Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan - An oil rich nation but a tale of two halves.

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Brunei –Bandar Seri Begawan - An oil rich nation but a tale of two halves.



Mt Kinabalu completed and fourteen hours later I'm on a ferry to Brunei along with a very achy body. I don't know what it is about the ferries in Malaysia but they seem to run them like cold storage units and it's simply so uncomfortable. Ok enough of my moaning, I'm grumpy when I'm tired so in all honesty it probably wasn't that bad. Anyway after a quick ferry change on an island mid-way I was on yet another bloody freezing ferry for the last leg of the journey. It was all pretty plain sailing and easy which was a welcome relief because I was exhausted and didn't want a stressful day.



After hopping on the local bus I made my way to the centre of town, I had no idea what to expect from Brunei. All I knew was that Brunei is approximately the sixth wealthiest country per capita in the world so I had it in my mind to be a bit like Dubai an oil rich nation. Well it was nothing like Dubai and really didn't look like a cash rich nation, in fact far from it. After a quick google search it became apparent why they are the sixth wealthiest country, basically they only have 400,000 residents and it's a mix of super wealthy and the ultra-poor and not a lot in-between.



I only spent two days in Brunei and it was more than enough for me. There were a few things to see and do such as visiting a beautiful mosque called Omar Ali Saifuddien and the national museum which was very beautiful, lavish and informative focusing on the royal family. However most places seemed a little lifeless. I guess you know you're going to struggle when you chat to the locals who enquire why you are here visiting and then inform you there is nothing to do here and wish you good luck passing time.



Whilst here I also visited a very large floating village and a couple of random evening entertainment spots to watch a radio controlled car competition that was pretty cool, but probably only because I'm just a typical bloke and have a passion for any form of car racing.



In summary the small section of Brunei I visited was a little disappointing and lacking much to talk about. It's sad to say it but for me this stop on my tour turned out to be nothing more than a stamp in the passport and another countries flag on my bag.



Although I do leave with one overriding impression from Brunei, there are two very distinctive life styles here, you are either a part of the wealthy elite with huge houses and nice cars or you are part of the poor community living in nothing more than a timber and tin shack. But the most bizarre thing is they appear to be situated side by side and everyone seems quite happy with this and it certainly made for some interesting architectural clashes of lavish opulence and shanty poverty.



Well that concludes my flying visit to Brunei, by no means a waste of time but somewhere I have no interest in visiting again, let's say box ticked on this one!



All that remains is another freezing cold ferry ride back to Kinabalu to relax for a few days before heading back to KL, bring on the relaxation in the hostel and chilling out watching DVDs, can't wait!

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