Brunei - Archaeological Site

If you're a bit of a sadist and decide to walk back into town from the Brunei Museum, there are actually a few cool things to see along the way. No, they're more than cool. They're the most amazing things in all of Brunei. I feel compelled to say that to justify the blisters I got walking back. Most intriguing, however, would have to be the mysteriously named "Archaeological Site"


At first, I thought it was just a tin shed that had gone a bit rusty. Then I noticed that it wasn't a house at all, but a covering for some ruins. I'm a keen fan of the world's greatest TV show, "Time Team", so I thought I'd wander over for a look.


At first glance, it appeared to be just a few random cuts into the clay soil. The second and third glance confirmed that. There were no signs, no real effort to document the site and well, not much to look at. Interestingly, a tree which had grown on the site, had been preserved with as much passion as the archeology itself. There were a few obvious column bases for upright posts, as well as some defined rooms, but the overall site was hard to interpret. I guess it must have been a prominent house at some stage. It sits on the side of the hill overlooking the river, so I'm guessing some rich fat bastard used to live here. Good for him!


I wandered around most of the site and managed to find one stone which had some engravings on it. Either it wasn't that great a house, or they managed to demolish it pretty thoroughly. The site is right next door to the tombs of one the Sultans, so I suspect he may have bought the house and demolished it to make sure he wouldn't be overlooked in the after life.


Despite the lack of information, the site had a cool atmosphere to it. The sagging iron roof and dark shadows made it seem Indiana Jones was lurking behind the bushes somewhere. It was also good to get out of the blazing heat. I stayed just long enough for the flies the size of coffee cups to find me, then I was off in a great rush down the hill...