We are in Brunei today. Brunei is an independent sultanate located on the northern tip of the island of Borneo. Borneo is the fourth largest island in the world and is shared by three countries: Indonesia for about the southern two-thirds; Malaysia for about the northern third; and, Brunei for about the size of a Super Walmart or Costco parking lot completely engulfed by Malaysia on the northern coast. With a population of only about 400,000 people and a recently enacted (May 2013) strict sharia law, Brunei will most likely not be on many lists of must-see places to go.

I would like to tell you about the sights and facts we learned about on the trip in from the pier to the city, but nothing stuck with me and I failed to bring my notebook – sorry about that. We did see the main mosque, the stilt village, the treasury building, the Ministry of Education and Religion Building, and some of the business district. The most striking thing about the visit was the change in vibe from Bali and Java. Those places had a vibrancy and a rhythm to them. Brunei, at least what we saw of it – and that was the most populated part – had none. What struck us most was the almost total absence of motorbikes, scooters and bicycles. Everyone has a car – or two or three… Also noticeably absent were stray animals, any animals, until we arrived at the Polo Club and we saw three dogs on the lawn. They belonged to one of the mucky-mucks at the club.

We had a special treat as World Cruise passengers with Silversea. We were taken to the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club for dinner and entertainment. We were originally to have had a demonstration game of polo, but at the last minute the Sultan commandeered the stadium for a party – really! Apparently, the Sultan’s parties can last up to a week or more and he can commandeer just about anything he wants to when he wants to. It is good to be the Sultan. When you think of Brunei, if you think of it at all, think of money…um…that should be Money. The money spent on regalia, buildings, and objet d’art is staggering.

Bonnie and me outside the Royal Brunei Polo and Yacht Club where we had dinner.

Out trip to the Polo Club began with a short bus tour around the city of Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), the capitol of Brunei. It is a city of mostly government and consular buildings. While most of the architecture is quite striking – even avant garde for this part of the world – the city itself is rather sterile. After the hustle, bustle, and hum of Bali and Java, Brunei seems like an older, more sedate cousin. Even the driver from the pier to the city, which took about 45 minutes, was bland. The people are very friendly and open, but there is a stillness about everything that seemed strange to me.

The main downtown street in the Brunei capitol. Note the contrast to Bali and Java...

The stilt village opposite the opulent downtown section of the city.

The main mosque. That is a 22-karat gold leaf dome. It was built at a cost of about $10,000,000 Brunei dollars (on a par with the Singapore dollar), so that wouod have been about $7,500.000 USD.

The royal "barge."

Once at the Polo Club, we found more opulence. Below are a few pictures.

On the left are the dancers and on the right is one of the dancers in training.

On the left is the dining room we ate in, one of several available at the Polo Club. In the center is the place setting we had at the tables. The silver is almost solid silver with gold accents and the china is Minton bone china made expressly for the Sultan of Brunei.. On the right, is the wait staff parade bringing in our appetizers on covered dishes.

Dinner consisted of a multi-course meal of local delicacies, accompanied by a choice of fruit punches, water, and Coke. We began with a timbale of salmon and avocado in lemon tapenade with caviar. This was followed by a spicy oxtail and vegetable soup (probably the best dish on the menu). In the middle of the table was a large silver-domed platter with warming candles under it. After the soup, a waiter came by with fragrant rice and pulled the top off the serving platter. On it were seven dishes featuring chicken, lamb, beef, fish and vegetables. All food was served family-style by the wait staff.

Here is the menu:

               Steamed Rice

               Saffron baked lamb rice

               Oven baked chicken roulette with rosemary sauce glaze

               Smoked king prawns with honey pepper

               Grilled snapper with local sour dressing

               Beef korma with potato and green peas

               Lamb with local herbs (probably the best of the protein dishes)

               Wok fried vegetables with sea cucumber and abalone

During the dinner, there was a local entertainment show of musicians, singers, and dancers. After all of that food, we rolled back into the buses for the trip back to the ship – and a stop at the bar by most folks for an adult beverage…or two.

The family-style server on the left; the individual dishes - after we worked our way through them - in the center and the dessert on the right. The dessert looked better than it actually tasted. 

We decided that, while we were very impressed with the wretched excess of Brunei, it could get checked off the bucket list. We could not have experienced what we did if we had been on our own, but frankly, we don’t think we would rush back to Brunei again.