The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in the developing world. To be updated
July 10th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan It's hot, wonderfully hot in Brunei - and glorious. We arrived yesterday at some time near mid-day, Royal Brunei airways were excellent, the food, servie etc all extremely good.
From the airport we ... [full story]
July 3rd 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan Yesterday I had to go to work. Today I don't have to. This is what retirement is.
During the last month I've piled in sixteen entries to show a little of Brunei Darussalam, where I've been ... 1 photos[full story]
June 29th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan I am off on another wandering trip soon, so if my emails to you are no longer welcome (ooh that probably means you don't like the fact that I am gallivanting again!) please send me an email and I will ... [full story]
June 17th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan Creatures in Brunei don't seem as menacing as creatures in NSW. The leaf insect in the first two pictures was outside my supermarket. The lizard was up a tree in the forest. I photographed all ll t ... 13 photos[full story]
June 16th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan The range of pitcher plants and orchids that I've seen in Brunei is amazing. Here are some of my favourites. The orchids are probably mainly hybrids, but the pitcher plant is a rather humble natural b ... 14 photos[full story]
June 16th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan The range of pitcher plants and orchids that I've seen is amazing. Here are some of my favourites. The orchids are probably all hybrids, but the pitcher plant is a rather humble natural breed which ... 10 photos[full story]
May 16th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan
It is something of an irony that the best bit of Brunei - one of the richest countries in the world - is its most run down area.
Being such an oil rich country it is hard to find cheap accommod ... 9 photos[full story]
May 25th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan In my first post I included a video of being in Kampung Ayer in a water taxi.
"Kampung Ayer" is Malay for Water Village. Traditionally the Malay people lived in stilt houses close to, or over, the ... 26 photos[full story]
March 24th 2008Asia » Brunei » Bandar Seri Begawan Welcome to Brunei. It's a wealthy country, owned for all intents and purposes by the Sultan, who is one of the richest men in the world. It's standard of living is relatively high for the region and a ... 9 photos[full story]
March 13th 2008Asia » Brunei March 11, 2008
This morning around 8 AM we arrived in Brunei on the island of Borneo. Three nations share the island: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is probably not correct to call them &ldqu ... [full story]
Map of Brunei
Brunei's Flag
