Muara, Brunei: Water Village - 1 of 3

Brunei Darussalam (the Abode of Peace) is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. The population is 425,000 (more than 25,000 lost in COVID) of whom about 100,000 live in the Capital and largest city, Bandar Seri Begawan. The people speak Malay (Melayu Brunei) and English. The government is an Absolute Monarchy ruled by its Sultan, and enforces a combination of English common law and Sharia, as well as general Islamic practices. Successful oil production since the 1930 has made this a rich nation for the past 100 years.

The tiny state of Brunei who gained total independence from Britain in 1984 is led by a very rich Sultan due to its bountiful oil and gas reserves. I wish I could say that the entire population was economically stable and secure. We took a tour today in the Capital City (17 miles from Muara) that showed off the decadent wealth of this country in its buildings and edifices to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (since he took the role from his father in 1967). The Sultan is worth more than 40 billion dollars. The wealth of the nation is divided as follows: 15% with the Sultan extreme wealth, 10 % in the Sultans royal family that is wealthy, 30% with the middle-class incomes and 45% of the population are the poor people of this Nation. Of course, the government will tell you that no one pays taxes and health care is free, but the centralized wealth with the Sultan has created an apparent split where the bulk of the money is spent on building, roads and other ways to impress and show its wealth to the World (i.e., the Sultan’s solid gold rolls Royce and chariot). His car collection is reported to be 7,000....

In addition to wealth, the social and politically disturbing situation comes from when the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced in 2013 his imposing Penal Code from Sharia (i.e., stoning of gays, amputations for crimes, and mistreatment of women) on the country's Muslims (two thirds of the country's population) making Brunei the first and only country in East Asia to introduce Sharia into its penal code. The move attracted international criticism from the United Nations expressing "deep concern”. The U.S. Department of State has stated that discrimination against women is a problem in Brunei.

We learned a little about the history of this area and that there are still Iban (the local Borneo island headhunters) in some areas of the jungle here. They still occasionally have fights between tribes and believe in chopping off heads … but they don’t shrink them or believe in cannibalism. … if thats comforting. The cities are filled with observant Muslims in this very conservative Country.

Kampung Ayer , the Water Village, was our first stop. We got off our bus at the jetty and took a long boat around and arrived at one of the docks here. After walking across a precariously built walkway we arrived at this 1300 year old settlement. They have built 6 neighborhoods of traditional houses, 9 schools and mosques built on stilts above the Brunei River and only accessed by boat on about 4 square miles with a population of 30,000. Houses are made of wood and are in traditional Malay style and built with individualized styles. We visited a home in the Water Village and ate four interesting treats that are common to their culture here in Brunei (see photos). Kuih Bahulu is a dish prepared with wheat flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder and is a sponge cake made in a cast-iron mold. Ardam, a traditional kuih (bite sized snack) sweetened with gula anau (sweetener from the mangrove palm) and looks like a donut. Selurut has a very soft texture, made with steamed rice drenched in salted water and coconut milk wrapped in a spiral of piece of husk and Kelupis a rice cake wrapped in Nyirikleaf. These are all refreshments (and black ceylon tea) served during a special occasion. All very different but tasty which Karen liked more than Bruce!Read more