The Abode of Peace (Continued)

Before I start, here’s a small wish and prayer for the people of Beirut over the devastating explosion that happened 2 days back that killed more than a hundred people and injured thousands… It was a shock seeing the force of the explosion on video. I hope there’re no more casualties and that the city recovers quickly.

Back to the blog, 4 peaceful days of holiday for Eid with nowhere to go, followed by a hectic few days of work to make up for the lost days (yup, nothing comes free).

Might as well post the remainder of the photos of Brunei, of our one day stopover. (Since that’s the easiest thing to do, coz I gotta focus on work pronto).


Royal Regalia Museum, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Brunei, or Negara Brunei Darussalam (Country of Brunei Abode of Peace) is a place I’ve known about since I was a small kid. One of my paternal uncles used to work there. He had an accident and fell from the third story of a building which left him semi-paralysed. That was when I was a wee toddler in the early 70’s. My dad and granny flew to Brunei to tend to him. They brought him back to our home in Ipoh, and slowly nursed him back to recovery, to the best that he could. I remember it took years, but eventually he could walk (with a limp) and work (he trained to write with his left hand which was in a better condition than his right). Since then, he has very much been a part of our family’s daily lives (that was until we left Ipoh). He’s still in Ipoh. God bless him.

But I’ve never visited Brunei (nor any of the other East Malaysian states) till last year. Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) doesn’t feel anything like a capital city of a country. Especially an oil producing city sultanate. (And I’ve visited many e.g. Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait). No skyscrapers, no rush of people, hardly any traffic. Heck, it’s just like a small provincial town in Malaysia. Everything feels Malaysian, language, food, everything… Except for alcohol (it’s an Islamic Sharia state). And traffic jams (it’s so quiet, you can’t even get a friggin taxi when you want to).

As for alcohol, it is BANNED. For sale. Yes, such a place exists in South East Asia. Yes, it’s more extreme than the Holy Emirate of Sharjah! (Suddenly feeling wonderful to be in the UAE). No, the 5-star hotels don’t (can’t) sell it. No, there’re no duty-free (liquor) shops in Brunei’s International Airport. No, Royal Brunei Airlines doesn’t serve alcohol, not even on international flights, to ‘hedonistic’ locations like err… the rest of the world. You can bring it in (if you’re non-Muslim) from outside the country. Miri (just across the border in Sarawak, Malaysia) must be making a fortune selling the poor Bruneians liquor, wine and beer! No wonder it’s the Abode of Peace… No drunken uncles and aunties talking nonsense!

Another thing which ‘contributes’ to the ‘peace’ of Brunei, is the banning of homosexuals and transvestites. Just imagine how disturbed you’d be if you found out that the beautiful girl you were interested in, were a man! Just imagine how disturbed a man would be, if another man came up to him and said ‘let’s spend the night together’! Yecch, cringe! Brunei therefore created a law that would stone homosexual men. To death! (I’m not making this up, it’s in the news, OK?) Anyway, after an international backlash, the Sultan proclaimed that there would be no enforcement of that death penalty! (Why not just remove it altogether then?) But the ‘deed’ is done. No homosexuals would visit Brunei now, making it even more peaceful and quieter than it already is. Doesn’t affect us one way or another. We were there just on a one day stop. It’s still a nice and tranquil place to visit, free from the hustle and bustle of other capital cities!

OK, see ya, when we see ya! Meanwhile, have peace and enjoy the photos!




Inside the Royal Regalia Museum, Brunei. (And here’s a link to a photo of the kids in the Royal Regalia Museum)


Parade field of some sort I guess… Google Maps names it as Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien (can’t you get an easier name??) – You can see a portrait of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on the far side of the field…

More photos of the peaceful mosques…


Anu at the Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (Masjid Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah)


Decorative boat-shaped platform at the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque


Family pic, Brunei Frame – with the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque as the backdrop


And here’s the largest friggin water village in the world (that’s what some claim), Kampong Ayer, the heart of Brunei, since the middle ages… (never imagined a shanty kampong on stilts would spawn a kingdom that would last for centuries, huh?) By the way, this humble kampong has the honour of being the first bearer of the nickname ‘Venice of the East’ (before hordes of other cities adopted that title). It was coined by some Italian explorer in the 16th century! (OK, I took this from theculturetrip.com …ahem)




Kampong Ayer, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei


The kids by the Brunei River (Sungai Brunei), with a water taxi and Kampong Ayer behind


Ciao folks! Yours truly at a monument on the BSB water front called the …let’s see, Mercu Dirgahayu 60, built to commemorate the 60th birthday of the current Sultan (that’s how you write 60 in Arabic... ٦٠)