The sultan and his sultanate, or a visit to Brunei
A trip to Brunei can be an interesting, new and exciting experience. Imagine this..... In a packed pub you shout over the crowd, asking whether anyone there has been to Brunei or knows someone who has, and most likely nobody will raise a hand..... Hmmm... and that is exactly the point! Brunei is a curiosity where every traveller should set foot.
First, two pieces of information; as usual, one is good and the other bad. The good news is that you do not need to set aside much time for Brunei: two days is quite enough. The bad news is that some of the attractions are expensive. You will save time, but probably not money. But let us take things one at a time.
Brunei is a small country (about 500,000 inhabitants) on the island of Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei itself. Absolute power is held by the sultan, who cannot count all his money. He is estimated to have around 20 billion USD in the bank. He holds in one hand the powers of prime minister, minister of defence, minister of foreign affairs, trade and finance. Besides five sons and seven daughters he has 110 cars, planes, yachts and horses. He has also bought 10 of the most luxurious hotels in the world. The palace complex is said to have 1,800 rooms with 257 bathrooms dripping with gold. There is no problem driving up and standing at its gates, although that is all you will see. You cannot go inside, and through the wrought-iron gate you can glimpse beautiful, well-kept exotic greenery and guards in dress uniforms.
Brunei's only neighbour is Malaysia, with the state of Sarawak to the west and Sabah to the east. Brunei once covered a huge territory: a large part of Borneo and some of the islands of today's Philippines. Today its territory is not only small but also split, with its two parts separated by a Malaysian wedge. You can fly here directly (e.g. from London with Royal Brunei Airlines), but there are few flights and they are expensive. It is better to come in from the neighbouring country. I set foot on Bruneian soil by crossing the border from the Malaysian city of Miri, which has an airport. No long-distance buses run from the airport, so you have to take a taxi to the bus station (30 MYR). The station is shabby, with no waiting room, just benches under a roof, a few stalls and ticket offices. The best-looking thing in the whole complex is the toilet. If you have a long wait for the bus, the "Boulevard" shopping centre is 10 minutes' walk away; there you can change money, get something to eat and kill time in air-conditioned surroundings. After an exhausting journey (by car from Warsaw to Berlin and by plane from Berlin via Singapore and Kuching to Miri), I gave up on the bus option (50MYR pp) and switched to "comfort" mode: a ride in a minivan shared by a few people.
The driver found me at the station waiting for the 15.45 afternoon bus and promised a direct 2-3 hour overland journey to the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, often simply called "BSB". The price of such a transfer depends on how many people gather, but starts at 70MYR pp. You reach the border in about half an hour; the border formalities are simple, Poles do not need visas, the driver handed the passports in at the window and nobody even looked at the passengers. Together with your passport you receive a form that you hand back when leaving; a large stamp on it reading "death penalty for drug possession" leaves no illusions. Apart from this draconian warning, part of the sharia law in force, you feel at ease in Brunei: there are no particular dress requirements, there is no visible "morality police" and people are open towards foreigners. There is no nightlife, and alcohol is banned.
What is there to do in Brunei? First we head for the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. The city, the size of the Polish town of Siedlce, has a charm of its own. A wide river flows through the middle of the city, and the only way to cross it is by motorboat (1BND pp). There is admittedly a newly built suspension bridge (opened in 2017), but it is part of the ring road behind the city. You hail a boat with a wave of your hand, and after dark you have to shine your phone. On one side of the river the city is modern, while on the other there is a village on stilts, which I will come to in a moment. The city centre is loosely built up, with wide streets, squares, green spaces and large public buildings such as museums, the post office and the police station. There is a lot of greenery and a few expensive European-style hotels (e.g. the Hotel Brunei). The city has bus services, but Bruneians generally use the DART app to order rides; it works just like our UBER. Traffic is very calm and orderly. I was amazed by a custom I had until recently associated only with Great Britain: a pedestrian only has to discreetly signal that they want to use a zebra crossing, and the cars will stop without fail.
Below is my subjective ranking of Brunei's attractions.
1. The water village (Kampong Ayer)
You absolutely must see the "floating" village of Kampong Ayer. Once a mighty metropolis (estimates based on the accounts of Ferdinand Magellan's chroniclers in 1521 put its population at as many as 100,000), today it is merely a district of the capital fighting for survival. Its current population is only 8,000. The village is the stage for a struggle between those who want to modernise the image of BSB, the Sultan among them, and those who want to preserve the character of the place and its heritage. The Sultan does not resort to force, but rather lures people with incentives such as free land and help with building a house on dry land.
