Thursday, March 1, 2018, Muara (Bandar Seri Begawan), Brunei Darussalam

Officially named “Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace,” this wholly independent country on the island of Borneo holds endless fascinations.  Most of Brunei lies within Borneo’s lush rain forests, yet the tiny sovereignty is one of the richest in the world. The port city of Muara is the gateway to the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, home of the enormous Istana Nurul Iman, palace of the sultan and the largest residential palace in the world, with 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, a 110-car garage, and a banquet hall for 5,000 guests.  

A bit more modest, the city’s Malay Technology Museum illustrates how Brunei’s Malay ancestors built boats, caught fish, and forged metals, among other primitive innovations.  Due to the many pictures taken at the museum, we will make a separate posting, to be followed shortly.

Muara is the dock area at the Brunei harbor.

 Views from our cruise ship after our arrival to Brunei.

 Views on our 45-minute bus drive to capital city.

 Ministry of finance building.

 Brunei has a population of about 9.5 million.

Chinese temple.

 Farmers market.

 Our local tour guide providing great info on various vegetables.

 No sky scrapers here as it's forbidden to have buildings higher than the mosque.  Yet this is a pretty tall apartment complex across from market.

Canal reminiscent to Venice.

Brunei water villages.  There are 17,000 residents living on the water in homes built on concrete pilings with concrete floors.  These unique enclaves date back to the days of local royalty when nobles of the island of Borneo lived in houses supported by stilts on the river. Today, people still call these fascinating villages home; we were invited to join a family in their home for tea and snacks. Our visit provided a rare glimpse of the island’s heritage.  Originally the homes were on wood pilings with wood or bamboo floors (shown in pictures in tomorrow's blog on the Malay Technology Museum).

 Water taxis to move people from water villages to and from the river banks.

 Palace of the Sultan just visible above the horizon.

 Water village mosque (90% Muslim population); built on land on the edge of the river.

 Bridge over lane for boats to pass under.

 Wood side walks between homes.  Note lack of hand rails.

We were invited into a home for tea and crumpets.  These homes are lived in by multiple generations.

 Hallway with bedrooms on both sides and passage to kitchen and bathrooms from living room.

Family elder is an avid boat racer; these are his trophies.

 Kitchen.

 Dining room.

 Storage room at back; we all have to have them.

 No shoes worn inside the house.

Kitchen sink.

On our way to the bus we came across a family of monkeys crossing the bridge in the opposite direction that we needed to go.

 They have schools and health clinics in the water village.

 We rode on one of these larger water taxis to the water village for our visit.

Local cemetery.

New bridge complete just months ago; before it took an hour hour to go what we covered in a few minutes on our bus.

 The domes on this mosque are solid gold!

 The only Christian church in Brunei.

The largest mosque in Brunei; yep, solid gold domes.

 Water homes in harbor as our cruise ship sailed off.

 Oil and gas; the sources of Brunei's great wealth.