ENCHANTING BRUNEI

We landed at Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport, Brunei on a fine afternoon. The airport formalities were simple and we soon navigated out and reached our hotel in the city, a 15 min.drive.

Nestled on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, Brunei is a sovereign state. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia; and it is completely separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. The remainder of the Borneo island is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia. A similar situation existed when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan being divided by India. A similar situation exists perhaps now only in Palestine with Gaza and West Bank being divided by Israel.

The country’s official name is Negara Brunei Darussalam, darussalam in Arabic means “abode of peace”, while negara means “country” in Malay. The Capital is Bandar Seri Begawan.

In 1967, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah,the incumbent Sultan  and took the title of “Seri Begawan”. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah renamed the city to honour his late father. The word “Begawan” was also used for Bruneian monarchs who have abdicated, the word originally coming from the Sanskrit word for “god”( bhagavan). Beside that, Seri Begawan was known as “blessed one” in Sanskrit. Seri comes from the honorific Sanskrit word Sri, and Bandar comes from Persian and originally meant “harbour”.

At the peak of Bruneian Empire, Sultan Bolkiah (reigned 1485–1528) is alleged to have had control over most regions of Borneo, including modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the Sulu archipelago off the northeast tip of Borneo, Seludong (modern-day Manila), and the islands off the northwest tip of Borneo.

During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. In the 1880s, the decline of the Bruneian Empire continued. The Sultan granted land (now Sarawak) to James Brooke, who had helped him quell a rebellion and allowed him to establish the Kingdom of Sarawak. Over time, Brooke and his nephews (who succeeded him) leased or annexed more land. Brunei lost much of its territory to him and his dynasty, known as the White Rajahs that ruled for about 150 years. The story is similar to the establishment and subsequent 100 years rule of the East India Company of Robert Clive in our country.The Sultanate ceded Sarawak (Kuching) to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah, and it ceded Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and finally gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984.

Life in the Capital, Bandar Seri Begawan is calm,tranquil and rather laid back.However,it has   all the facilities of a cosmopolitan city . The broad avenues and pavements are meticulously clean and adorned with well maintained ornamental trees.We were informed that almost all the properties in the country are owned by the Royal family and their relatives. We came across   a number of Palaces strewn across the capital. The city appears deserted and people are hardly seen walking in the streets.With one private car for every two persons, Brunei has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world. However,the public transport system is inadequate and irregular. We visited The Pantai Seri Kenangan Beach within a short distance of the city, undoubtedly the most popular destination. The Grand “Imperial Hotel” – a Palace converted to a luxurious hotel located at the beach is awesome.

During our stay,we visited a number of places of interest.These include The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque  in the city centre – This mosque  is one of the world’s most beautiful mosques I have come across.We also visited Jame’asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque , the largest mosque in Brunei. It was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the incumbent Sultan’s reign. We found time to offer our prayers at the mosques .Islam is the official religion of Brunei and two-thirds of the population adheres to Islam. Mentionably,the country is governed by strict Islamic Sharia laws.

The city waterfront is a wonderful boulevard strategically overlooking the historical Kampong Ayer and is a retreat for the city dwellers.The area has several kiosks and most importantly the boat terminals. I wonder why we could not have such a boulevard overlooking the Buriganga.I hope I was not dreaming .One morning,we boarded a boat and spent almost 04 hours at the nearby ” Kampong Ayer”, ‘water village’,- A UNESCO heritage site which has houses on stilts and stretches about 8 km along the Sungei Brunei River. It is a well preserved national heritage site, the largest of its kind in the world with approximately 30,000 residents. It was interesting to see houses on stilts with all urban facilities and came across a primary school,a college,a mosque and even a fire service station on the sea. There is a museum also depicting the history of the “water village”. We were told that  the education and health facilities are absolutely free for the Brunei nationals and although there are housing facilities ,the locals prefer to stay at their age old traditional comfort zones of their ancestral homes.

With a mere total area of 5,765 sq.km and the total population of Brunei approximately 415,717 as of July 2013 and per capita of $ 50,440, Brunei has the second-highest Human Development Index (HDI) among the South East Asia nations, after Singapore, and is classified as a “developed country”.

Economic growth during the 1990s and 2000s, averaging 56% from 1999 to 2008, transformed Brunei into an industrialised country. It has developed wealth from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked fifth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth-richest nation out of 182, based on its petroleum and natural gas fields. Brunei is the fourth-largest producer of oil in Southeast Asia and  is also the ninth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world.

