Two days in Brunei
The sultan of Bruny
I made the admittedly dubious decision to visit during Ramadan. During most of the year, the strictly Islamic country is devoid of virtually any form of entertainment, save the occasional underground club organized by the expatriates desperate for a drink. During Ramandan it is even quieter. As I wandered around Bandar, the capital and only town of any size, the only sound was the strain of the Qu'ran broadcast from the minaret at one of the central mosques. The people on the street, usually commuting to and from the mosque, were friendly and very intrigued that anyone not involved in the oil business would bother to visit.
Having never visited such a strict Islamic country, I was naturally concerned it would be impossible to eat - or more importantly, replenish the fluid lost in the 35 C heat - during the day during Ramadan without insulting people. As it turns out, while the majority of population is busy at prayer, the non-muslim minority of Chinese and western ex-pats huddle in the back of the few downtown Chinese and Indian restaurants.
I spent most of my two days wandering around Bandar with an Aussie surfer I will call Beezer. We shared a couple meals with Don, a strongly opinionated Aussie who has spent much of the past 30 years living in Indonesia and criticizing people. Don is the type of older traveling spirit who appears fabulously interesting, holding court on a wide variety of subjects in the common area of a guesthouse, until you discover he has spent the past six months drunk and living with 15 year old Papuan girl.
Beezer and I discovered many signs of the astonishing wealth in Brunei. Unlike in neighbouring Malaysia, when someone tries to sell you a Rolex watch in Brunei, it really is a Rolex. The Sultan of Brunei, often reported to be the richest man in the world, has an unbelievable $350 million, 1200-room, 200 bathroom palace. It makes the Vatican look like a cabin in northern Montana. The Sultan has an entire three-story garage for his collection of hundreds of exotic cars. A Filipino-born architect sequestered in Brunei told me he has a friend whose full-time job is simply starting the cars each day to make sure they still work. It takes all day.
One day each year, the Sultan holds an open house for his people. The majority of the 300 000 Bruneians wait on his doorstep for a tour and the annual cash handout of $10 B (about $6 US). We were a couple weeks too early for the open house, so Beezer and I could only see the palace from behind the massive fortified fence. It wasn't until later in the day that I learned the massive palace is in fact just the home for his first wife. Wife #2 has a more modest 300 or so room castle near the coast.
Unlike the Sultan, a lot of working Bruneians live in kampung ayer (water villages), strings of homes built on stilts and connecting by walkways and piers. The rows of dilapidated homes near the center of Bandar present a striking contrast to the gorgeous new mosque replete with a golden dome just a few metres away. The immediate presumption is that the state spends lavishly on exotic palaces and public displays while the people live in abject poverty. But I was cautioned by one Bruniean that appearances can be deceiving. The people appreciate the free health care, good education system and very low taxes they could not receive in any neighbouring countries. And many of the seemingly dilapidated homes have air conditioning and satellite dishes.
Whatever an outsider may think, the Sultan is clearly revered by his people and relishes the role of seemingly benevolent dictator. A few years ago, he built a massive Disney-like amusement park for his citizens, undoubtedly starved for entertainment. Jerudong Playground has the attractions of every big theme park, including all manner of modern rides and rollercoasters, a huge children's play area and a massive water fountain containing the largest crystal in the world. The massive garden, terrace and water fountain area has been host to a number of concerts. The only other person you could imagine building such a garish, adolescent park - Michael Jackson - actually played at the grand opening several years ago.
On my second night in Brunei, Don, Beezer and I each paid the $15 B charge for complete access to the park. Until recently, Jerudong was also entirely free to all, including foreigners. But apparently the Asian economic crisis has made the Sultan more frugal.
The park itself, to use the words of my wary Australian companions, is "creepy". Since it was Ramadan, the park was entirely devoid of people - as opposed to it's usual state of mostly empty - and many of the rides were closed for repairs. The strains of a chanting imam from a nearby mosque could be heard throughout the immense, dimly lit park. It was like visiting Disneyworld after the US had been taken over by Iran.
Needless to say, there was no need to queue up for the few open rides. The staff fired up the impressive hanging rollercoaster and the thrilling 'drop zone' just for the three of us. The bumper car operators allowed us to pound each other for 20 minutes without a break. Our taxi driver and one of the operators even hopped in cars themselves. The night was topped off by the fantastic water fountain and light show in the garden. I'm normally not one to be impressed by such a waste of water and electricity, but I have to admit the show was stunning. If only the water could be used to dilute the terribly polluted local river.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend Brunei to westerners as an exciting tourist destination. Though I do imagine riding the "Drop Zone" at Jerudong Park just might allay many Westerners' unjust fears of the Islamic world. It may do all of us some good to plummet 40 metres above a slab of concrete to the strains of the Qu'ran, and come out safe and sound.