Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

On our way down the coast of Borneo, we did a quick stint (literally less than 24 hours) in Brunei. I don't think we stand alone in saying that the mention of Brunei brings up images of a tiny country with lots of oil and a very very rich Sultan. After having been there, we can safely say that these images are in no way a stereotype but completely true. For a reference on the size of this country, Washington State is 32 times bigger than the whole of Brunei, and where Brunei boasts a population of 388,000 people total, Seattle alone has a population of 2.7 million. In other words, Brunei is not much more than a blip on a map. The other typical image associated with Brunei is it's famous (or infamous, depending who's side you're on) Sultan of Brunei. It is true what you hear; he is listed as the "Richest Royal in the World", weighing in at a whopping $22 billion. The last image, oil, is less obvious to the naked eye, but since we personally passed 3 oil fields on our way from point A to B, we're sure this one is true as well. Overall, though, Brunei--or at least Bandar Seri Begawan--has a bit of a weird vibe. Unlike every other asian city we've been to, there seemed to be a lack of "stuff" going on. No honking cars, very few motorbikes, only a few people walking around, and sidewalks you can actually walk down. Weird. It feels a bit like a country club: Very clean, very organized, and very un-used looking. This may not seem so weird to those at home, but to us, having been on sensory overload for the past 3 1/2 months, it was a little unnerving to be in a city like this.

Like we said, our time in Brunei was very short, but I think we managed to hit the highlights. We got in around 4pm, and by 6:30 the sky gave us an incredible show, beautifully showcasing the National Mosque, which even on it's own is a sight to see. The next day we headed out on a river tour, which found us in the oldest floating village in the world, and closer than we've ever been to some Proboscis Monkeys!! (We got a semi-decent picture this time, which is an accomplishment for our stupid camera.)

The easiest way to reach Brunei from KK was via this ferry.

The Sultan's picture was everywhere. This billboard in particular was advertising his upcoming 64th birthday on July 15th; actually, every building in the city had a sign advertising the same thing. Should be quite a party!

The National Mosque.

The National Mosque in the day...

...and the Mosque at night!

The sunset put on quite a show.

Military helicopters practicing for the Sultan's birthday celebration.

Jessica and the Mosque on our boat tour.

The floating (stilted) village. At first we weren't all that interested in this part of the tour (we've seen plenty of floating villages already), but we later found out why this one is particular is so cool: until the turn of the century when the British arrived, this village was 100,000 people strong, and was all there was to the city of Bandar Seri Begawan. The British tried to move it's inhabitants to dry land, but to this day it is a thriving community of 30,000 with every amenity. There are huge schools, a hospital, a police station, a fire station, and sturdy sidewalks.

The beautiful Brunei River.

Our guides for the day (they were brothers).

Jessica trying to get a good look at the Proboscis Monkeys.

A Bornean Egret.

So if you look in the middle of the picture, just above the bushes, you'll see a humanoid figure leaning against a tree... This is a Proboscis Monkey! Our camera still wasn't that capable, but this is better than before, for sure! From where we were standing, these monkeys were about 30 yards away.

On our way out of Brunei we had some trouble. We were told that a bus to Miri (the city in Malaysia we were heading to) left from the border town of Kuala Belait at 3:30, but it was, in fact, discontinued as of July 1st, so we nearly ended up stuck in a border town. After asking literally everyone we could find what our best option was, we had to fork out 50 USD for a 40 minute cab ride... Ouch.

So, all in all, Brunei was interesting, but I don't think either of us would recommend it as a "place you have to go in your life". It was fine to pass through, but with the expense and the lack of goings-on, it was a bit missable. Our next stop, though, Mulu National Park in Malaysia is supposed to be amazing!