Muara, Brunei, Darussalam

February 17th.
Brunei was a very interesting stop. As we sailed near the coast, we were reminded of the economic base of Brunei – oil. There were dozens of drilling platforms and many boats affiliated with them.
The city is extremely opulent while also being rather spare. Brunei is one of only two total monarchies in the world. It is a little hard to get a real feeling about the Sultan, but he does have some pretty specific rules that are to be followed. One is Sharia, which was instituted in May. We attended a dinner at the Brunei Polo Club that was very nice. We were offered an array of delicious fruit juices as there is no alcohol served in Brunei. That was a change!
The third photo is of a “stilt village” that is on the waterfront in Brunei. It appears somewhat ramshackle at first, but it is actually quite nicely restored, with the owners having an interest in preserving the village as it had been.
The second photo below is of the Mosque that was built by the current Sultan. The third photo is of the interior of the dining room where we had dinner. The musicians that greeted us played a very haunting and rather mystical song.Read more