 |
| In front of the Omar Ali Saiduddien Mosque. It was named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei and is considered the country’s most recognizable landmark. |
Brunei is a small country on the island of Borneo, with less than a half million citizens. Thanks to a massive amount of oil and natural gas reserves, it has the distinction of having one of the world’s highest per capita incomes. The incomes appears to be more evenly distributed than in other wealthy countries.
It’s an Islamic country that doesn’t allow alcohol or tobacco, and has a friendly reminder on the first and last page of its travel document website that drug dealers will be executed. The head of the ruling family is known as the Sultan. Obviously a pretty wealthy guy, but also one that seems to understand the importance of taking care of his people. Education, healthcare and housing seemed to be top priorities. While it may not be a place we’d want to live, it was a fun place to visit.
Muara is the port town and is located on the South China Sea coast. The cruise terminal and what we saw of the town was very clean and we received a very nice welcome.
We had booked a tour called “Brunei on your own” , which was perfect for us. It simply provided transportation from the ship to the capital city of Bander, which was about 20 miles inland. We received a nice map of the city center with points of interest highlighted.
 |
| Gardens of the Ceremonial Hall. Coronations, royal weddings and formal celebrations are held here. |
 |
| Royal Regalia Building-a museum that contains the Royal Chariot (it’s good to be the Sultan), Crown Jewels and other royal items. |
 |
| Chinese Temple-although it is an Islamic country, other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity are practiced by a small number of people. |
The city center is relatively small and we enjoyed roaming freely. It was spotlessly clean and everyone we met was very friendly. Friendliest among them was the water taxi driver we hired. He took us on a 45 minute boat tour around and through the water village, where close to 30,000 people live in homes constructed over the Brunei River. As we went along he was great pointing out highlights (including his house in the water village) in his broken English. He would finish every sentence with a huge laugh. He shared with us that he had thirteen children (9 girls and 4 boys) which brought a big smile to his face.
 |
| The mosque was open for visitors between prayers. Our timing wasn’t good. Both times we tried to go prayers were taking place. |
 |
| We didn’t get his name, but he sure was a great tour guide. |
 |
| We passed several schools in the water village….this is a school bus! |
If you would have asked me to point to Brunei on a map prior to this adventure, I couldn’t have done it. It’s nice to know that at least for a short period of time, I can not only find it, but also have some great memories of it!!
