Bandar Seri Begawan

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We were pleasantly surprised with Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB).We had been told that it was a boring city and yes, it was quiet (a bit eerily quiet for a capital!) but it was very well-kept and a pretty place. Brunei is a very strict Islamic country so the sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited. The lack of bars and clubs meant that after dark, the city is unsurprisingly deserted. A Spanish backpacker called Edward told us that after he asked a local woman what there was to do in the evenings, she replied "Go home and sleep."

It is a lot more expensive than normal SE Asian prices. So, after getting dropped off by the bus, we headed to the only budget digs in town - the local youth hostel. It was gender-segregated dorms and there was even a rule stating "Please discipline yourself regarding moral behaviour." We spent our first day looking around the Royal Regalia Museum, which celebrates the life of the Sultan of Brunei. There was some very pretty bling on display and we saw the throne where the Sultan was crowned. There was a strange golden hand which was used to hold the Sultan's chin up (how convenient). We went to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque which was built in 1958 at the grand cost of $5,000,000. The grounds surrounding the mosque were very spectacular with an artificial lake and fountains. At night, it is lit up so that it has a serene green glow around it.

The next day, we decided to go to Kampung Ayer. This water village is what Brunei is most famous for as it is a self-sufficient community built entirely on tall wooden sticks upon the river. As well as containing a mosque, restaurants, two schools, police station and a medical clinic, most of the houses have electricity and satellite TV. It was really fun to whizz through the canals of this so-called 'Venice of the East'. The next day we decided to go by speedboat to a small town called Bangar, situated south of the capital. We meandered through Mangrove trees and it was worth going just for the ride.

Overall, we found Brunei to be a great stop for a change of scene and culture on our journey through Borneo. Although our passports may disagree as we had to get a total of 8 stamps to get from Kota Kinabalu to BSB due to all the borders.

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