Day 9: Brunei wetlands

*Not included in the wordcount.

I took a boat tour around the water village.
This is where tradition meets modern. The traditional stilt houses are decked out with modern televisions and amenities. Several schools, high schools and universities are in the village, all serviced by school boat. A fleet of cleaners scour to river and wetlands each day to remove any rubbish.

The wetlands are teeming with life within minutes of the city and village. Baby crocodiles, egrets, and hundreds of proboscis monkeys are living alongside the village.

The Sultan offers each new family in Brunei a new stilt house in the village for a heavily subsidised price of around $20K. The residents pay no taxes and most work in the oil and gas industry of Brunei.

The Sultan of Brunei also happens to be on the Board of Shell, owns 7000 cars and is one of the wealthiest people in the world. The mosques have domes of solid gold.

I visited the customs oil and gas museum which shows the history of Brunei's relatively young main industry. The first floor shows a simple trading life before oil and gas and then the discovery. The next floor describes the wonders of oil and gas including the bowser of knowledge. I was concerned that this reliance on fossil fuels would means that Brunei would not be interested in combatting climate change. However the final floor of the museum was about the future of Brunei and was all about their goals for a transition to 70% renewable energy. I don't know if this was just for show but it appeared to be a strong commitment.Read more