One of the better ways to spend a long time waiting at an airport is to take a transit tour. With this in mind I’d intentionally booked an early flight from Kota Kinabalu back to Kuala Lumpur that included a 6 hour wait in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
The flight with Royal Brunei Airlines cost about £20 more than the direct two hour flight with AirAsia, but according to their website included a free transit tour. It seemed we were the only people to have asked for this in a while so they didn’t have a coach tour arranged and we were allotted a very comfortable air-conditioned mini bus instead.
Petrol - 25p per litre
Brunei is completely surrounded and divided in two by Malaysia, and was created primarily to take control of the underlying oil and gas reserves, which make up most of the economy. All these natural resources have made The Sultan of Brunei one of the richest people in the world, yet the wealth seems to flow back into the country in many ways. Our driver explained that the Sultan pays government workers well and provides them with free housing. There is no income tax and fuel is extremely cheap. Healthcare is free, as are medical trips abroad for the patient and family when required. Whilst the government heavily controls the media and employs the majority of the workforce, the people consider themselves free and are still ruled under British and to a less extent Sharia law.
We started our tour at the Jame’ Asri Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah mosque, built to commemorate the silver anniversary of the current Sultan. It being a Thursday the mosque was being prepared for Friday prayers and we weren’t allowed to enter, but it’s still worth walking around the grounds. The mosque is huge, and the number of people it holds is evidenced by the size of just one of the two shoe storage facilities outside.
Next up was a trip to the waterfront to see Kampong Ayer, a village built entirely of boats, with all the usual facilities including floating churches, restaurants and even a dentist.
Passing through a nearby supermarket looking for drinks, I chanced upon a British favourite that I haven’t seen for some time – Ribena – which made a pleasant change.
On the other side of the shopping complex we were greeted with a spectacular view of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque. The mosque is only 60 years old and is covered with white marble, topped with golden minarets and surrounded by fountains, trees and floral gardens. In front of the mosque is a bridge leading to a replica of 16th century Sultan Bolkiah mahligai barge.
Bangunan Alat Kebesaran Diraja, or Royal Regalia museum, near the city centre contains displays of the coronation procession, and gifts received by the Sultan from visiting dignitaries from around the world. Signs here clearly stated in many languages including English and obvious pictograms that neither shoes or cameras were allowed. We walked into the middle of a near fistfight where three soldiers were trying to calm down a lone tourist, whilst he ranted and raved that he should be allowed to take photos anywhere. At one point he shoved past the 3 burly guards and ran in, shoes and all, then stopped to take a photo but probably didn’t snap it before he was brought down by a tiny lady with a mop.
The only downside for me of the lack of shoes was that the toilet floor wasn’t as clean as it should be, and the flip flops on offer were considerably too small for my feet…
Pingback: Brunei Meta Guide (@bn_meta_guide)
I recognize some of the photos from my stay in BSB. But I stayed three nights and it was not as boring as many people say.
Interestingly enough Brunei has some of last native rainforest in the region as they have no need to sell the precious timber.
I was allowed to enter the big mosque and take photos. Guess it’s just a matter how you ask. Shameful to read about that unruly tourist.