#49 Brunei

I was uncertain whether or not I should go and visit Brunei. It seemed to be a small country that didn't have much of interest to see. It's known as the home of the Sultan of Brunei, formerly the richest man in the world, but was there anything else worth seeing? I'm glad I did go. It's actually quite an interesting place to visit.


What drives Brunei is oil money. Lots of oil money. By it's population alone, Brunei should be a tired little Malay city with not much going on. Add in a few billion in oil money though and you get a big change. Dotted all around the city are large, majestic building dedicated to the glory of Brunei and the Sultan and his family. They're big and they're pretty - mosques, government buildings, museums. The lot.


Unfortunately, it does not filter all the way down the rest of society. The capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan is a cross between Malaysian and Singapore. It has the grime and sense of decay of Malaysia, but sprinkled in are dobs of modernity like Singapore. It seems that the city rolls along on its sluggish pace until the Sultan decrees there be some major new development. That's then built in a flurry of activity, then the city goes back to its old sleepy self.


There are quite a few things to see in Brunei. Nothing amazing, but all quite nice. Was it worth a dedicated trip just to see it? Probably not. But was it worth going to get my passport stamped? Definitely!