The tiny but thriving Islamic
Sultanate of
Brunei perches
on the northwestern coast of Borneo,
completely encircled by the East
Malaysian state of Sarawak. It has a
population of 323,000, nearly
seventy percent of which is made up
of Malays and indigenes from the
larger ethnic groups like the Murut
and Dusun; the rest are Chinese,
Indians, smaller indigenous tribes
and expats. They enjoy a quality of
life that is quite unparalleled in
Southeast Asia, with the literacy
rate a staggering 93.7 percent of
the population. Education and
healthcare are free; houses, cars,
and even pilgrimages to Mecca are
subsidized; taxation on personal
income is unheard of; and the
average per capita salary is around
US$19,000. The explanation is
simple:
oil , first
discovered in 1903 at the site of
what is now the town of Seria.
The sultanate's full name is Negara
Brunei Darussalam, the
"Country of Brunei, the Abode
of Peace", and peaceful is a
fair, if rather polite, description
of the state. Nightlife is almost
nonexistent, and liquor extremely
hard to get hold of since a ban in
1991. Until recently, the Sultan
viewed the development of a tourist
industry as unnecessary, and
there's been little for visitors to
do in Brunei. However, things are
gradually changing. Brunei is
becoming less introspective
and looking more to the West. You
can see the results in the building
of smart plazas with their requisite
coffee bars in the capital Bandar.
The authorities are starting to
promote Brunei's natural resources,
and sections of pristine rainforest
like Ulu Temburong National Park
in eastern Brunei are opening up to
visitors. The lack of accommodation
outside the capital is being tackled
by the recently formed homestay
programme - where travellers
overnight in Malay and Murut
kampungs (villages) and Iban
longhouses. This opportunity to
share in rural life is gaining
popularity. Add to this the fact
that the capital Bandar Seri
Begawan is an attractive city,
with two exquisite mosques and the
fascinating Kampung Ayer stilt
village , and a stop-off in
Brunei is a more appealing
proposition than ever before.
That said, the problem remains
that Brunei is more expensive
than neigbouring Malaysia or even
Singapore - hotel prices in the
capital are at least double those in
nearby Kota Kinabalu or Miri. Most
travellers still end up in Brunei
either because of an enforced
stopover on a Royal Brunei Airlines
flight, or as a stepping stone to
either Sabah or Sarawak. In the
latter case, however, it can work
out cheaper to take an internal MAS
flight between Miri and Labuan
rather than bussing it through
Brunei.
Brunei's climate , like
that of neighbouring Sabah and
Sarawak, is hot and humid, with
average temperatures in the high
twenties throughout the year. Lying
440km north of the equator, Brunei
has a tropical weather system, so
even if you visit outside the
official wet season (usually
November to February) there's every
chance that you'll see some rain.
