A Tiny Sultanate and a Rich Sultan

Brunei Darussalam means ''Abode of Peace'', indeed ''heaven'' compared to most other Asian cities where heavy traffic and air pollution spoil part of the pleasure

The Omar Ali Saiffudien Mosque was one of the highlight for me. Its gold dome glitters in the bright sun. The pillars seem like corkscrews, winding up to heaven.

In Kampung Ayer all houses are built over the water and they stand on stilts. From the outside they look shabby but inside they are very comfortable. They all have running water, electricity, fridge and television. I spoke to some Bruneians who told me that they did not pay any tax. They don''t have to pay for education and health care, the Sultan takes care of this.

The Sultan''s birthday is on the 15 July. He gives a large party for all his subjects. In the evening there is a huge firework display in Bandar. We arrived on the 10th July and saw all the preparations. Their were banners everywhere with the Sultan''s age, triumph arched were put up and in the centre public buildings were newly painted. All this work was done by immigrant workers..

Quick Tips:

Best time to visit Brunei:
avoid the wet season, from September to January.
It is not a good idea to visit Brunei during Ramadan, when all Muslims must fast between dawn and dusk for a month. Ramadan is a moveable feast, check if you visit falls in this period

VISAS:
Most foreigners do not require visas and are given 14 days in most cases. Americans can get 90 days and Brits, Malaysians and Singaporeans can have 30 days. Residents of Finland, Denmark, Spain, Ireland and Israel should check with the nearest Brunei consulate, as there is no visa waiver for these nationalities.


MONEY:
In Bandar many banks and ATMs. Most of these ar near the bus station. The Brunei Dollar is equivalent to the Singapore Dollar and you can actually use Singapore Dollars in Brunei anywhere you go including on buses. This means that if you were in Singapore before, you don''t actually have to change any money in Brunei.

Best Way To Get Around:

Transport:
in and around Bandar Seri Begawan is by bus, it is cheap and reliable. However, it is only in and around the capital. If you want to visit other parts of the country you will have to hire a car.

Taxi rates:
the first km or less US 1.50
each further km will set you back US 1.
Surcharge from or to the airport: US 3
Between 9pm and 6am there a surcharge of 50%

Located right in the centre of Bandar. The architecture of the building is none too aspiring, when you are in the hotel you don''''t see it.

The rooms are quite small but adequate. Two single beds, good firm matrasses. Airconditioning. CNN and BBC World.

In the morning you will get pushed under your door, a newspaper (fortunately in English)

Breakfast: Asian (Fried rice), Chinese (noodle soup) or American (toast and jam)

Free shuttle to and from the airport.

If you don''''t smoke ask for a non-smoker''''s room! It is a business hotel and many businessmen smoke like chimneys!

If you want to make a reservation it is best to contact them personally at: bruhot@brunet.bn

Hotels in Brunei are expensive. There are two budget accommodations:
Brunei Youth Centre (Pusat Belia) You can stay in air-conditioned, 4-bed dorm for B$10 (USD 6). It is Jalan Sungai Kianggeh near the Sheraton Hotel. You will pass it on the bus to town from the ferry or airport.

Ahmad Bujang recently opened a budget hotel. Very friendly and helpful staff. B$10 per person per night. I have no address, only his telephone number: 08-828894

MORE INFORMATION FOR BUDGET TRAVELLERS:
To get to Sabah and/or Labuan, you will need to take a morning ferry from the terminal in Muara. Take bus #33 or 38 and allow yourself 90 minutes. The last morning boat to Labuan is at 8:30 a.m., so get there very early, perhaps 30 minutes prior so you can clear immigration. There are also ferries around 1:00 that will get you to Labuan in time to make a connection to Sabah. The fare to Labuan is B$15 and you need to pay B$1 exit tax. The ride to Labuan takes about 90 minutes where you will have to clear Malaysian immigration. To proceed to Kota Kinabalu, exit out the international departures, turn to the left and walk to the end of the same building. The fare to KK is RM28 and that ride takes about 2-2.5 hours.

To Miri, Limbang, Sarawak: To get to Miri or Limbang, take a bus to Seria from the BSB station (B$5) every hour. These take a couple of hours and then you can transfer to Kuala Belait (B$1, 1 hour). From Kuala Belait, there are buses to Limbang and Sungei Tujuh on the road to Miri (B$5.50, 30 minutes). Buy your bus tickets only to the Malaysian border as buses are cheaper once you cross the border.

The area around the bus station and Brunei Hotel has a lot of very good Indian restaurants. The owners cater to the Indian migrant workers in Brunei. Authentic and very good value for the money.

Taman Bandaraya - A night market just beyond the Royal Regalia Museum off Jalan Tutong. Malay food sold at night.

Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex, many fast-food restaurants: McDonalds, KFC, Jollibee. Haunt of young Bruneians.