We also visited The Royal Regalia Museum   devoted to the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The main gallery displays the coronation and Silver Jubilee Chariots, gold and silver ceremonial armoury and traditional jewellery encrusted coronation crowns. There is a huge gallery displaying the gifts given to the Brunei Sultan by different heads of govt.I wish we had one such gallery at our National Museum. Closeby is the The Royal Ceremonial Hall or Lapau  used for royal traditional ceremonies. It was here that the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned in 1968.

The Istana Nurul Iman Palace, the residence of the Sultan of Brunei  is located on a leafy, riverside  hills on the banks of the Brunei River .It is believed to be the world’s largest residential palace of any type. Unfortunately, we could not visit the Palace as it is open only on special occasions.

Located away on the banks of Sungei Brunei , the Royal Mausoleum and the graveyard in Kota Batu have been used by succeeding generations of sultans. Inside the Mausoleum itself are the remains of the last four sultans.

The most memorable event of our visit was trip to the eastern part of Brunei. Mentionably,Brunei is divided into two parts by the Limbang District of Sarawak State of Malaysia.The total popn.of the eastern part is only 10,000.Out of total four districts in Brunei, only one district,namely Temburong is located in the eastern part.The eastern part is home to rich,dense  rainforest .We felt like members of the National Geographic Expedition as our boat splashed across the South China Sea and then meandered along rich mangrove forest of goll pata and keora.The journey by regular boat service took about an hour.There is little activities in the eastern half other than mining and timber.There is no taxi or bus service.We requested Angan,an elderly who escorted us in his old 4 wheeler jeep during our brief visit.The entire ambience was stunning .During our trip,we  visited the  Ulu Ulu National Forest and drove upto Batong Dira,the last village on the frontier.

There are about 15000 Bangladeshis ,mostly engaged as labourers and construction workers mostly from Barisal and Comilla districts.There are about 50 professionals including doctors,engineers and university teachers.

Lastly I should mention about Tamu Selera – Similar to our wayside restaurants with plastic chairs and tables in the heart of the city .We did not miss the opportunity to dine at one of these restaurants.An ideal outdoor dining spot amidst truly local ambience. Fresh fish are chosen and picked and served according to the choice of the customers - smoked, boiled, deep fried. Better than any five star restaurants. Simply mouth watering and by no means Yummy!

