a rich man. We visited his private residence, the Istana, but due to the fences and trees around the outside the view was not great. The Regalia museum is located in BSB city, and contains heaps of stuff about the sultan and his life. Most interesting are the presents that various heads of states have given the sultan over the years (why? I don’t know). Judging by the museum and the glimpses of his house I could only imagine what the inside of his house looks like.