On the top floor of the Yayasan Complex and visible from Jalan McArthur, internet access: Rates are B$3 per hour, and one hour free. If you do not need these full two hours you can come back the following day and use the remaining time.

In Jerudong Park there are quite a lot of food stalls. It is well frequented by Bruneians, if for no other reason than there is not too much to do at night. It is open until quite late. The drawback is that you need your own transport, as there are no buses after 6 pm. Taxis are pretty expensive.

Roti Prata A kind of fried bread served with dahl (lentils) and sambal (crushed chili pepper) or fish/chicken curry. You can also order it with eggs inside. Then it is called: roti (bread) telur (egg).

Nasi Lemak: rice boiled in cocnutmilk served with anchovy sambal, peanuts, eggs and cucumbers.

Lontong Cubes of rice served with sayur lodeh, a vegetable curry made with coconut milk and tumeric.

Mee Goreng Fried noodles. Tumeric powder is used to give the dish a nice orange colour.

Nasi Goreng Fried Rice.

Soto A thick soup usually consisting of chicken or beef.

All these dishes are highly recommended. If you are staying for a few days only it is difficult to make a choice.

A small moustache, friendly eyes, Sultan, Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam - to give his full name and title, or His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah – to use the popular name.

Together with the safety instructions he sits in the pouch of the chair before me. From the cover of the "In-flight Magazine" he smiles, in a charming and irresistable way.

Raja Isteri could not resist this smile either. She was 16 and he was 19 when they married. Ten years later he met Mariam Bell, who was half Japanese and half Scottish. She became his second wife. The sultan has 4 sons and 6 daughters.

The sultan owns four palaces: Istana Nurul Iman, Istana Nurul Izzah, Istana Darussalam, Istana Darul Hana.

Some facts:
The largest palace is Istana Nurul Iman.
Building cost: USD 400 million
In this palace you can find:
1788 rooms
257 toilets
564 chandeliers
18 lifs
51,000 light bulbs
44 stairwells
mosque for 1500 people
banquet hall for 4000 guests

And also:
5 swimming pools
air conditioned stables for his 200 polo ponies
a huge collections of motorcars: 165 Rolls Royces, aeroplanes and helicopters.

He is the owner of the Dorchester Hotel in London, the Holiday Inn in Singapore, and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

Money plays no role. The sultan looks well after his people:
They pay no taxes
education and health care are free
Everyone gets a pension
the minimum wage is the highest in south east Asia.

Female Royals like to buy through the internet. They order from Harrods in London. The same day their orders are flown from Heathrow to Bandar by Royal Brunei Airlines.

Bruneians are well off moneywise. However, since 1962 they have not been allowed to vote. In that year there were riots, which were duly stopped.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:Istana Nurul Iman is situated 4 km outside Bandar on the Sungai Brunei. It is open to the public once a year on Hari Raya Aidilfitri. This is the end of Ramadan, The month when Muslims don't eat from sunrise to sunset. It is a moveable feast, so every year, a different date.

Kampung Ayer is a sprawling cluster of several Malay villages. It is built entirely over the Brunei River. "Kampung" means "village" and "ayer" means "water".

Bruneians are proud of their Kampung Ayer -- civil servants and professional workers still live there. The government has put in money into rescuing or replacing some of the older and decaying buildings, and has also built new facilities such as schools so that Bruneians can continue living there.

The houses are built on stilts. It is a funny sight to see -- the river flows under the houses. The houses are nothing more than wooden shacks and seem to lack any comfort from the outside: wooden shacks covered by iron roofs. However, they all have electricity, running water, sewer systems, televisions, and, quite often, internet access.

Every now and then they burn down. In that case, the house is not rebuilt. Instead the owner moves to a 'real' house on land.

Behind the central mosque, a walkway starts which leads you along the 'streets' (wooden planks across the water).

'Don't walk on the carpet,' he whispers in my ear.
Don't walk on the carpet!? I am in the middle of the carpet. Carpet in front of me, carpet next to me, carpet behind me. Carpet everywhere. He points at the marble tiles. Infidels can only walk across the tiles.
I take a few big steps, now I am 'safe'.
'The carpet is from Belgium', he says meaningfully. 'And the marble is from Italy', he pauses for a moment. 'The stained glass from Britain'.
While talking to me he leads me across the marble floor to the main entrance. I am now outside and point at my shoes near the side entrance. He then makes a gesture - he motions me to get my shoes. With his permission I walk across the carpet
PRACTICALITIES:
The OMAR SAIFUDDIEN MOSQUE is right in the centre of Bandar. The golden copula sparkles in the sun, the white walls reflect the light. At night the mosque is illuminated. It's a mysterious green light.
Opening hours: Saturday to Wednesday between 8am and noon and 4:30 to 5:30pm.
For non-Muslims, the mosque is closed on Thursdays. On Fridays, it is open (for non-Muslims) between 5 and 5:30 pm.