World Cruise Segment IV

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 “nations” instead they should be called independent states. Brunei struck it rich around 1929 with the discovery of oil. There still must be plenty of this ever increasingly expensive resource available. Since my last visit more high-rise apartment buildings had been constructed in town.

The most impressive building is the new mosque with its large blue dome. The current ruler built it. His father’s mosque has a golden dome and is significantly smaller. The current ruler was at one time one of the richest men on earth. He owns several fleets of cars: 531 Mercedes, 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 160 Porsches etc., etc.

As we arrived the sun shone, and did it shine! On this island so close to the equator the temperature had increased rapidly within two hours so that due to the humidity of 87% it became almost intolerable to walk around. After a few minutes in the large shopping center with expensive stores I decided to go on a little water by myself. At a water taxi stand six or seven men waved me down and offered to to show me around. The taxi was a long boat with shallow draft. The owner sat in the back steered it and ran the engine. After agreeing on a price, which was lower than any of the Crystal sponsored excursion he took me up the mangrove-lined channels past active gravel pits. It was wonderful to be by myself for a couple of hours. After a ride of thirty minutes at fairly high speed we reached the area where my guide suspected the proboscis monkeys. Sure enough we saw how high up in the trees the branches began to move and then we saw a group of monkeys jumping through the air. For a moment they sat still as they foraged on the fresh young leaves of the mangroves. Unfortunately the animals were so hidden so well that I would have needed a more expensive camera than the one I have to shoot a decent picture. From the channels of the river the town appeared to be distant but occasionally we rode under a bridge of a busy street, a walkway or even a highway. The mangroves appeared wild an impenetrable. One has to conclude that the monkeys live in a wilderness but right in town. On the way back to the ship a dead monkey littered the street leading me to the conclusion that the animals cross the streets to reach another river arm with its mangroves.

Brunei must be the state of state of schools and mosques. We saw the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien as we rode through the channels. We also recognized the Sultan’s palace in the distance by its gold covered dome. It had a special extravagant dock.

My initial interest was the “Water Village” where most of the population of the country lived until a generation of two ago. A government sponsored plan during the last twenty years to move these people whose refuse flows into the river surrounding from their homes has been unsuccessful.

The houses were built on stilts. Long walkways connected several buildings and there was a taxi ramp for each group of buildings. Boat had been tied to some docks. The social connection of the inhabitants must be close because only few of the villagers could be persuaded to move to land although the houses provided by the government were luxurious compared to their current abodes. Most villagers did not move to better housing right on the rive also built by the government. It is another example how ingrained a culture can be. It is most difficult to affect cultural change. We should remember that when we consider introducing our “superior” way of live to others.


Brunei is a good example that introduction of a Western democracy cannot be accomplished quickly. Two persons, the current Sultan and his father led this developing nation into modernity. He must be enlightened because he apparently achieved the current 92% literacy rate within a generation. Due the wealth the Petrodollars bring to the country no one has to pay taxes and the median income is $26,000 per annum. Sooner or more likely later the oil wealth will run out and then the Bruneians will really enter real modernity. I wonder what will happen then.

We then returned to town through the Water Village. On the water in a fast boat the temperature had been tolerable but as I returned to town and walked a few steps I realized that it would be too much to walk about half a mile to the local market. Instead, I returned to the Crystal Serenity where for a lunch with the Blacks.

March 13, 2008
Many of you non-cruisers frequently ask me if there is sea sickness on the ship and if it would not be boring to look at water all day. Although I cannot speak for other cruises and other ships: even in fairly rough seas, which are very rare, the ship has stabilizers that keep the ship steady. I have not had any complaints about seasickness. During the last three weeks, however, there has been a terrible viral upper respiratory infection going around that kept the board physician and his nurses busy.

The question regarded boredom also has to be answered negatively. The last award ceremonies for the World Cruise Games were held last night. Many guests participated and the competition was intense. There are two talks in the morning and in the afternoon. Some of the lecturers present controversial topics others are mainly learning experiences.

Since I am working on my autobiography my time for lectures is limited. During the last three sea days I attended “Rap with the Rabbi”. Morrie Hershman, Stanley Relkin and today also Mark Elovitz enlightened me about the different branches of Judaism. While the Jewish Orthodox are biblical literalists similar to the Christian Fundamentalists. The Reformed and Conservative movements seemed to have been theologically influenced by two events: the assimilation of Jews into the German society in the 19th century, which subsequently reached a domination among Jews in the United States and the conservative movement of Jews taking place a little later Europe. However there is only little difference between the latter two branches. The main differences are in their practices of Jewish rituals.

Two other lectures of Morrie dealt with Jewish theology. In his introduction he asked his audience about Moses. Most respondents mentioned his birth, the time in Egypt, the exodus, migration through the Sinai, the burning bush and how he received the Ten Commandments. Then a discussion about Moses age ensued. Morrie then presented the thinking of some Old Testament scholars who concluded that the story of Moses was not the story of a single person but an amalgamation of three or even four persons whose histories were woven together. Another side discussion involved the fact that there is absolutely no historical evidence besides the Old Testament of a significant Jewish presence in Egypt, especially the presence of slaves.

A third meeting dealt with a text from Numbers, Chapter 16. First he mentioned that although the text in the Jewish Old Testament is similar to the Christian version although some of the verses appear in different chapters. He then proceeded to have the members of the group read the text, which he had handed out individually, one verse at a time and he asked the audience what the story was all about. There was no doubt that we all were a little confused by the text. Then he read two stories the text contained as analyzed based on linguistic studies of Richard Friedman an Old Testament Scholar. Suddenly our eyes were opened that indeed two different stories had been put together that did make much more sense than the original text. What a great example how theological studies can make sense out of a text that is otherwise only difficult to approach!

Boredom on a cruise? Not for me, not on the Crystal Serenity.

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