There are probably few readers that know much of anything about the country, perhaps hearing about the wealthy ruler here and there, and I'm sure even fewer people could actually place the tiny kingdom on a map. For me, it was a stop on my way down the coast of Borneo, and I thought it would be an interesting place to spend a day or two. The country's economy is based almost entirely on oil money, and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah held the title of the richest man in the world for a few years back in the late 90s thanks to the oil money running through his family lines and this tiny country. Brunei Darussalam (the official name) became independent from England only in 1984, creating a small nation based on conservative Muslim laws and governed by the sultan himself, all fueled by the one precious natural resource that sustains Brunei. The prohibitive laws of the land create a fairly quiet, peaceful place, nestled between bits of Malaysia.
Getting there used to require a bus and boat combination, but a few new road connections meant that I was able to take a bus the entire way down the coastline from Kota Kinabalu; this route wasn't very far on the map, but a few administrative hassles made it a long day. I first had to cross from the semi-autonomous state of Sabah (Malaysia) into the semi-autonomous state of Sarawak (Malaysia), requiring a series of passport and immigration controls. We also had to make two small river crossings where there was no bridge, meaning that we had to wait for the slow moving car ferry to come across, load up with vehicles and then slowly make its way across the narrow river, creating more delays. We then passed through into the first section of Brunei, a tiny piece of forest and a few small towns, then back out into Malaysia, then finally back into the larger section of Brunei - all of this on a straight road following down near the coastline. Also, crossing into Brunei for the second time that day, each person had to enter a tiny room where we our body temperatures were taken with a laser gun, providing me with a "Not Sick" sticker on the outside of my passport. When the six hour bus ride was finished, I had another eight stamps in my passport from the day of passing in and out of immigration booths.
As the bus finally entered Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), the capital and major city of Brunei, we passed just a few indications of the opulent lifestyle of the sultan in the otherwise quiet, clean, nondescript city. The golden dome of the royal palace stuck out just above the trees, though the iron gates surrounding the massive grounds left us wondering what it would look like up close. Known as the Istana Nurul Iman, the enormous mansion was built as the sultan's residence with plenty of space for his ridiculously large collection of exotic cars and other toys. No expense was spared, creating a palace with 1,788 rooms and a banquet hall large enough for 4,000 people, all at a cost of around $350 million. Unfortunately, the palace is only open to visitors one or two days a year, at the end of Ramadan and maybe one other day, when people line up to greet the sultan, tour the extravagance and are treated to a feast courtesy of the ruler, and my timing wasn't right, so I had to skip that opportunity.
Further into downtown, we passed a few museums and slightly stately-looking buildings, along with some of the usual apartment blocks and a few corporate buildings, though none more than a few stories tall. This is apparently because the sultan has mandated that no building can be higher than the mosque whose minaret stands at 44 meters high, and there is even a story of the top floor of a new building having to be removed to comply with this ordinance. Off the bus, I found the one hostel in the country; a clean, nice enough place with a few rooms with bunk beds next to a large athletic complex, sort of like a YMCA. The sun was already beginning to set, so I quickly dropped my bags and headed off for the star attraction of the country - the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. I had caught a few glimpses on the bus, but it was truly a sight to behold, sitting majestically near the river, at the edge of downtown, surrounded by a small reflecting pool on two sides.
As with everything else that the leaders of the country touch, the mosque is extravagant. Built in 1958, supplies were brought in from all over the world including Italy, England and Belgium for pieces of marble, carpeting, etc. In the middle stands a massive golden dome, surrounded by a few minaret and even a re-creation of some ship, made of marble that sits in the reflecting pool. As I was circling the moat and the mosque, I was amazed to see that literally on the other side of the moat, just steps away from the bridge to the mosque were impoverished wooden shacks in very bad condition, set up on stilts in the mud flats on the banks of the river running past the edge of town. The disparity of the broken-down houses and the glittering mosque was huge, and I actually might have thought that the sultan would have simply cleared out those houses and created a park or something as the backdrop for the symbol of the country. Soon it began to rain, and I was ready for some dinner, though I struggled to find any good local food. Most of the places open after dark were overpriced tourist restaurant with Western food, and I was hoping for something a little cheaper and more local. With the people fasting during the day for Ramadan, I couldn't understand how it was so hard to find a few street cafes or restaurants that would be open for dinner after the sun went down. Apparently many of the people eat at home or purchase food during the late afternoon and take it home to be eaten after dark which was not really an option for me. Eventually I found a small Indian restaurant, and the meal was incredible. I had dhal (lentil soup), naan, chicken biryani (mixed rice) and a few other pieces - great food at a good price, though my ice cream cone on the way out was disappointing.
Back at the hostel, I found that I was the only one in my room, and the halls are sex-distinct, meaning that I was literally the only male in the whole country in a dorm room that night. Quite a claim to fame. Superlatives like this are the real reason I travel.
(One of my first views in the center of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital. As you can see by the massive billboard with his picture on the right hand side, the sultan is not a particularly shy individual.)
(The side view of the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. This beautiful mosque is the centerpiece of the city and really of the country itself.)
(Surprisingly, the reflecting pool around the pristine mosque had a bit of trash built up...kind of like the trashy people that surround the immaculate sultan. Not really, but amazing simile.)
(The sun was setting just as I was circling the mosque, getting my first feel for the sedate, peaceful city.)
(The mosque was built back in 1958 with materials from around the world, and it is a really impressive sight.)
(Literally across the one lane road separating the mosque from the other part of town stands part of the run-down houses set on stilts over the mud flat along the river. Just a bit of disparity there...)
(As the light was getting low, it was time for my trusty mini-tripod for a self-portrait. It really is so much easier than asking over and over for someone else to take the picture, plus there weren't many people around.)
(But these two little kids appeared, along with one other friend, and they were all anxious to pose for some pictures. As with the kids on the Kei Islands, they don't see all that many tourists, so they actually asked me to take pictures of them. Luckily these kids were a little more respectful...see the Kei Islands' posts to see what I mean.)
(As the lights come on, the mosque becomes even more amazing...you'll see.)
(Thanks to an abundance of oil money, Brunei had plenty of cash to spend on making this mosque incredible.)
(Right about this time, it started to rain just a bit, though it was not enough to keep me from taking more pictures.)
(Circling back to the start of the mosque.)
(The marble ship in the water looks decent during the day, but at night, the neon green lights just seem to add that extra touch of class. Stay classy, Brunei. Stay classy. And stay fresh, San Francisco - most of you won't get that reference.)
(Finding any food after dark proved to be a difficult task, which is surprising given that the people fast during the days of Ramadan. I eventually found this awesome Indian meal with roti canai, curry dipping sauce, some seasoned potatoes, a little salad, dhal (lentil soup) and chicken biryani. This was a great meal. Even though I wasn't fasting, I still treated myself to a feast that night.)
0 comments:
Post a Comment