A day in Brunei

The island of Borneo is divided between three countries: Malaysia in the north, Indonesia in the south, and the tiny sultanate of Brunei nestled in the jungle, on the Malay part of the island. The Sultan has exclusive authority and control over the government’s assets. It is an oil rich nation and is considered a developed country, although you and I may disagree. It is also an Islamic country, and a very proud one, so do consider this when packing. I had absolutely no issues as a woman travelling along, I found people to be quite friendly and respectful

Darusalam, the capital city, is easy to see by foot. I Stayed at the Radisson blu, and highly recommend it. It has a lovely pool to relax and the service was faultless. Sure enough, there are some other options… not that many though.

Start at Regalia museum, pretty much a posh depot for the sultan to store his treasures and show them to the world. The main attraction is the, in which the current sultan was carried around the city when he was crowned. There are also gifts from other countries, and a wide range of pictures of the sultan in a variety of settings. I apologize for only being able to provide a picture of the outside of the museum, but cameras are not allowed into the museum, not even cell phones.

As mentioned before, Brunei is an Islamic state, and a very religious one. There are two main mosques: The new mosque and the old mosque 

New mosque

both mosques from the river 

Google Brunei and chances are that what are seeing is the old mosque with its sumptuous golden minarets. It is located in the heart of the city. You can visit in within certain times, it is not very big, but certainly beautiful.

Keep walking towards the sea side you will immediately have tenths of  water taxis offers to give you a tour to the water houses. The water houses are at the top of Brunei’s tourist attractions, and the government recently invested quite a big amount of money to start restoring them. Curiously enough, it is not only houses, you will see schools, fire stations, police and even mosques build on wood right over water with no other access than by boat.

If, like me, you are only in Brunei for a day or two as  a stop over, negotiate with the water taxi to take you a bit further into the jungle. You will see the current palace and the construction of the new palace

You will also leave the city behind and very likely encounter the strange proboscis monkey. I took a tour in Kota Kinabalu exclusively to see this monkeys and I saw some on the trees, but here, I was so lucky! They were only a few feet away. We were so close, that even the taxi driver took out his phone to take some pictures. They are really ugly, but that only makes them more interesting to observe…. and those big noses that we, at least I, find horrendous, apparently is the number one attraction for the female proboscis.  If, in the other hand,  you have a couple more days to spare, I would really encourage you to go to Ulu Tumpong National park and spend a night there.

Finish your day at the night market next to The Mall… that is the name of the city’s mall, just The Mall. The market is a great insight to the local culture. Do drink the traditional Air Batu Campur, aka ABC, a combination of  sago pearls, red beans, grass jelly, noodles and ice sweetened up with gula Melaka. Another most try is the traditional Ambuyat, a gooey thing made out of sago.

Don’t get excited about the mall is more like an indoor market, but you can find lovely fabrics at excellent prices. Would be a great option to have a dressed made and attend a Bruneian wedding. According to tradition, they have 9 ceremonies, from engagement to post wedding.