The most common response I had from people when I told them I was going to Brunei for an offshore tour was either the honest reply: “Where’s that?” or they played Geographer Enthusiast and replied: “It’s going to be really hot in the Middle East, isn’t it?”
The assumption that Brunei is in the Middle East is a common and very understandable one (I fell for it too). The name “Brunei” has an Islamic implication, and the full name, “Negara Brunei Darussalam” has an even more effective sound to assume a small, predominately Islamic nation that was carved out of the Ottoman Empire. However, this oil rich nation does not play in the sand in order to retrieve its resource; it goes swimming, and they’ve got a lot of it here.
I’ve been flying offshore for a month in Brunei, and it’s a very pleasant place. The people are nice, the roads and highways are great (they’re got a very British feel), the weather is fantastic, there is plenty of opportunity for getting outside and hiking, racket sports, field sports, and golf. The population of the main city district, in which we are living, is only about 50,000. This results in light traffic and a clean downtown core. The rules are fairly restrictive: no booze is sold and drug traffickers get the death penalty. I have the Movie Channel and HBO in my room and I’ve yet to see a movie make-out scene or hear a curse word. It general, it’s pretty sleepy times.
Stay tuned for my cynical accounts of the details of life in Islamic Asia.
Selamat tinggal,
Rob
