Brunei Darussalam: Part Two.

The largest district in Brunei and second most populated area has one main product: Oil and gas. You can expect a good mix of expats working here for Shell, Schlumberger, Amec Foster Wheeler etc and the development of the district was carefully planned to accommodate for the industry and its workforce. I think the district itself can be an attraction because you can see huge holding tanks, water treatment at the Seria Refinery as you drive along the road (open access). There will be ‘nodding donkeys’ all around the coasts to pump out from the ground and oil rigs lined up the horizon. The district is very flat 4-6 km closer to the shore. LOTS of huge houses (rich families working at Shell) but there are lower income earners too, and minorities living in a more rural parts of the district.

There is a small museum in town called Belait Museum and the Oil and Gas Discovery Centre (OGDC) in Seria which may be worth visiting if you would like to learn a thing or two about the history of Kuala Belait and the black gold. Exhibits are very static and lengthy so it can be very boring.

There is an awesome BJJ gym here called The Refinery. Do check it out for a try out (gi rental available).

I first came here ages ago, which was a reward for winning a competition called the Billion Dollar Challenge. We came up with solutions to tackle the issues of global change, particularly the ever-increasing population of the world. I don’t remember much of this but it involved discussions, presentation and being teamed up with new friends from different schools. The prize was an overnight trip to Sumbiling Eco-Village (SEV).

The glamping experience was incredible, as the site was located on a river bank and we got to try on tubing, swimming and bathed in the cool, clear and shallow water. I remember SEV offering a very intimate experience in which we got to interact with the locals who lived in a nearby longhouse, gathered our own vegetables from the jungle and cooked the bamboo chicken over the fire. To get there we had to ride the long, thin boat called Temuai over the rapids and the view of the virgin forest and the sound of nature was second to none.

Then I worked with the tour company Sunshine Borneo Tours in 2013/14 as a tour guide and I was able to visit Temburong more often. This time, it was with tourists and we went even deeper into the jungle to reach the Ulu-Ulu Resort and to climb the 50m high canopy walkway. There are small waterfalls nearby and if you rest your feet in the pool be ready for a natural fish spa experience!

We are petite and some of us have more meat on their bones than necessary. Crazy fact you need to know is that 61% of Bruneians are overweight or obese – the highest rate in ASEAN (Global Nutrition Report 2016). 1 in 2 school-aged children (aged 5 to 19) are overweight or obese based on the National Health and Nutritional Status Survey conducted in 2011. There is a serious concern of a growing youth obesity epidemic that could lead to symptoms of heart disease at a young age. Obesity is preventable by changing your diet and becoming active in sports or working out. This is a difficult health issue to address due to the sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits (through feasts at wedding bouquet or family functions/get together on the weekends).

Truthfully speaking, Bruneians are chubby – and this is apparent from my own observation compared to my visit to other countries in Southeast Asia. In Brunei, often I find myself unable to finish the huge serving portion of meals at restaurants and would take the leftovers home with me. So this could be the main problem! I asked myself: What is the easy way to solve the weight crisis in my country? The opening of more fast food chains in Brunei is clearly not helping. At the end of the day, it really depends on the individuals to commit to a healthy lifestyle.

I think the Sultan of Brunei has been actively promoting fitness such as his highness himself participating in the annual regatta and cycling with the people ('Bandar Ku Ceria'). The opening of many fitness centres over the years are excellent to promote the fitness culture.

Most Bruneians have medium to fair skin and dress conservatively for both males and females. Women do not bare their shoulders, chest and legs, and most would cover their heads with hijabs. If you wear less clothes you will get a lot of stares and judgmental looks but nothing like harassment or being called off, really. So, you can dress freely but do respect the location of where you are at – for example, you need to be fully covered upon entering a mosque or government complexes. Some companies would enlist ‘wearing hijab’ as part of their uniform as well.

Is it true that Bruneian Women Really Are Friendly (BWRAF)? [If you are a scuba diver, you know what this means]. Well I think that in Brunei we don’t ever raise our voice as it is considered very rude to do so. We speak softly and with respect especially when addressing elderlies, persons with titles and those related to the royal families. Bruneians don’t really make a lot of hand motions nor create excessive face expressions. Eye contact is like a gamble – some Bruneians are shy and will be uncomfortable when you hold eye contact and I actually only get used to it after living in the UK (true!). I noticed that the opposite sex won't necessarily want to shake hands with you (for religious reason).

Manners maketh man so in Brunei, you are expected to be polite and to mind your words before it comes out of your mouth. However, don’t expect the holding doors, smiling, “hi” or “thank you” at cashier or bus drivers because I really didn’t notice much of this going on here. Bruneians are very friendly nonetheless, and I have met kind strangers who will go out of their way to help you.

When it comes to the attributes of Bruneians it is very hard to describe it as we have a wide spectrum of personalities. I think it really depends on many factors such as the upbringing, social status, wealth, education and maturity. I have got to say that Bruneians are relaxed – too relaxed and comfortable sometimes – as we are very spoiled with the many benefits received unconditionally from the government.

In 2006, a study done by the University of Leicester on a quest to produce the ‘World Map of Happiness’ has found that Brunei is ranked number 9 for happiest nations in the world. The three interdependent factors namely good healthcare, high GDP per capita and access to education are the reasons for a nation to “being happy”. But that is 12 years ago and only Brunei is not listed within the 156-countries ranked in the new 2018 World Happiness Report. As for now, Singapore is the happiest nation within ASEAN nation and ranked 34th in the world and Malaysia comes as second to both rankings.

This is undoubtedly the LONGEST blog entry I have ever made and I could easily write more about Brunei. There are a lot of places that I didn’t include here and I plan to revisit the attractions again next year (2019) to see how much has changed. While I may call Brunei as my hometown but it doesn’t necessarily mean I know it all. In general, if you are a tourist here you do need to move about and really explore the country because unlike other cities where you could just stay in one place and there is so much to do and check out. Public transportation is bad in my country so take the initiative to rent a car or have a local guide to show you around. Taxi is crazy expensive so if you do need to move about, best to download the app Dart: not much cheaper but more flexible in terms of pick-up locations and time.

Be notified that there is no alcohol, cigarettes and drugs sold at shops or corners of the streets, nor pubs and clubs. If you do bring these items in with you, you are expected to declare it and drug offences are extremely severe in Brunei in which you can face capital punishment. The media is tightly controlled and you are not allowed to degrade the image of the ruler and his family members and the government – so do take caution and be sensitive about this when you are visiting Brunei.

Transactions can be challenging sometimes as the options of banks are rather limited here and I think the remaining international banks are Standard Chartered and UOB. Due to that, you may want to carry cash with you and convert it to preferrably Singapore dollars (the more universally recognised currency). Sim Cards are expensive but there is wifi in most places and there is an increasing number of budget hotels and hostels you can find (Airbnb too) so your pocket can stay sustainable. If you want to travel smart, download an offline map on your phone so you won’t have to constantly be connected to the net to search where you are at. I think 3-4 days is enough to see most of Brunei but this is just the to-do on land.

I will write another blog about the underwater wonders of Brunei next.

Thank you for reading about Brunei! As a Bruneian and a former tour guide, I am happy to answer any questions and chat so just comment or send me a message/email/find me on my social media.