Those who want the settlement, whose history may go back as much as 1300 years, to survive are repairing the walkways and promoting dying trades and traditional workplaces. A boatbuilder's workshop, a grocery shop and a maker of colourful prawn crackers are marked with special signs. There is also a "floating" mosque and a fire station equipped with fireboats. One of the activists involved in promoting Kampong Ayer is the owner of the "Kunyit 7 Lodge" hostel. This micro-hostel is certainly worth recommending. You stay in an authentic house from 1920 standing in the front row of buildings. From the wooden terrace there is a superb view of the river and the city centre on the opposite bank. For breakfast the owner serves specialities of Bruneian cuisine. There is no entrance fee for the village.
2. The mosque
The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque was completed in 1958 and is now the most recognisable building in the country, appearing in most of the material promoting Brunei. Its white façade and gilded dome can be seen from afar.
It is surrounded by a beautiful garden and pools. A large concrete barge is "moored" in the main pool. Its wooden predecessor once sailed on the river, and the Koran was read from its deck. The mosque is open to non-Muslims, although you can only enter a designated area to the right of the entrance. Before crossing the threshold of the mosque you must take the appropriate garment from a rack: a black "cloak" covering practically the whole body. The mosque is very impressive from the outside, but the interior is not particularly dazzling, despite the vast sums spent on it. The marble was brought from Italy, the crystal chandeliers from Great Britain and the carpets from Saudi Arabia and Belgium. Admission to both the mosque and the surrounding park is free.
3. The Royal Regalia Museum
This museum gives you a good idea of how the state of Brunei works. After the visit you are left with an intriguing picture of a country ruled absolutely by one person. The modern building, completed in 1992, presents the attributes of the sultan's power. On display are the crown, sceptres, jewellery and the palanquins in which the sultan is carried during the grandest ceremonies. There are lots of gifts, often astonishing ones, that the ruler has received from the leaders of other countries. The most valuable are those presented by countries that are also oil giants. They are often replicas of the most famous buildings, painstakingly made from precious metals. A separate hall displays the entire procession in which the Sultan travelled when the country's independence was proclaimed in 1984. Dozens of mannequins in front of the palanquin wear the uniforms of the guard of honour, then comes the palanquin itself, followed by dozens more mannequins in ceremonial dress. A looped commentary from the radio broadcast of the procession plays from the loudspeakers.
Many exhibits invite deeper reflection, but many bring a smile to your face. There are exhibits relating to the sultan's passion for cycling, such as model bicycles, posters and paintings. Alongside objects of undoubtedly great value there are cheap model cars of the kind you can buy anywhere for a few dollars. You may only take photographs in the cavernous hall; the main exhibitions may not be photographed. At a dedicated stand in the museum you can buy plenty of souvenirs bearing the sultanate's coat of arms. Remember to leave your shoes at the entrance; you go in wearing only socks or barefoot (disposable hotel slippers are tolerated), and admission is free.
4. The market
Asian markets are always worth a visit. The best known in BSB is the Gadong Night Market, which is outside the centre. If you want to see an interesting market in the centre, I recommend Tamu Kianggeh. It is opposite the hundred-year-old Chinese temple, on the other side of the canal, not far from the Hotel Brunei. There are lots of exotic fruit and vegetables and other food products. Here you can also see that Brunei is a good deal more expensive than the rest of the island; the smelly delicacy that is durian cost about 30PLN in Bandar Seri Begawan, while I bought one at a stall in the Malaysian part of Borneo for 6 zlotys....
5. Trips outside the capital
I did not take any trips outside the capital, so I have no opinion of my own on them. I know that at the Hotel Brunei, through the reception, you can book one of 4 tours of the sultanate organised by the "Freme" agency. There is a full-day City Tour for 120BND pp, or you can opt for a condensed version, a half-day city tour combined with a visit to the water village (60BND pp). The Mangrove River Safari will cost you 70BND pp, and a 10-hour trip to Ulu Temburong National Park 150BND. The owner of Kunyit 7 Lodge also offered me a boat trip, but the prices were just as high (1 Brunei dollar is about 3 PLN). She mentioned a short cruise among the mangroves, where there is a chance of spotting proboscis monkeys (30BND pp). Although the prices are off-putting, bear in mind the view of some experts, who say that Brunei's jungle is the wildest of the wild. For years the country has profited from oil extraction and has not bothered exploiting the riches of the forest.
Brunei is a peculiar country, ruled in a way we now only read about in history books. It is expensive but tourist-friendly. Despite its small territory it offers attractions found in other parts of Borneo, but also some that are hard to find anywhere else, such as the water village of Kampong Ayer or the temple complex in the centre of the capital. If you are nearby, do not miss this country!