ENCHANTING BRUNEI

We landed at Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport, Brunei on a fine afternoon. The airport formalities were simple and we soon navigated out and reached our hotel in the city, a 15 min.drive. Nestled on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, Brunei is a sovereign state. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia; and it is completely separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. The remainder of the Borneo island is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia. A similar situation existed when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan being divided by India. A similar situation exists perhaps now only in Palestine with Gaza and West Bank being divided by Israel. The countrys official name is Negara Brunei Darussalam, darussalam in Arabic means abode of peace, while negara means country in Malay. The Capital is Bandar Seri Begawan. In 1967, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah,the incumbent Sultan and took the title of Seri Begawan. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah renamed the city to honour his late father. The word Begawan was also used for Bruneian monarchs who have abdicated, the word originally coming from the Sanskrit word for god( bhagavan). Beside that, Seri Begawan was known as blessed one in Sanskrit. Seri comes from the honorific Sanskrit word Sri, and Bandar comes from Persian and originally meant harbour. At the peak of Bruneian Empire, Sultan Bolkiah (reigned 14851528) is alleged to have had control over most regions of Borneo, including modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the Sulu archipelago off the northeast tip of Borneo, Seludong (modern-day Manila), and the islands off the northwest tip of Borneo. During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. In the 1880s, the decline of the Bruneian Empire continued. The Sultan granted land (now Sarawak) to James Brooke, who had helped him quell a rebellion and allowed him to establish the Kingdom of Sarawak. Over time, Brooke and his nephews (who succeeded him) leased or annexed more land. Brunei lost much of its territory to him and his dynasty, known as the White Rajahs that ruled for about 150 years. The story is similar to the establishment and subsequent 100 years rule of the East India Company of Robert Clive in our country.The Sultanate ceded Sarawak (Kuching) to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah, and it ceded Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and finally gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. Life in the Capital, Bandar Seri Begawan is calm,tranquil and rather laid back.However,it has all the facilities of a cosmopolitan city . The broad avenues and pavements are meticulously clean and adorned with well maintained ornamental trees.We were informed that almost all the properties in the country are owned by the Royal family and their relatives. We came across a number of Palaces strewn across the capital. The city appears deserted and people are hardly seen walking in the streets.With one private car for every two persons, Brunei has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world. However,the public transport system is inadequate and irregular. We visited The Pantai Seri Kenangan Beach within a short distance of the city, undoubtedly the most popular destination. The Grand Imperial Hotel a Palace converted to a luxurious hotel located at the beach is awesome. During our stay,we visited a number of places of interest.These include The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque in the city centre This mosque is one of the worlds most beautiful mosques I have come across.We also visited Jameasr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque , the largest mosque in Brunei. It was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the incumbent Sultans reign. We found time to offer our prayers at the mosques .Islam is the official religion of Brunei and two-thirds of the population adheres to Islam. Mentionably,the country is governed by strict Islamic Sharia laws. The city waterfront is a wonderful boulevard strategically overlooking the historical Kampong Ayer and is a retreat for the city dwellers.The area has several kiosks and most importantly the boat terminals. I wonder why we could not have such a boulevard overlooking the Buriganga.I hope I was not dreaming .One morning,we boarded a boat and spent almost 04 hours at the nearby Kampong Ayer, water village,- A UNESCO heritage site which has houses on stilts and stretches about 8 km along the Sungei Brunei River. It is a well preserved national heritage site, the largest of its kind in the world with approximately 30,000 residents. It was interesting to see houses on stilts with all urban facilities and came across a primary school,a college,a mosque and even a fire service station on the sea. There is a museum also depicting the history of the water village. We were told that the education and health facilities are absolutely free for the Brunei nationals and although there are housing facilities ,the locals prefer to stay at their age old traditional comfort zones of their ancestral homes. With a mere total area of 5,765 sq.km and the total population of Brunei approximately 415,717 as of July 2013 and per capita of $ 50,440, Brunei has the second-highest Human Development Index (HDI) among the South East Asia nations, after Singapore, and is classified as a developed country. Economic growth during the 1990s and 2000s, averaging 56% from 1999 to 2008, transformed Brunei into an industrialised country. It has developed wealth from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked fifth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth-richest nation out of 182, based on its petroleum and natural gas fields. Brunei is the fourth-largest producer of oil in Southeast Asia and is also the ninth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world. We also visited The Royal Regalia Museum devoted to the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The main gallery displays the coronation and Silver Jubilee Chariots, gold and silver ceremonial armoury and traditional jewellery encrusted coronation crowns. There is a huge gallery displaying the gifts given to the Brunei Sultan by different heads of govt.I wish we had one such gallery at our National Museum. Closeby is the The Royal Ceremonial Hall or Lapau used for royal traditional ceremonies. It was here that the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned in 1968. The Istana Nurul Iman Palace, the residence of the Sultan of Brunei is located on a leafy, riverside hills on the banks of the Brunei River .It is believed to be the worlds largest residential palace of any type. Unfortunately, we could not visit the Palace as it is open only on special occasions. Located away on the banks of Sungei Brunei , the Royal Mausoleum and the graveyard in Kota Batu have been used by succeeding generations of sultans. Inside the Mausoleum itself are the remains of the last four sultans. The most memorable event of our visit was trip to the eastern part of Brunei. Mentionably,Brunei is divided into two parts by the Limbang District of Sarawak State of Malaysia.The total popn.of the eastern part is only 10,000.Out of total four districts in Brunei, only one district,namely Temburong is located in the eastern part.The eastern part is home to rich,dense rainforest .We felt like members of the National Geographic Expedition as our boat splashed across the South China Sea and then meandered along rich mangrove forest of goll pata and keora.The journey by regular boat service took about an hour.There is little activities in the eastern half other than mining and timber.There is no taxi or bus service.We requested Angan,an elderly who escorted us in his old 4 wheeler jeep during our brief visit.The entire ambience was stunning .During our trip,we visited the Ulu Ulu National Forest and drove upto Batong Dira,the last village on the frontier. There are about 15000 Bangladeshis ,mostly engaged as labourers and construction workers mostly from Barisal and Comilla districts.There are about 50 professionals including doctors,engineers and university teachers. Lastly I should mention about Tamu Selera Similar to our wayside restaurants with plastic chairs and tables in the heart of the city .We did not miss the opportunity to dine at one of these restaurants.An ideal outdoor dining spot amidst truly local ambience. Fresh fish are chosen and picked and served according to the choice of the customers - smoked, boiled, deep fried. Better than any five star restaurants. Simply mouth watering and by no means Yummy!