Brunei OVERVIEW
Welcome to the pint-sized but well-heeled sultanate in the corner of Borneo, where the GDP stands at 18 thousand dollars and bottled water is more expensive than gasoline. Here the sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu`izzaddin Waddaulah, his 2 wives and 11 children live in the world's largest palace with 1788 rooms and 600 servants on their beck and call. Sadly, tourist are admitted only 3 days a year towards the end of Ramadan.
What you will be able to see, though, is so much more than the blink blink you expect. The capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, may have its skyline dominated by the minarets of two phenomenal mosques, but it the impoverished Kampung Ayer settlement, with wooden houses wobbling on water, that visitors head to in the first place. Ready for priceless adventure? Take a cruise to Bangar, soaking up fine river vistas around, and then a 30 minute bus ride to Batang Duri where you clamber into a longboat and let a guide take you to the heart of Ulu Temburong National Park. Here, among suspension bridges, canopy walkways, and abundant fauna, you're likely to adopt an entirely new standpoint on Brunei's wealth, which enabled the preservation of the world's most stunningly intact rainforest.
It's true that Brunei's showcased opulence may be an eyesore, as much as the fact that all hotel rooms have an arrow pointing to Mecca painted on the ceilings, but the country is neither miniature Qatar nor a super-orthodox Islamic state whatsoever. Tourism is off the sultan's interest list, almost as if he believed oil resources were capable of renewing overnight, and although vice squads penetrate the streets tracking any signs of indecency, obtaining alcohol doesn't seem to be an insuperable problem. Besides, why define it? It's just another window onto the unfamiliar, which is totally embraceable within a 2-day trip.
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