Two mature gentlemen go on a trip (part 3)

Sultan Omar Ali Saifudding Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan – Photo: Joseph Jongen

The journey continues towards Brunei, officially the State of Brunei Darussalam. It is located on Borneo on the South China Sea and is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. With 5.765 km², Brunei is slightly larger than Gelderland in the Netherlands or Antwerp plus Belgian Limburg. Brunei was an independent sultanate from the 14th century and then included the southern Philippines plus Sarawak and Sabah. In 1888 it became a British protectorate.

The Japanese occupied Brunei on January 6, 1942. On June 14, 1945, Brunei was recaptured by the British. The sultanate finally became independent on January 1, 1984. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has reigned as absolute monarch since 1967.

Economy

Crude oil and gas production accounts for nearly 90% of GDP. In addition, there is a clothing industry. Health care and education are free, oil, rice and housing are subsidized. The average wage is 1150 euros per month and is tax-free. Petrol costs 35 euro cents per liter and road tax 25 euro per year. Brunei aims to become less dependent on oil and gas revenues and is a member of APEC.

Religion

Sunni Islam is the official religion of Brunei. According to the constitution, the sultan must be Muslim. He is also the religious leader of Brunei's Muslim population. Other religions in Brunei are Buddhism (17% of the population, mainly among Chinese), and Christianity (31%). Since 1990, the government has been striving to anchor the Malay Islamic monarchy in the consciousness of the people (ban on Christian holidays and alcohol, introduce more Islamic holidays). Smoking is also not allowed and you will face a significant fine if you are caught doing so in public. Brunei has no religious freedom. In 2013, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced the introduction of Islamic criminal law.

Hassanal Bolkiah – image maker / Shutterstock.com

The sultan

Not only is the sultan very rich, he is also one of the longest-reigning heads of state - only the British Queen precedes him. When the sultan celebrated fifty years in power, there was a lot of pomp and circumstance. Although that should not be surprising, after all, the man owns one of the largest residential houses in the world: Istana Nurul Iman. A palace with nearly 1.800 rooms, including 257 bathrooms. There are also 5 swimming pools, there is a mosque and a banquet hall that can easily accommodate 5.000 guests. The ideal location for a lavish party.

However, he cannot put his entire fleet in it, because he owns no fewer than 7.000 luxury cars. This would include 600 Rolls-Royces, more than 300 Ferraris, 11 Formula 1 cars from McLaren, 6 Porsches and a large number of Jaguars. Moreover, top brands make custom cars for him that are not available anywhere else. In addition, he also has a range of private jets at his disposal. His personal Boeing 747-400 and Airbus 340-200 are gold plated inside.

Sultan Bolkiah is also a controversial figure because he introduced Sharia law in Brunei, which would make the stoning of homosexuals and adulterous women legal, among other things. Ironically, the sultan and his family themselves cannot be prosecuted under Sharia law.

The sultan also loves women, and preferably as many as possible at the same time. The story goes that the sultan and his brother sent 'missionaries' to collect the most beautiful women worldwide for their harem.

2017 saw the sultan 50 years on his throne – james wk / Shutterstock.com

The journey

After this preliminary study, we fly from Kuching in an hour to Miri, also located in Sarawak, where we stay for a few days. We then take the bus there for the 4-hour journey to Brunei's capital; Bandar Seri Begawan.

Soon we arrive at the border where, apart from the ten occupants of our bus, there are hardly any border crossers to be seen. The ride continues quite quickly and the excellent road network - equipped with crash barriers everywhere - immediately catches the eye. This also applies to the above-ground power supply and the immaculate appearance. Also striking is the green afforestation that we see while driving.

Brunei has various nature reserves such as the Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park and also many pristine pieces of tropical rainforest. The Ulu Temburong National Park is located south of the Temburong district with 550 km2 of forest.

Exactly after a 4 hours drive we reach the end point, the capital of Brunei. The entire state has only 450 inhabitants, but the fact that the country does not have to cut corners is clearly visible everywhere. A few large mosques also catch the eye. Usually the taxis queue at a bus stop, but not in Brunei's capital. Later we learn that there are only 60 taxis in the entire state. Well, if the petrol costs so little and the road tax does not cost you and the surcharges on the purchase of a car are 20 percent, then everyone in Brunei can afford a car. Just ask for directions and we are at a taxi rank and arrive at our hotel within 15 minutes.

A cool beer after the bus ride supplemented with a cigar for my mate is not included this time because alcohol and tobacco products are prohibited stimulants. If you want to get rid of your addiction, a stay in Brunei for a few weeks is a great idea. Incidentally, you don't have to be in this country for discotheques and nightclubs, not to mention massage parlors and sexy ladies. Everything conceived from religious points of view.

Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan

A little naughty

Yet a certain reputation has preceded us and we have been received with all due respect in the sultan's palace. We were not the first Dutch people because in January 2013 the then Queen Beatrix and her son Willem-Alexander and Maxima already preceded us both. We were able to admire many rooms with all their splendor and two enchantingly beautiful and tastefully long-dressed ladies-in-waiting acted as our attendants. At the intercession of the sultan, we were even allowed to take a look at the rooms where the most beautiful harem ladies stay. We looked our eyes out and it didn't stop there. But we would have loved to let you readers of Thailandblog enjoy it, but alas. Before spending the night there, we had to sign an agreement that makes it impossible for us to say anything about it. It was an unforgettable event that we still dream about.

On July 15, the birthday of the Sultan, we will be back.