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| Sailing into Brunei- Borneo, Malaysia |
CRUISING INTO BRUNEI COUNTRY
Early one bright tropical morning in the South China Sea, I cruised into the tiny Islamic nation of Brunei. I wondered what to expect. Would people be friendly and welcoming to a pierced, tattooed, fuschia-haired young American lass, like I’d found most Thais, Malays, Singaporeans and Indonesians to be? Would they be enthusiastic about mini skirts and slim t-shirts, as I’d found the trendy youth of other SE Asian countries to be? Or would I render some conservative Brunei citizens bug-eyed and mouth-gaping, like I’d inadvertently left rural villagers in parts of northern Vietnam and Laos? In other words, was I entering a conservative Muslim country or a liberal one? I was about to find out. To be on the safe side, I’d worn a longer skirt for my arrival. (Immigration, after all)
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| Captain of the ship |
I’d arrived on a refreshing two-hour cruise from neighboring Sabah, Malaysia, where I’d spent a month adventuring through Sabah’s abundant tropical paradises: snorkeling, camping, mountain climbing, visiting orangutans, jungle trekking, and scuba diving. On board the ship I’d made some new friends: a well-mannered Filipino family with their four dapper, strapping pre-teen sons who were vacationing from Manila. The father worked for WWF, helping conserve coral reefs at one of the Philippine’s most pristine reef areas. As a newly-licensed diving instructor, I was very excited to meet such a venerable man.
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| mosque in central Brunei City |
We arrived at Brunei’s port and filed through the simple immigration procedures for both countries. Then we were set loose into Brunei city. I promptly marched through town to the outskirts of the city, searching for the small hotel I’d booked a few days earlier. People I met along the way were friendly, smiling, and inviting. Whew, Brunei seemed like a fine place. My hotel staff were equally welcoming and I quickly settled into my fresh, sunny upstairs room.
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Borneo Island, center of map
Tiny Brunei is little known to the western world. That’s not surprising. Besides Brunei being so very small, it’s situated on Borneo island, which is a confusion itself. Borneo doesn’t entirely belonging to any one nation, but is divided between three countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo straddles the equator, nestled between Philippines to the north, Indonesia to the east and south, and Malaysia and Singapore to the west. Borneo’s southern 65% is occupied by the Indonesian state of Kalimantan, a wild, densely jungled and undeveloped region. Borneo’s northern third is inhabited by the two Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Brunei is wedged between Sabah and Sarawak, hugging Borneo’s north coast.
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Brunei is situated between the two Malaysian states of Sabah (northeast) and Sarawak (southwest)
I was visiting Brunei en route to Sarawak, where I planned to spend another month frolicking up jungle rivers, along beaches, caves, National parks and the charming capital town of Kucing (‘cat’ in Malay). But first I set about exploring little Brunei.
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| dense jungle-lined river |
Being so tiny, there’s not much to see or do in Brunei. Most of the country actually lies upriver in dense, unspoilt jungle. Various jungle tours are available, and I would have loved to join one, but they were way beyond my budget. So I settled for the usual brief tourist visit of Brunei City, ‘Bandar Seri Begawan’, for three days.
The most important and interesting sights are the stunning Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the Sultan’s Royal Regalia Museum,and Kampong Ayer ‘floating city’, a wooden town built entirely on platforms on the river, just opposite the city. Several elegant and glamorous Muslim temples dot the city. There’s a large upscale shopping mall and a few small museums. I spent a fascinating day exploring the extensive Sultan’s Royal Regalia Museum. I have to confess that I worn long skirts during my entire stay in Brunei, since it was so obviously a respectable Islamic country. Everyone was open and welcoming, even at the mosques and museums.
Another day I wandered around the meandering wooden planks of the floating city, mingling with Brunei’s poorer inhabitants, who were just as friendly as their wealthier countrymen. Finally, I wandered around the city, visited the Mosques, and peeked inside the shopping mall. After that, I ran out of things to do.
Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
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NEWS: My Story 'Cruising into Brunei' Selected by Barbara Weibel of Hole in the Donut as ‘Best Weekly Narrative Travel Article’ - LashWorldTour
2012/03/14 at 1:43 am (UTC 8) Link to this comment
[…] Mosque in BruneiYet again, I’ve been honored by Barbara Weibel, who has selected ‘Cruising into Brunei‘ as ‘Best Weekly Travel Article’ in her ongoing series. If you’re not […]
Where is Borneo? - LashWorldTour » LashWorldTour
2012/10/29 at 11:19 am (UTC 8) Link to this comment
[…] can get there by boat, bus or airplane. Check out my trip to Brunei to learn more about visiting: Cruising Into Brunei Country. Kalimantan – BorneoKalimantanThe large Indonesian state of Kalimantan occupies the […]